"The period after death until the Day of Judgment is known as the barzakh, or intermediate state, although, according to some scholars, in Islamic eschatology it could also refer to a state similar to the Christian concept of purgatory. The barzakh involves the experience of waking up completely as if from a deep sleep."
Hamsa Yusuf, "Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran," in Seyyed Nasr, Study Quran, p. 1827
Several months ago I was talking to a Catholic colleague of mine and he was quizzing me about the Islamic eschatological beliefs (he didn't know I was a Muslim at the time, but he knew I taught classes dealing with Islam) and I had to tell him that it's kind of a mess. By that I mean that it isn't beautiful and essential, but rather that it's a mix tape of different concepts, many of which would be familiar to Christians. On my recent trip I was reading Nasr's Study Quran, both the holy book itself but also the fascinating supporting articles, including this one by Hamsa Yusuf. I had heard of the barzakh before, and as I read further I learned something that I, to my shame, didn't know. We've all talked to someone who had just lost a family member or friend and inevitably someone says, "they're in a better place now," meaning, of course that they're already in heaven. In Islam it's not that simple, although the belief in heaven and hell are profoundly strong in Islam. What happens in Islam is that no one goes to heaven or hell until the day of judgment which means that no one, with the possible exception of some saintly martyrs, is in either place now. Instead, souls are waiting in barzakh until the day of judgment, in which case they will be assigned. Now, their position in barzakh is better or worse depending upon their life on earth, and that alone would make give you a pretty clear premonition of what fate awaited you (although there is always a chance for late redemption, although that's a whole other story) but you're not technically in heaven or hell. I actually emailed my Imam and asked him if I was reading it correctly, essentially that no one is really in heaven or hell now (or at least they are largely empty), and he told me that I was thinking about it correctly. Now, of course, and as I've said before, I think the very specific views of heaven and hell are much metaphors than reality, but even if the specifics are more metaphoric that doesn't necessarily mean that the idea that nothing is happening until the actual is wrong (unless that is more of a metaphor as well). So, a complex issue, and I'm still amazed/horrified that I didn't truly understand this basic concept; although it also makes me happy that I've devoted this year to reading and reflecting and writing on my faith daily.
Hamsa Yusuf, "Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran," in Seyyed Nasr, Study Quran, p. 1827
Several months ago I was talking to a Catholic colleague of mine and he was quizzing me about the Islamic eschatological beliefs (he didn't know I was a Muslim at the time, but he knew I taught classes dealing with Islam) and I had to tell him that it's kind of a mess. By that I mean that it isn't beautiful and essential, but rather that it's a mix tape of different concepts, many of which would be familiar to Christians. On my recent trip I was reading Nasr's Study Quran, both the holy book itself but also the fascinating supporting articles, including this one by Hamsa Yusuf. I had heard of the barzakh before, and as I read further I learned something that I, to my shame, didn't know. We've all talked to someone who had just lost a family member or friend and inevitably someone says, "they're in a better place now," meaning, of course that they're already in heaven. In Islam it's not that simple, although the belief in heaven and hell are profoundly strong in Islam. What happens in Islam is that no one goes to heaven or hell until the day of judgment which means that no one, with the possible exception of some saintly martyrs, is in either place now. Instead, souls are waiting in barzakh until the day of judgment, in which case they will be assigned. Now, their position in barzakh is better or worse depending upon their life on earth, and that alone would make give you a pretty clear premonition of what fate awaited you (although there is always a chance for late redemption, although that's a whole other story) but you're not technically in heaven or hell. I actually emailed my Imam and asked him if I was reading it correctly, essentially that no one is really in heaven or hell now (or at least they are largely empty), and he told me that I was thinking about it correctly. Now, of course, and as I've said before, I think the very specific views of heaven and hell are much metaphors than reality, but even if the specifics are more metaphoric that doesn't necessarily mean that the idea that nothing is happening until the actual is wrong (unless that is more of a metaphor as well). So, a complex issue, and I'm still amazed/horrified that I didn't truly understand this basic concept; although it also makes me happy that I've devoted this year to reading and reflecting and writing on my faith daily.
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