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Interviewee: Mohammed Bhuiya
Analysis
Ever since I was young, I never considered the importance of religion. Religion had distanced itself away from me or possibly the other way around. Religion was foriegn to me just as much as its traditions were. I'd gone to family dinners where prayer was said and all I could do was sit awkwardly, unaware of what social protocol to follow. At the age of 10, I walked by a Mosque on my way to school every weekday morning. I didn't question why my friend prayed or why he couldn't eat certain foods. However, I knew that all religions had something in common: a set of beliefs that promised protection and a good life even after death. Islam is an example of a religion that dictates guidelines that help a believer of Allah, the only god in Islam, gain acceptance into Paradise. Before having done any extensive research on Islam, I pictured the Day of Judgement as a single toll box with Allah as the one who deicides whether a person will eternally live in beautiful paradise or fiery hell. In order discard my rather cliche view of Islam, I collaborated with Abdullah to interview Mohammed Bhuiya, an lmam.* (I made up the interview questions and Abdullah conducted the interview)
The most interesting aspect of Islamic religion is resurrection because it refuses natural law that states that man will die and then decompose along with the stopping of the heart and brain. As far as I know, a dead heart, a dead mind, and a cold unmoving body are what define a dead body - a corpse. How is it possible to rise from ceased life? In light of this interest, I ask Bhuiya what his thoughts are on his religon violating this natural law and he answers, "Allah has created the nature and it is in the control of Allah. So therefore there is no such beliefs in Islamic religion which violate the natural law" (Bhuiya). Natural law is not defined by science anymore but, by Allah. This concept is particularly difficult for me to grasp because it destroys all science that has proven that I will die and, therefore, have no consciousness or right to thought. However, Islam believes that the soul does not die when the body dies and nor does the soul perish "but it remains after its creation either in bliss or punishment" (Bhuiya). The soul represents eternal life rather than a tangible one - a completely separate thing from mind or body. The Qu'ran states (17:100: "Could they not see that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them"?). In other words, Allah will be able to recreate the decayed body from the eternal soul.
I beg the question: where does the eternal soul end up? Some make the distinction between Paradise and Hell as simple as that of black white. I argue that it cannot be as simple as that. In my entire life, no one person has ever explained to me the what exactly paradise or hell is. I pose the question to Bhuiya, with some embarassment from my lack of knowledge, "Is Paradise and Hell ever described in the Qur’an?". Bhuiya answered with hefty knowledge and surprised me with details that I had never even imagined, "As for Paradise, Allah Ta’ala says: “Those who are blessed with nearness (to Allah) in gardens of bliss. They will be sitting on thrones woven with gold reclining on them facing each other...As for Hell, Allah Ta’ala says, “There will be burning wind and boiling water and in a shade of black smoke neither cool nor graceful. Verily those who have rejected the signs of Allah, soon they will be put into Hell, every time one layer of skin is burnt it will be replaced by another layer of skin so that they can continue to taste the punishment of Hell" (Bhuiya). It is Allah's words that induce fear into the common Muslim and keep him or her from committing sins, which include adultery, lying, deceiving, drinking liquor and wine, and etc. It is the specific descriptions of both Paradise and Hell in the Qu'ran that surround the core goal of Islam relgion. That goal is to clarify what is desirable and undesirable in afterlife.
Islam, in whole, is a religion that respects the substantial things in life. Muslims respect the substantial things in life by having faith in Allah and his messenger Mohammed. Muslims pave the way to Paradise by praying five times a day, giving zakat** to the poor, performing Hajj*** if the means are accessible, and fasting on the month of Ramadan. By holding true to these pillars of Islam, a Muslim will surely gain passage to Paradise and live a good eternal fate. If a Muslim fails to avoid sinning, he or she will be punished in Hell for eternity. "Control you desire, give preference to the desire of Allah over your own desire. Mohammed has said that the intelligent person is the one who controls his desire and does good deeds for the life after death and the foolish person is the one who follows his desires and at the same time he puts false hopes on Allah. Ali said put one foot on your desire and then the other foot will be in Paradise" (Bhuiya). Islam is a very complex religion but, is also simple in some aspects. One is the most obvious: Muslims are given the choice to do "good or bad with the will of Allah" (Bhuiya). Allah evaluates these choices and decides all eternal fates, both good and bad.
*Imam- prayer leader of mosque
**zakat- giving a portion of your wealth to the poor (charity)
***Hajj- pilgrimage to mecca, part of religious journey
Texts Bhuiya Suggested to Read:
- Ar-RUH [The Soul's Journey After Death] by Al-Imam Shamsuddin Abi Abdullah Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jauziah
- Hadith of Mohammed in the Qu'ran
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