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When Life Begins (Chapter 12: Muslims and the Israelites)
Posted By:peer On 6/11/2012

By Abu Yahya (in Urdu).
Translated by Asma Khan, Kamran Saeed, Mahmud Ansari & Bilal Khan

 

Chapter 12: Muslims and the Israelites


We were moving towards the Plane of Judgment. We saw Nuhoor and Shaistah on our way. Their sight kindled my sense of humour. I said to Saleh, “Let us tease them a bit while we are on the way”.

They were going toward the lake. Since their backs were towards us, they could not see us. I quietly got close to them from Shaistah’s side and suddenly said to Shaistah in a loud voice, “Hey you! Come with us. We arrest you for strolling with an unrelated man”.

Shaistah suddenly turned towards us, alarmed on hearing my loud and stern voice. Nuhoor however, did not show any concern. He looked at me confidently and said, “If it is so, then you may arrest me as well. I am also an accomplice in the crime”. He presented his hands forward while saying so. Thereafter, he laughed and said, “However, you may have a problem, as there is neither a jail nor a place to execute the punishment over here”.

“Even though there is no jail, you can still be punished. The punishment is that you have to marry the abductee. To live with the same woman all your life, and that too in paradise, is a severe punishment in itself!” I said.

Nuhoor roared with laughter. Shaistah, who had by now recovered from my earlier jibe, smiled and commented, “You men are great believers in Oneness (of God). It’s a wonder why your approach suddenly changes to sharing partners on this issue!”

With a mock expression of seriousness, Nuhoor replied, “Abdullah, you know that the punishment for assigning partners (to God) is Hell. Therefore, please don’t make such polytheistic comments in Shaistah’s presence in future; otherwise, you have had it!”

Saleh intervened, “Be at peace, Shaistah. Abdullah is actually practicing oneness. He has only one wife”.

“The credit for that however, does not go to Abdullah. It was a limitation of the times he lived in. Let’s leave this topic at that. Where is your wife, Abdullah?” Nuhoor asked.

I was not ready to get serious yet. I said teasingly, “Unlike some others, I do not enjoy the luxury of having spare time to wander around along with my wife”.

“Yet you have the time to cast an evil eye on those who have the time to do so!” Nuhoor replied in the same teasing tone.

“We are not the ones to cast an evil eye. We are only pleased to see such sights.”

“But you have cast an evil eye in my case!” Nuhoor replied and explained, “My Prophet Jeremiah *(Yarmiah) has been called to offer his testimony. Since I was one of his close associates, my presence there is necessary”. He had a look of seriousness as he said the last sentence.

“Are you leaving?” Shaistah asked.

“Yes. You would better go to see your family. I will be busy in these affairs for some time. All because Abdullah has cast an evil eye!”

Having said so, he left with the angels who had come to take him.

“The prophets have already testified for their nations. What is Prophet Jeremiah’s testimony all about?” I asked Saleh.

“It is time for the criminals who had done wrong to him, to meet their fate. His testimony is in that regard.” Saleh replied.

And then we also started to move towards the Plane of Accountability.

 




All the Jews from Prophet Jeremiah’s era were gathered in front of the Throne. His era was one of the most important periods of Jewish history. Jews, also called the Israelites, were the descendants of Prophet Abraham *(Ibrahim) though his son Prophet Isaac *(Ishaq) and his son, Prophet Jacob *(Yaqub). Israel was Prophet Jacob’s title. He had twelve sons. His descendants came to be known as the Israelites. Most prominent amongst them was Prophet Joseph *(Yusuf). Prophet Jacob and his twelve sons had settled in Palestine. However, during the era of Prophet Joseph, they all migrated to Egypt. They settled in Egypt and stayed there for a few centuries; during that period, their numbers increased to hundreds of thousands.

At the time of Prophet Moses, Jews were slaves of the Pharaoh of Egypt. God saved them from the tyranny of Pharaoh through the person of Prophet Moses, and gave them the status of the nation of Prophet Moses. For their guidance, the Almighty sent down the Scriptures and the Divine Law. However, after having lived as slaves for centuries, cowardice, idol worship and various moral ailments had become ingrained in them. Therefore, when the Almighty commanded them to wage a holy war to take back the control of Palestine from the idol worshippers who lived there, they refused to do so. Palestine was eventually conquered many years later during the rein of Prophet Moses’s successor Joshua *(Yosha), the son of Nun and the Israelites were able to settle there.

Later on, during the times of Prophet Solomon *(Suleman) and Prophet David *(Da’ud), the Israelites were blessed with a magnificent kingdom that was renowned in the whole world. Afterwards, they suffered another moral decline and various moral evils as well as idol worship became wide spread in the society. Their prophets tried their best to
guide them back to the righteous path but to no avail. Consequently, slavery was ordained for them. The neighbouring nations attacked their kingdom repeatedly and undermined it considerably.

When Prophet Jeremiah was sent to the Israelites as a prophet, they were a vassal state of the Babylonian empire and its’ King, Nebuchadnezzar. The moral decline of the Israelites at the time was at its lowest level ever.  Idol worship was rampant. Fornication was common. Their behaviour towards fellow Jews was oppressive. Usury and
slavery were widespread practices.

However, in contrast to their moral decay, their political ambitions were very high. There was an on-going hate campaign against Nebuchadnezzar. All the attentions of their political and religious leadership were focused on liberating them from the political subservience. Strategies like national reformation, character building and strengthening their bonds with their Lord were not topics of discussion at any level. There was a lot of emphasis on the visible external signs of religiosity with low priority to virtues like Faith, moral values and good deeds.

Prophet Jeremiah started his work in this environment and raised the banner of faith in one God and high morals with full force and vigour. He censured the approach of the political and religious leadership. He warned it about the consequences of its moral deficiencies, idol worship and other criminal shortcomings. In addition, he emphatically warned his nation about the risks associated with their plans for mutiny against Nebuchadnezzar. He tried to dissuade them from taking any foolish or emotional steps against Nebuchadnezzar and warned them that if they did, embarked on that perilous path, Nebuchadnezzar would set upon them like the scourge of God.

However, his nation did not pay heed to him. Instead, they hung him upside down in a cistern, and then imprisoned him. Afterwards, they revolted against Nebuchadnezzar. As a consequence, Nebuchadnezzar attacked them with all his might. He killed six hundred thousand Jews and took away with him an equal amount, as slaves. Jerusalem was raised to ground. When he left, the city looked like an abattoir. This incident was later referred to in the Qur’an, which declared the aggressors as the wrath of God against the Israelites, as payback for all their mischief.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Saleh probably read my mind and said to me:

“Your own nation did exactly the same thing, did not it? They were at the rock bottom when it came to knowledge, education, true faith and morals. Yet their so-called leaders continued to blame the super powers of the time and their political conspiracies for their problems. Instead of focusing on improving their faith and moral values, political power and dominance were their foremost concerns. Adulteration, corruption, excessive profiteering and exploitation, hypocrisy and polytheism plagued your nation.

Following the cessation of prophethood after the last holy Prophet, it was their responsibility to deliver God’s message to the rest of the humanity. However, instead of reforming their nation and spreading the message of Islam to non-Muslims, they embarked on a path of hatred against them. They waged wars against them, like these Israelites here who, waged war against Nebuchadnezzar instead of reforming themselves. Unfortunately, like the Israelites, they also faced similar terrible consequences of their actions!”

As Saleh completed his sentence, there was an announcement, “Bring forth Jeremiah”.

In a short while, Prophet Jeremiah arrived accompanied by a few angels. He stood in front of the throne quietly without saying anything.

Saleh said to me, “The Almighty will present the case of his messenger himself”.

As soon as Saleh uttered those words, a movie started to role in the sky in front of us and everyone looked up to watch it.

 


 

It was a scene of absolute devastation. All around, one could see fires and their leaping flames. Thick clouds of smoke rose skywards from the burning houses and properties. Sobs, screams and suppressed wailing could be heard everywhere.  The earth was awash with the blood of innocent and sinners alike. Human beings were being thrashed mercilessly without let or hindrance. Homes were being robbed. Women’s honour was being molested around every nook and corner. Armed soldiers of Iraq’s most powerful ruler Nebuchadnezzar were roaming freely in the streets of Jerusalem with only one thought on their minds; to destroy the Israelites’ holiest city and annihilate its inhabitants.

In the midst of this mayhem and chaos, a group of soldiers on horsebacks accompanied by their commander were galloping in one direction. On reaching a Prison in a corner of the city, they dismounted. Their commander moved forward and asked the prisoners:

“Who is Jeremiah amongst you”?

He did not receive a reply.  Instead, all heads turned towards a cage, where a prisoner was mercilessly tied with ropes. The Commander had found the man he was looking for. He looked towards the soldiers. They moved forward swiftly, opened the cage and freed Prophet Jeremiah. He fell to the floor in an utterly exhausted state. The commander walked towards him and stood in front of him. He then asked courteously:

“Jeremiah, are you ok?”

The prisoner opened his eyes slowly but closed them again due to extreme exhaustion. The Commander looked at him pensively and said in a voice filled with pride:

“Jeremiah, your prediction has come true. Our King Nebuchadnezzar, the emperor of Iraq, has destroyed Jerusalem. Half of the population is dead and the other half is our slave; we will take them away along with us.  The King has issued special orders that you are not to be harmed in anyway. You are a honourable man. You tried your best to warn your nation but they did not pay heed to you and now, they have been punished for their deeds.”

Having said so, he turned around and issued a command to his soldiers, “Let Jeremiah go and kill the rest of the prisoners. Thereafter, quench your thirst with the blood of the men of the city, and satisfy your lust using the women. Plunder whatever you want and burn the rest”.

The prisoners were murdered and soldiers spread in all directions to plunder. Prophet Jeremiah gathered all his energy and sat up against the wall of the cage. His city was burning right in front of his eyes. Every part of his body was aching but to witness the destruction of his nation was far more painful.

Thereafter, scenes from his era and his life were played in flashback. He was shown trying to beseech intellectuals and public, but nobody paid heed. His nation was slave to the supreme leader of Babylonians, the mighty king of Iraq, Nebuchadnezzar. Annual levy to Nebuchadnezzar was the only guarantee of their safety and lives.

The reason for this slavery was the moral bankruptcy that had spread through the very veins of the nation. Idolatrous practices were common amongst these guardians of monotheism. Fornication and gambling were routine happenings. Dishonesty and oppression of fellow Jews was their way of life. Making false claims on the authority of God to sell their merchandise was prevalent. Mistreatment of neighbours was the norm. They lent money at extortionate interest rates; and enslaved the whole families of those who could not repay. Religious scholars were busy fomenting national pride in the masses instead of reforming them. Ritual animal sacrifice was deemed to be the crux of the religion rather than true faith, high morals and abiding by the divine Law. Their rulers were tyrants and corrupt. Extravagance and luxury was their lifestyle instead of fairness.

However, the entire nation was unified on one issue; that they should rebel to liberate themselves from the enslavement of Nebuchadnezzar. The fact of the matter was that they had incurred the wrath of the Almighty God. Rather than explaining this bitter truth to the nation, their leaders indoctrinated them with false national pride and delusions of their glorious past during the times of Solomon and David. They were being challenged to take over the leadership of the world while the fact was that they were afflicted with the worst religious and moral decline.

The screen then showed the scene when Jeremiah received the divine revelation to command him to work for reformation of his people, and to guide them away from politics and towards the correct path. He was advised that once his nation managed to be truly God-centred, they will then dominate the political sphere as well. He was ordered to forego any plans for marriage and devote himself to forewarning his people about the impending devastation.

However, when Jeremiah came forward with this message, everyone started to oppose him. The prophet of God beseeched all and sundry, including the religious and political leaders but apart from a handful of people, no one else heeded to his call. His message was straightforward: instead of confrontation with Nebuchadnezzar, reform your faith and moral attributes!

The most dramatic scene on the screen was the one in which Prophet Jeremiah was shown attending the court of the Jewish king with a wooden yoke around his neck. It was a last effort on his part to make people understand that their current situation was similar to an animal with a wooden yoke around its neck. If the animal rebelled and tried to break free at this stage, an iron yoke would replace the wooden one. But the courtiers and intellectuals, paying no heed, instead declared him an agent of Nebuchadnezzar. The king moved ahead and personally cut the wooden yoke around his neck with his sword. With that, the Almighty made the decision that this yoke would now be replaced with iron shackles.

Thus this prophet of God was accused of being an agent of Nebuchadnezzar, hung upside down in a cistern as punishment and then tied up and imprisoned in a cage. Revolt against Nebuchadnezzar was announced; In reply, Nebuchadnezzar attacked and annihilated them as if he personified the wrath of God.

Thereafter, the opening scene was repeated on the screen in which Jerusalem was being rained with the fury of God. Prophet Jeremiah opened his eyes, looked around and saw the denuded copses and utter destruction all around him.  He then said in a loud voice:

“O people, I explained the situation to you threadbare. Yet you preferred to listen to the political jugglers and bigoted & ignorant religious leaders. You overlooked the ills of your society. You lived your lives oblivious to the ills of the society around you and commandments of God; hence the punishment for your doings!”

Prophet Jeremiah then looked towards the sky and muttered, “The day for the perfect justice will come. It will surely come, but after a little while”.

 



 

With that, the scene being projected came to an end. A raging, thunderous noise shook the environment. The Almighty’s anger was at its peak. The treatment meted out to his prophet by the people of Israel was so heinous that the punishment inflicted to them through Nebuchadnezzar was absolutely insufficient. The time for the real punishment had now arrived. The Almighty ordered that anyone involved in the mal-treatment of Prophet Jeremiah at any level or scale be brought forward.

First, a group consisting of the king, the peers and the clerics was produced, all of who were responsible for the tragedy. It included those involved in ordering and executing the actual punishment as well as those responsible for abetting his declaration as an agent of Nebuchadnezzar. All of them were sentenced to Hell. Thereafter, the accountability of people of that era started on an individual basis. All those who had committed crimes against the prophet of God were dealt with in a manner befitting them, and the worst punishment was awarded to each of them.

 


 

This time, I stayed in the Plane much longer and watched many people being put through the accountability process. To be fair, I had seen it only a few times earlier, but it was evident to me now that the Almighty was doing a full and extremely comprehensive accountability. Deeds of every person were being reviewed in the light of that person’s circumstances, environment, and personality whose development was in turn, influenced by upbringing, grooming and various other factors. Even the most insignificant of deeds was recorded in the book of deeds. The intent, motivators and actions were all being evaluated. The evidence included records kept by angels, testimony of other human beings as well as of inanimate objects in the environment; even the very organs of people were testifying. The final decision was reached in the light of all these testimonies. This exhaustive process ensured that nobody was wronged in the slightest. If there was even the slightest chance of forgiveness, it was availed. God’s absolute justice and perfect beneficence were demonstrated in such a way that words fail to paint the right picture.

While I stood there, lost in the proceedings and environment, Saleh whispered. “Naimah is frantically looking for you”.

“Is everything alright”? I enquired.

“It’s a very interesting affair. You would better come along.” Saleh responded.

After saying so, Saleh held my hand and in a jiffy we were standing besides Naimah. I was surprised to see the sight of a girl as pretty as a fairy, standing next to Naimah. I tried to recall who she was, but I could not. Naimah introduced her to me:

“This is Amoorah. She belongs to the nation of Prophet Noah. I met her over here. She desired to meet the last holy prophet or one of his eminent followers. I was not in a position to arrange a meeting with the holy prophet (peace be upon him); however, I thought I would introduce her to you instead. After all, you are amongst his distinguished followers.”

After that Naimah started to give Amoorah more details about my life but in account, Naimah started to shower me with excessive praise and tributes.  I interrupted Naimah and said to Amoorah:

“Naimah is my wife. So understandably, she exaggerates in praising me. However, she correctly pointed out that I could arrange for you to meet some of the eminent people from amongst the followers of the last prophet, or even the holy prophet himself.”

Naimah didn’t like my humility and uttered annoyingly, “If I am exaggerating, then please explain to us that why is this angel with you all the time? And what do you have to say about all the places he takes you to?”

In order to kill the argument I said, “Ok, I give up! But, please provide more details about Amoorah”.

Amoorah was amused by our conversation and said, “Human beings will never change; they haven’t done so in a thousand years or even after being resurrected. You are quarrelling just like my parents used to do”.

“I have met Amoorah’s parents as well”, Naimah said in a jovial mood. However, her next sentence solved the mystery of her excitement and the reason for calling me back from the Plane of Accountability:

“Amoorah’s not married to anyone over here.”

Saleh confirmed my suspicion as he whispered into my ear:

“Naimah called for you so that you could meet your future daughter-in-law.”

Naimah was trying to find a suitable wife for Jamshaid.  She had succeeded in her pursuit to the extent that she considered Amoorah to be a suitable candidate. Yet, I was not aware whether the bride and groom to be, had even met or approved this match. That aspect, however, didn’t seem to bother Naimah too much. In Naimah’s view, her own approval seemed to the main prerequisite for this match.

I asked Amoorah, “Where is your husband, Amoorah”?

Amoorah answered shyly, “In the previous world, I died when I was only 15 years old. I used to be ill frequently since my early childhood. As compensation, the most merciful God decided to grant me entry to the paradise without any accountability”.

“And the rest of the decisions concerning you are being made by your future mother-in-law!” I mused.

Saleh probably heard my thoughts as a smile appeared on his face. Amoorah said:

“It was really nice to meet all of you. We shall stay in touch with each other in the paradise as well. I should leave now. My parents must me looking for me.”

Naimah also turned to go along with her but I stopped her and said, “Hold on Naimah, I have something to discuss with you”.

Naimah said to Amoorah, “Could you wait for me where we met earlier, Amoorah? I will join you shortly”.

I commented jokingly, “Naimah, take Amoorah’s mobile number. Otherwise, how will you find her in the crowd?”

“What is a mobile?” Amoorah asked a bit surprised by my comment.

A mobile is a devilish device. Once you get it, you won’t be able to get away from Naimah”, I replied.

Saleh intervened, “I don’t think Amoorah will be able to get back to her destination on her own. I will accompany you, Amoorah”.

 


 

After Amoorah and Saleh had left, Naimah and I sat on a spot by the bank of the pond. I said to Naimah, “Are you aware of what you are doing?”

“Yes! I have selected a potential bride for Jamshaid”.

“I am aware of that, but are you aware that your like or dislike doesn’t really matter?”

“Yes, I am aware, however, with his bitter experience of choosing Huma in the previous world, Jamshaid will not be able to object to my proposition. I have already spoken to Amoorah’s parents regarding this matter and they are in agreement.”

“This means that although you have already agreed to match, the couple who are the main concerned parties here, are not even aware of this arrangement yet nor their consent has been obtained. Naimah, this is not the world we used to live in. Over here, we are parents in a nominal sense only.  Whatever the two of them desire will happen here. So, before you build your hopes too high, you would better seek their consent.”

“What if they refuse?” Naimah muttered.

“Well, there are many other girls to choose from. Over here, there is no shortage of anything; there is abundance of everything. You should free yourself of any concerns in this matter.”

Naimah became quiet; yet, I knew that her mind was still occupied with the thoughts of her daughter-in-law.

I looked at her and said:

“Naimah, this is the first time we have been alone over here. Why don’t you set aside your maternal affection for a second and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere around us?”

I continued, “Naimah! Do you remember all the difficult times we faced together? I devoted my life to the cause of taking God’s message to his beings. I dedicated my career, my youth and every breath for this cause. As you can see now Naimah, the path I chose did not cause us any loss. I used to tell you in the world that, whoever makes a deal with God, never suffers a loss in the long run. Can you see that we have been saved from losses of any and every kind? We have achieved such an outstanding success! We have won, Naimah! Indeed, we have won! From here onwards, life is forever, death is no more, youth is forever, old age is more, and health is forever, illness is no more! Now, there would only be abundance and no poverty, we would have eternal joys and no more sorrows!”

“I can’t even remember any sorrows associated with the previous world”, Naimah added.

I replied, “Indeed! Today, the residents of paradise don’t remember any suffering of the world; neither do dwellers of hell remember any of its comforts. That world was just like a thought, or like a dream or a story or an illusion. Reality begins now; the real life has only just started”.

“Abdullah! Look at the view in front of us. See how the scene is changing.” Said Naimah.

I looked up and realised that the evening was nearing its end; Dusk was just around. I somehow felt that this change was an indication that something important was about to happen.

Suddenly, a voice from behind me said, “Yes, your suspicion is right Abdullah”.

It was Saleh’s voice. He continued as he sat down next to me, “This change is an indication that the process of accountability is about to come to an end. Accountability of everyone has taken place”.

“Tell me first, where did you disappear after taking Amoorah to her destination? You neither need to drink water nor do you require the use of the washroom facilities.” I asked jokingly.

“I was with Imsa’eel.” Saleh replied.

As Saleh finished his sentence, Imsa’eel stepped forward from behind him and greeted me. He used to be the angel on my left hand side assigned to record my misdeeds.

I returned his greetings and smilingly said to Saleh, “and what happens to be the reason for the advent of Imsa’eel?”

“The accountability has reached its conclusion. Now, both of us will have to present you before the Almighty”. I started to feel apprehensive when I heard this. I asked anxiously:

“How come the accountability has ended so soon?”

“As I mentioned to you before, time passes very quickly over here while in the Plane of Accountability, its passage is very slow. Therefore, while you were here for what may have seemed like a short while to you, it was actually long enough for the accountability process to be concluded.”

“What happened in the Plane of Accountability after I left?”

“After the accountability of most people was completed, only those people were left behind who had faith in their hearts but they had been held back due to the high volume of their sins. Following the request of the last holy Prophet, those people were also held accountable. Finally, only the Shuhada and the Prophets will be presented before the Almighty.”

“Are Shuhada those people who were martyred in the way of God?” Naimah asked Saleh.

“No, Shuhada are not martyrs in the sense the word is used in your language, although the people who achieved martyrdom in the way of God have also been awarded tremendous rewards. However, these Shuhada are those illustrious people who were witnesses to the truth in their lives. In other words, they were the ones who dedicated their lives to give testimony about the veracity of God’s religion to the rest of the world. They were the people who carried forward the message of the prophets to the subsequent generations.”

“Will they also undergo Accountability?” I asked, as the mere thought of accountability was enough to cause anxiety to me.

“No, they won’t. They will just be resented in the court of the Almighty and then their deliverance will be announced. Having said so, I must say that the Almighty is the Lord of the worlds and the sole master of everything. He can, if he wants, and when he wants, call anyone for accountability. No one can stop him from doing so!”

I involuntary said, “O’ Lord! Forgive me and have mercy on me”.

Saleh replied, “I have only pointed out the authority of the Almighty. I am not suggesting that he will do so. In fact, the time has now arrived for people to enter either the hell or the paradise. As such, the residents of paradise and inmates of Hell will all be gathered in the Plane of Accountability. In their presence, the success of the prophets and shuhada will be declared. Thereafter, people will be sent in groups, to their final destinations.  Eternal life will thus begin”.

 << Chapter 11: At Last..  

 

Source: http://www.understanding-islam.org.uk/archives/when-life-begins-preface/chapter-4-naimah/951-when-life-begins-chapter-12.html




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