Chapter 17 The Meaning of Death in Islam Ira M. Lapidus great variety of national, ethnic, language, tribal, and other communities. As Muslims they share certain common views about the nature of death and the afterlife, many common funeral and burial practices, and similar views about the significance of death for the living of life in this world. These views stem from the Quian, the book of revelations to the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam; the collections of the sayings of the Prophet outside of the Qur’an (called hadith); and the commentaries of later scholars, jurists, Sufi mystics, theologians, and philosophers. This Corpus of scriptures, commentary, and interpretation does not present a unified view about dying, death, and the afterlife, but for our purposes we will consider it a single canon or tradition, Despite this shared religious heritage, there are still enormous varia- tions in Muslim beliefs and practices about dying, death, funerals, burials, and commemorations, some of which derive from differences within the religious tradition, but most of which stem from variations in na- tional, ethnic, tribal, and folk cultures. Much as Muslims are Muslims, and even when they are devout Muslims, many social practices and reli- gious beliefs come from the non-Islamic sides of ‘their culture, For exam- ple, specifically Egyptian, Pakistani, and Turkish folk cultures influence the understanding of death and commemoration of the dead. So too do contemporary scientific and secular concepts and values. Muslim practice everywhere is a blend of religious beliefs and nonreligious forms of cul- ture, This chapter, then, is not a survey of the subject so much as a sam- pling of Muslim beliefs and practices. It will emphasize the common reli- Meaning of Death in tam 149 MUSLIM RELIGIOUS BELIEFS Islamic beliefs have two critical tenets. One is belief in the existence of a single God, Allah, the creator of the universe and of human beings, to whom all persons owe islam, Islam means submission to God's commands as revealed in the Quran, acceptance of his guidance and instruction, submission of one's own sel-will to His will, and acceptance for good and bad of the life that he has given. Islamic teaching stresses the virtues of humbleness, patience, endurance, gratitude, and obedience to one’s maker. Death is the wtimate test of a Muslim’ capacity to accept God's decree with fortitude and trust. ‘This attitude can lead to fatalism, but it also represents a stoic wisdom that can provide comfort and strength in the face of life’ uncertainties, changing fortunes, and inevitable conclusion, Muslim religious culture has always stressed the limitations of human power in the face of fortune and destiny; the changeableness of both good luck and bad; and the need for very person to accept the good things of life with humility and the bad with enduring trust in the meaningfulness of existence. The stoic attitude counsels one not 10 rejoice too much in good fortune nor to despair in had times, but to accept the conditions of one’s existence with restraint and dignity. The second central Muslim tenet is that death is not the end of an individual’ life but rather a transition into a new phase of existence. In the ‘Muslim view che human being is composed of both spiritual soul and material body. When the body dies, the life-infusing spirit of man (rub) lives on. Muslins believe that all individuals will be resurrected, body and soul together, at the Day of Judgment. Those who have lived a good and believing life will be rewarded with eternal bliss in paradise, and those who have done evil will be condemned to the fire ‘The life of the first phase—life in this world—may be decisive for the reward or punishments that the individual experiences in the life to come. ‘While pre-Islamic Arabian and early Muslim cultures had a strong convic- tion that the lngth of one’s life is fated and unchangeable (a duration called ajal, a fized time), the fate of the human being after death is in the realm of human responsibilty. The quality of this life is critical but still secondary, for itis temporary: Life in the next world, however, is eternal— and more:important because after death the individual will be integrated into the world of spiritual and heavenly existences where the human soul ‘an find its ultimate meaning. Death can be accepted with solemnity and calm for it is the transition to a truer life These views are, in general, similar to Christian views about death, but there are a number of distinctive aspects to the Muslim religious under-0. Ira M. Lapidus standing. One is the Muslim concept of the barzakb, the isthmus: the transition berween life in this world, al-dunya, and life in the world to come, al-akbira, Between death and the resurrection there is an intermedi- ate phase, the life of the grave. Death and the life of the grave are a fearsome experience. Forty days before the end of a person’ life, a leaf bearing the name of the soul falls from the heavenly tree of life and death, ‘The person's fate is fixed. At the moment of death, the angel of death (lazail in some accounts) and other angels appear to the dying person. He cannot resist or persuade them to give him more time. The separation of the soul from the body is excruciating, and the dying person suffers in tensely. Though the soul rises temporarily to heaven, it returns to the body in the grave. In the grave the dead person is visited by two angels, Munkar and Nika, ‘who test the buried person on his faith and question him about his deeds in life. They determine his condition in the grave. Martyrs for Islam go di rectly (0 heaven, Good persons may be relieved of the oppressiveness ofthe grave by the opening of a window to heaven through which refreshing breezes waft and comfort them, Or the investigating angels may consign the person to unspecified torments for an evil life. Aficr punishment the Person remains unconscious until the day of resurrection, Comfort of punishment are experienced by both body and soul. ‘The life of the grave thus prefigures the coming Day of Judgment. (Not all Muslim theologians and scholars accept this version in all details. Also many Muslim philoso- phers, mystics, and Shi’a do not believe in the reunion of body and soul, and do not accept the punishment in the grave.) The Day of Judgment is more terrifying still. The signs of the hour are described in eloquent and fearsome passages in the Qui’an. ‘THE DARKENING In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate ‘When the sun shall be darkened, when the stars shall be thrown down, when the mountains shall be set moving, when the pregnant camels shall be neglected, ‘when the savage beasts shall be mustered, when the seas shall be set boiling, when the souls shall be coupled, when the buried infant shall be asked for what sin she was slain, when the serols shall be unrolled, Meaning of Death in Ida 19, when heaven shall be stripped off, when Hell shall be set blazing, when Paradise shall be brought nigh, then shall a soul know what it has produced. (Quran, Sura 143 Arberry 1055, 2:326). On carth the coming of the end of days is heralded by terrible events —the breakdown of morality and the degradation of communities, Individuals throw off all moral restraints. The coming of the antichrist and of Yajuj and Maju), Gog and Magog, mark the end of the world. The sun rises in the west announcing the destruction of the cosmic order as well. This is the last Moment, the moment of the advent of Jesus and the Mahdi, the messiah. In the heavenly world an angel blows the first blast of the trampet announcing the disintegration of the cosmos. ‘So, when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast and the cath and the mountains ae lifed up and rushed with a single blow, then, on that day, the Terror shall come to pass, and beaver: shall be split, for upon that day it shall be very fai, and the angets shall stand upon its borders, and ‘upon that day eight shall carry above them the ‘Throne of thy Lord, (On thar day you shall be exposed, not one secret «of yours concealed ‘Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say. ‘Here, take and read my book! Certainly I thoughe that I should encounter my reckoning” So he stall be ina pleasing life ina lofty Garden, its clusters nigh to gather, “Eat and drink with wholesome appetite for that you did long ago, in the days gone by? But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he shall say "Would tha I had not been given my book and not known my reckoning! Would it had been the end! My wealth has not availed me, ‘my authority is gone from me? “Take him, and feter im, and then roast him in Hell (Quran, Sura 69:12-30; Arberry 195, 2:297-98)2 Ira M, Lapidus At the second blast all being is extinguished except God (fana’), and now the Lord opens the treasure houses of hhis throne causing the arth to quiver with renewed existence. The third blast of the trumpet announces the resurrection of humankind, body and spirit united for the final judg- ment. As human beings pour out of their graves, naked and dazzled, they are driven to the concourse of the Last Judgment, a smooth and white plain where they must stand in the blazing heat of the sun, streaming perspiration, waiting three hundred years without food or water. In an atmosphere of blazing terror and barren, comfortless, pure being, terrified souls wait for God's judgment. The inquisition is crushing. An angel reads each person’s deeds from the heavenly book. Good and evil are weighed in the misan, the scales of judgment. ‘Then the souls are driven to the bridge of sivas. In some ac- counts, God has already decided their fate. The saved will find the bridge to be broad, paved, and easily traversed; for the damned it will be thinner than a hair, sharper than a sword, and blacker than night. The souls of the damned will fall into the abyss. Many accounts describe a Pool of the Intercession where the prophet may ask God for His mercy for condemned souls, This is dhe only moment of relief in a landscape tha mirrors the desolation of souls as they go to judgment in solitary terror. The blessed enter into heaven for an eternal existence of bliss and plea- sure, For the blessed, body and soul are comforted by green lands, trees, and rivers; rich furnishings of tents and beds; abundant heavenly food; the company of one’s loved ones; the companionship of the virgin houris; and, above all, the vision and contemplation of God. ‘So God has guarded them from the evil of that day, and has procured them radiancy and gladness, and recompensed them for their patience with a Garden, and silk; therein they shall recline upon couches, therein they shall see neither sun nor bitter cold; rear them shall be its shades, and its clusters hung ‘meekly down, and there shall be passed around them vessels of silver, and goblets of crystal, crystal of silver that they have measured very exactly. ‘And therein they shall be given to drink a cup whose mixnure is ginger. Meaning of Death in lam 3 therein a fountain whose name is called Salsabil ’mmortal youths shall go about them; When thou seest them, thou supposest them scattered pearls, ‘when thou seest them then thou seest bliss and a great kingdom, Upon them shall be green garments of silk and brocade; they are adorned with bracelets of silver, and theie Lord shall sive them to drink a pure draught. ‘Behold, this is a recompense for you, and. your striving is thanked? (Quran, Sura 76:1--223 Arberty 1955, 2:315-16) ‘The torments of hell are not described in the Quan. They will last indefi nitely but not eternally, for God in his merey is expected to give respite even to the most evil of sinners. The position of women is uncertain. They are included in the judgment and the afterlife, out itis not clear whether they too will enjoy conjugal ‘elations. Reflecting a misogyny that became more intense in later eras of Middle Eastern Islamic history, the collected sayings of the prophet com- ‘monly hold that most women, lacking reason and self-rstraint, will end up in hell. The traditional view continues to be the vision of Muslims the world over. Contemporary writings on the subject affirm the resurrection of the body and the physical rewards and punishments, often with the proviso thatthe physical lie of the world to come is not like our own and cannot be known or imagined. THE CEREMONIES OF DYING AND DEATH This vision shapes the ceremonies surrounding death itself. In many ‘Muslim countries there are two parallel rituals of death: one male, one female, The male ritual follows the hadith or sayings of the prophet. The devout Muslim, sensing the approach of death, prepares himself for the grave. He Performs ablutions as he would before prayer so as to be in a state of ritual Purity, washed clecn of pollution. He recites the shabada or profession of faith; he may lie down facing Mecca. The whole community will gather to comfort the dying man and his family. ‘The funeral and burial follow as soon after death as possible, preferably / within the same day, or if the death occurred at night, the following day. A / eae ene nee ee