Tuesday, April 19, 2016

How do Islamic perceptions of heaven and hell differ from those of Christianity and Judaism?

The main source of the Islamic teaching on heaven and hell is the Qur’an. For Judaism, such a source is the Tanakh (the Old Testament), while Christianity bases its eschatology (or doctrine of the "last things") on both the Old and New Testaments. According to the critical viewpoint, Muslim theology is dependent on both Jewish ad Christian teachings, which includes those on heaven and hell.
The three religions have much in common in terms of general descriptions of heaven and hell. Leaving aside doctrinal points that are debatable within each of the three faiths (the eternity of hell, particulars of the eschatological events, etc.), the main differences between the respective perceptions of heaven and hell may be summed up as follows.
Islam emphasizes the physical aspect of the blessedness of the righteous and the torment of the wicked. The Qur’an is rife with fragmentary but at the same time poignant pictures of the two opposing realities. Of the three religions, Islam is probably the most detailed in regards to the portrayal of heaven and hell. Such matters as space, dimensions, degrees, and numbers seem to be of utter importance to Muslim theology. While Christianity is clear about life in heaven as being free from marital relations (Matthew 22:30), the Qur'an (56) states the contrary.
Judaism is concerned with physicality of the blessed state too. In fact, the Tanakh gives comparatively few descriptions of heaven as such or celestial spheres as the final destiny of man. On the contrary, the future is represented as mainly the earth restored to its primeval perfection. There is little to be gleaned from the Old Testament about hell. In fact, the word behind the “hell” of the English Old Testament refers generally to the abode of the dead with no or little discrimination between their being righteous or wicked (in Genesis 37:35, the righteous Jacob, bemoaning the supposed death of his son Joseph, refers to “hell”). Post-biblical Judaism, however, develops various ideas about heaven and hell, and the spiritual aspect of these ideas (including the concept of retribution and reward beyond the grave) acquires greater significance.
Christianity raises the spiritual aspect of heaven and hell to the highest possible level. “Hell” in the New Testament is no longer the common abode of the dead. It is rather a place of punishment for the wicked, where they are kept until the judgment day. Their suffering is primarily spiritual. Interestingly, the final state of the unrighteous is not hell as such but rather the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). Christianity spiritualizes the Jewish image of Jerusalem as the new paradisaical city, and it introduces the idea of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2 and 21:10) as the eternal home of God and His people.


Christians
The concept of Hell in Christianity is one that sounds harsher than the rest. As a way of avoiding to go to hell, a christian is expected to accept Jesus as their personal savior, believe that He died on the cross for their sins and believe that he is coming soon. There are other ideologies such as baptism, constant reading of the bible and so on that helps one qualify to go to heaven and shun hell. Failure to do all the mentioned above guarantees that one will go to hell and burn for eternity with no options of ever getting redeemed back to heaven.
Islam
Muslims believe that people go to hell when their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds. Their concept of hell is harsh for those who do not please Allah, but there is hope because one serves their term in hell in regards to the amount of bad deeds committed and this means that after staying in hell for a number of years depending on the amount of sin committed, one can eventually cross over to heaven.
Judaism
The emphasis of heaven and hell in Judaism is not much and the concept of reward and punishment is also not considered much. People who have done many wrongs might face harsh judgement from God if they do not repent, but those that live a good life might end up spending the rest of their lives withtheir departed dead ones.


In the three major monotheistic religions, heaven and hell are seen as opposing states of being that occur after death. The soul is the entity that enters one “place” or the other based on the judgment of God. Heaven is an everlasting paradise where the soul is freed from the burdens of earthly life, and hell is “place” where the soul is subject to eternal torment. The three religions have differing mechanisms by which God divides the worthy souls from the unworthy.
ISLAM
The tenets of Islam say that after death, a person’s good works are weighed against the person’s sins. If good works outweigh bad, the soul is allowed to enter heaven and enjoy an eternity of bliss. Otherwise, the soul is sent to hell, where it is tormented by fire and almost any other manner of inflicting pain. The Islamic version of hell has gradations, or certain conditions that allow some souls eventual entry into heaven.
CHRISTIANITY
Christians who wish to enter into heaven must accept Jesus Christ as their savior and as the only vehicle to an everlasting paradise where the soul is united with God. Those who die without accepting Christ can expect their souls to receive no mercy and to be sent directly to hell. Unlike in Islam, there can be no crossover between heaven and hell.
JUDAISM
Believers generally place little emphasis on the afterlife, choosing instead to view life on earth as an end in itself and not as a precursor to an eternal state of grace or punishment. There are concepts of heaven and hell, but the soul’s destination after death is not an either/or judgement. A sinful soul might require atonement, or an upright soul might be reunited with loved ones or enjoy the presence of the Almighty.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/gmoran/HEAVEN.pdf

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