In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Belief in the Last Day

Belief in the Last Day is the fifth pillar of iman [faith]. It is belief in everything that comes after death, right through to the settling of the people of Paradise in Paradise and the people of the Fire in the Fire. Every deed will be brought to account on that Day.

This page is drawn from Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, in its section on the Last Day (printed pp. 164 to 180), from Question 25 in the Aqeedah [creed] section of his Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat (printed pp. 81 to 84), and from his Commentary on Al-‘Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah, Vol. 2, at the opening of its chapter on belief in the Last Day (printed p. 159). The scope of the pillar is summarised from Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan’s Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, in his passage on the fifth pillar (printed pp. 254 to 255).

The Evidence

The proofs stand in the Book and in the Sunnah. In Surah al-Baqarah (2:177), Allah names belief in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets among the qualities of al-birr [piety and righteousness, and every act of obedience to Allah].

In the hadith of Jibril, reported by Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ answered the question about al-iman [faith] by naming belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day, together with belief in al-qadar [the divine decree], its good and its evil.

And in Surah al-Mu’minun (23:15 to 16), Allah tells mankind that after this life they will die, and that on the Day of Resurrection they will be raised up.

What Belief in the Last Day Means

In Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked how belief in the Last Day is held. His answer opens with what the Day is, and with the five states of man. Two terms in it may be new: qiyaamus-saa’ah [the establishing of the Hour] and al-Barzakh [the life between death and the resurrection]:

“The belief in the Last Day means the belief in the Day when the Hour will be established (qiyaamus-saa’ah). It is called the Last Day (al-Yawmul-Aakhir) since there is no day that comes after it. Indeed man was nothing then he was brought to exist in his mother’s womb, then in this life. Afterwards he will transfer to the life of al-Barzakh then to the Day of Resurrection. So, these are the five states of existence of man.”

In that same answer the Shaykh quotes Surah al-Insan (76:1) and Surah an-Nahl (16:78); they are named here and not quoted.

The creed text of the Wasitiyyah, as Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explains it in Vol. 2, includes in belief in the Last Day all that the Prophet ﷺ informed us of about what will happen after death. The Shaykh then shows how near that Day already stands to each one of us:

“This is because once man dies, he enters (the phase of) the Last Day; that is why it is usually said: ‘Whoever dies, his resurrection has come.’ Hence, whatever happens after death, it is part of the Last Day. Therefore, how close is the Day to us?! There is nothing between us and it except the death of a man. Then, he enters into the Last Day, wherein there is nothing except recompense for the deeds.”

Shaykh al-Fawzan gathers the scope of the pillar in his fifth pillar passage, summarised here. Belief in the Last Day covers everything that comes after death: the punishment of the grave and its bliss, the questioning of the two angels in the grave, the resurrection, the gathering, the recompense, the weighing of deeds on the Mizan [the Scale], the Sirat [the Bridge], Paradise, and the Hellfire. We believe in all of it, in general and in detail, as it has been authentically reported, from death until the people of Paradise settle in Paradise and the people of the Hellfire settle in the Hellfire.

That Day has signs reported in the texts before it, and its time is known to Allah alone. Its end is plain: people will finish either in Paradise or in the Hellfire.

The Resurrection

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen sets out belief in the Last Day in three matters. The first is belief in the resurrection, al-Ba’th [the reviving of the dead]. He defines it in his explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles:

“Eemaan in the Resurrection (al-Ba’th), this is the reviving of the dead when the Horn (as-Soor) is blown for the second time. Then the people will stand before the Lord of creation - barefoot, naked and uncovered, and uncircumcised.”

And he states how firmly it stands, in one sentence:

“The Resurrection is a firmly established reality proven by the Book, the Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslims.”

It also has to be so, by wisdom, for the duties given through the messengers call for a day of requital:

“It has to be the case that Allah, the Most High, has laid down an appointed time for the creation to be requited for the duties He bound them with upon the tongues of His messengers.”

He then quotes the words of Allah in Surah al-Mu’minun (23:115):

“Did you think that We created you without any purpose, and that you would not be brought back to us for requital.”

The Accounting and the Retribution

The second matter is belief in the accounting and the retribution: the servant is brought to account for his deeds and is rewarded or punished for them. Allah states the return and the account in Surah al-Ghashiyah (88:25 to 26), in the book’s rendering:

“Indeed to Allah will be the return of the unbelievers, and it is Allah Who will bring them to account.”

Surah al-An’am (6:160) gives the measure of that account:

“Whoever meets his Lord with a good deed, shall receive ten times its like in reward; and whoever meets him with an evil deed shall not receive recompense except with its like; and they shall not be wronged.”

And Surah al-Anbiya (21:47) names the Scales that will be set up for it:

“And Allah will set up the Scales of Justice for the people on the Day of Resurrection, so no soul shall be treated unjustly in the least. Even the extent of the weight of a mustard seed We shall bring it and recompense it. And Allah is fully sufficient as a Reckoner.”

The Prophet ﷺ taught how the believer will be brought to account, in the hadith of Ibn Umar, cited in the book to al-Bukhaaree (621) and Muslim (6669):

“Allah will bring the Believer close and shelter and screen him, and say: ‘Did you commit such and such a sin?’ ‘Did you commit such and such a sin?’ So he will say, ‘Yes, my Lord’ - until he has confessed his sins and will think that he is ruined. (Allah) will say, ‘I screened your sins in the world, and I forgive you for them today.’ So he will be given the book of his good deeds. As for the unbelievers and the hypocrites, then they will be exposed in front of the people and it will be said, ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord, indeed the Curse of Allah is upon the transgressors.’”

A second hadith, cited in the book to al-Bukhaaree (498) and Muslim (233 to 237), shows how a deed is written down from the moment it is intended:

“Whoever intends to do a good deed and does it, then Allah writes it down for him as ten good deeds, or up to seven hundred good deeds, or many more; and whoever intends to do an evil deed, and did it, then Allah will write it for him as a single evil deed.”

Between the two parts of the Shaykh’s closing passage, the book carries a fighting sentence and Surah al-A’raf (7:6 to 7), named here and not quoted. The passage closes the matter with the agreement of the Muslims and with wisdom:

“Furthermore there is consensus of the Muslims upon affirmation of the Reckoning and accounting of the deeds. This is also what is necessitated by wisdom since Allah, the Most High, sent down the Revealed Books, sent the messengers, and obligated the people to accept what the messengers brought and to act upon what was obligatory from it.

So if there was to be no reckoning and no reward or retribution - then all of this would be in vain and futile, and the Lord Who is All-Wise is free from that.”

Paradise and the Hellfire

The third matter is belief in Paradise and the Hellfire. This page takes the Shaykh’s two definitions only; the two abodes in full are treated on the Paradise and the Hereafter page, named in the Further Reading below.

“Eemaan in the Paradise and Hell-Fire, and that they are the final and everlasting place of return for the creation. So Paradise (al-Jannah) is the place of bliss which Allah, the Most High, has prepared for the pious and obedient Believers those who truly believed in whatever Allah obligated them to believe in, those who were obedient to Allah and His Messenger, and who sincerely worshipped Allah alone and followed His Messenger. Paradise contains all types of delights and bounties, ‘That which no eye has seen, nor any ear has heard, nor has ever been imagined by a human heart.’

As for the Hell-Fire, then it is the place of punishment which Allah, the Most High, has prepared for the unbelievers, for the transgressors who disbelieved in Him and disobeyed His messengers. It contains such punishments and tortures as cannot be imagined.”

Its Fruits

Belief in the Last Day is not knowledge that sits still. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen names the fruits it produces in the believer, in his own words:

“Eemaan in the Last Day produces very great fruits, from them: (i) The desire to do acts of obedience, keenness upon that and to have hope for reward for them on that day. (ii) Fear of committing sins and fear of being pleased with sins - for fear of receiving punishment on that Day. (iii) Consolation for the Believer of whatever worldly things he has missed - and solace in the bliss and reward of the Hereafter that he hopes for.”

Those Who Deny the Resurrection

The Shaykh then answers those who deny the resurrection after death. He states their claim and its futility, and follows it at once with the words of Allah in Surah at-Taghabun (64:7), in the book’s rendering:

“But the unbelievers deny the Resurrection after death claiming that it is not possible. This claim of theirs is futile, and its futility is proven by the Revelation, by what has been witnessed and experienced, and by the intellect.

The unbelievers claim that Allah will not resurrect them after death. Say to them O Muhammad, by my Lord you will certainly be resurrected from your graves - and then you will be informed of the deeds which you did in the world. That is easy for Allah.”

The second proof is what has been witnessed: Allah has shown His servants the dead brought to life in this world. The first of the five examples the Shaykh names is the people of Moosaa [Moses], in Surah al-Baqarah (2:55 to 56). His frame sentence for the five is:

“As for what has been witnessed, then Allah has shown his servants the dead being brought to life in this world. Five examples of this are mentioned in Soorah al-Baqarah:”

The third proof is the intellect, in its first form the first creation itself. The Shaykh answers the denier of the raising of decayed bones with Surah Ya Sin (36:79), carried with his lead clause:

“Say to the one who denies the resurrection of the decayed bones: They will be revived to life by the One who created them in the first place when they had been nothing. Indeed He has full knowledge of all His creation.”

Key Lessons

Belief in the Last Day is the fifth pillar of faith, and it covers everything after death, in general and in detail. Man passes through five states, and death itself is his entry into the Last Day. The resurrection is established by the Book, the Sunnah, and the agreement of the Muslims. The account is exact and just: a good deed is multiplied, an evil deed is repaid only with its like, and no soul is wronged in the least. Paradise and the Hellfire are the final and everlasting abodes. This belief bears fruit now, in eagerness for obedience, fear of sins, and comfort over what was missed in this world, and the denial of the resurrection is futile.

References

Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, First Edition 1418 AH / 1997 CE, translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood ibn Ronald Burbank: the section on belief in the Last Day (printed pp. 164 to 180): the resurrection (printed p. 164), the wisdom of an appointed time and Surah al-Mu’minun 23:115 (printed p. 165), the accounting, the Scales, and the two hadiths (printed pp. 165 to 167), Paradise and the Hellfire defined (printed pp. 167 to 168), the fruits (printed p. 172), and the answer to those who deny the resurrection (printed pp. 172 to 173 and p. 177).
Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat, Aqeedah section, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, rendered into English by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh; the held copy names no publisher, edition, or year: Question 25, “How can the belief in the Last Day be?” (printed pp. 81 to 84; the definition and the five states at printed pp. 81 to 82).
Commentary on Al-‘Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Dar-us-Salam, Vol. 2: the chapter “Concerning the Belief in the Last Day”, its opening passage on death as the entry into the Last Day (printed p. 159).
Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Authentic Statements Publishing, First Edition, Sha’ban 1440 AH / April 2019 CE, translated by Raha Batts: the Fifth Pillar, belief in the Last Day (printed pp. 254 to 255), summarised on this page and not quoted; Surah al-Baqarah 2:177 stands at printed p. 258 in the same explanation.

The books cited print “Allaah” and “Allāh”; inside quotations on this page the name is spelled Allah, by the site’s rule.

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