After birth, death may be considered as the most momentous experience that a human undergoes. Death can be described both as dying and being reborn. Dying from this world and being reborn in another world. Death is not the end of existence; rather it is a continuation towards maturation. It is the evolution of the human soul as it journeys towards a more enhanced and beautiful existence.
The question of the life after death has always fascinated mankind. And even for those who believe that life continues after death, the nature and details of that existence have remained a mystery, largely because no one has ever returned to tell us about it. Our limited understanding comes mainly from the descriptions left behind by the special servants of God to whom He has granted some knowledge about the next worlds that man will encounter on his journey towards his Creator.
That which you shall read in this book is a small effort to portray the path that a human being must traverse after he leaves this world (Dunya) and continue on the journey towards His Lord. It is an attempt to discover the impact of our conduct in Dunya on the various stages of that journey, which will culminate in the meeting with God. It is an effort to unravel the mystery of man’s reality and his ultimate destination.
This paper is based on a lecture delivered by Ayatollah Murtadha Mutahhari in on October 21, 1960 in Farsi, published in Dah Goftar.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“Oh you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of your duty to Allah, that you may be successful.” (3:200).
The Prophet of Islam (S) said:
مَن اَصبَحَ ولم بهتمَّ باُمُورالمُسلمين فَلَيسَ بِمُسلمٍ
Holy Qur’an
Nahj al-balaghah, compiled by Sharif al-Radi
Al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur’an by ʿAllamah Tabatabaʾi Majma‘ al-bayan fi tafsir al-Qur’an by Shaykh al-Tabrasi Mahbub al-qulub by Qutb al-Din al-Lahiji
Majmaʿ al-bahrayn by Shaykh al-Turayhi
Bihar al-Anwar by ʿAllamah al-Majlisi
Al-Kafi by Shaykh al-Kulayni Al-Ihtijaj by Shaykh al-Tabrasi Al-Tawhid by Shaykh al-Saduq
The Original Arabic with English Translation
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ
Those who believe in the unseen … (Surah al-Baqara, 2:3).
طبيب دوار بطبه
Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have introduced the Holy Prophet (S) as follows:
طَبِيب دَوار بطبهِ، قَدْ أحْكَم مَرَاهِمَهُ، وأحمى مواسمه ، يَضَعُ ذَلِكَ حَيْثُ الْحَاجَةُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ قُلُوبِ عُمِّي وَآذَانِ صُم والسنة بكم، متتبع بدوائِهِ مَوَاضِعَ الْغَفْلَةِ وَمَوَاطِنَ الحيرة
