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

The Hereafter

The Levels of People in the Hereafter

The scholars of Islam did not only speak about Paradise and Hell in general terms; they also explained that the people of the Hereafter will not all be equal. Their ranks differ according to their faith, knowledge, sincerity, and deeds. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 752 AH) discussed this in his writings and explained that the people of the Hereafter are divided into distinct levels based on their relationship with Allah and their obedience to Him.

In the introduction of the work, it is stated that Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned eighteen levels of people in the abode of the Hereafter. These levels include both the most righteous of creation and those who fall into disbelief and hypocrisy.

This page follows his book, The Abridgement of the Levels of People in the Hereafter, with one passage from Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di’s Tafsir, Vol. 9.

The Highest Level: The Messengers

The highest rank belongs to the Messengers of Allah. They are the most honored of creation because Allah chose them to convey His revelation and guide humanity.

The book opens its list with them, in its own words:

“The first level: And it is the highest level of all: the level of Messengership (ar-Risaalah). So the noblest of the creation with Allah and those having most particular nearness to Him are His Messengers (Rusul).”

Allah praises His Messengers in the Qur’an, in Surah as-Saffat (37:181):

“And peace and security be upon the Messengers.”

And in Surah an-Naml (27:59), He joins praise of Himself to peace upon the servants He chose:

“All Praise is for Allah and may peace and security be upon those servants of His that He chose.”

Why they hold this rank, the book then states in full:

“Then sufficient in regard to their virtue and their nobility is that Allah – the One Free of all imperfections and the Most High – chose them in particular to receive His Revelation (Wahee), and He made them trustees upon His Message, and intermediaries in transmitting it, between Himself and His servants. He particularised them with all the different types of honour.”

At the head of the Messengers stand the five firmest in resolve (Oolul-‘Azm) [the Messengers of strong resolve]: Nooh, Ibraaheem, Moosaa, ‘Eesaa and Muhammad ﷺ. The highest of them is Muhammad ﷺ, the most excellent of them, and on the Day of Resurrection intercession will be passed between them until it comes back to him.

The Prophets and the Truthful Followers

Below the Messengers are the Prophets, who received Prophethood (Nubuwwah) and Revelation (Wahee) from Allah, but were not sent as bearers of a Message to their nations.

Following them are the truthful and sincere followers of the Messengers (as-Siddeeqoon). These are the people who fully believed in the prophets and followed their guidance with sincerity. They inherited the knowledge of the prophets and acted upon it.

Other People of High Rank

Ibn al-Qayyim also mentions among the higher levels:

The just leaders and rulers
Those who strove in Allah’s cause
Those who preferred others over themselves
Those whom Allah opened a specific door of righteous deeds for

These are people known for their dedication to acts of worship such as prayer, charity, fasting, and other righteous actions.

The People of Salvation

Another level mentioned is the people of salvation, those who fulfilled the obligations of Islam and avoided what Allah prohibited. Though they may not have reached the highest levels of righteousness, their obedience leads them to success.

The Qur’an emphasizes that every person will receive a rank according to their deeds, in Surah al-Ahqaf (46:19):

“And for all there will be degrees in accordance with what they did, so that He may fully recompense them for their deeds, and they will not be wronged.”

Shaykh as-Sa’di explains this verse in his Tafsir; his words stand below, in The Wisdom of These Levels.

People Whose Deeds Differ

Ibn al-Qayyim also explains that people differ according to the balance of their deeds.

Those Who Wronged Themselves

Some people are described as those who wronged themselves, committing sins but repenting before death. Their repentance is accepted by Allah.

Those Whose Good Deeds Outweigh Their Bad Deeds

Another group consists of those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, and they are therefore saved.

Those Whose Deeds Are Equal

There are also those whose good and bad deeds are equal, and they are described as the companions of the Heights (al-A’raf), a place between Paradise and Hell where they will remain until Allah decides their final outcome.

The book states their outcome: Allah will enter them into Paradise through His Mercy, and they will eventually enter Paradise.

Those Punished Before Entering Paradise

Finally, some Muslims may have evil deeds that outweigh their good deeds, and they may be punished for their sins before eventually entering Paradise through Allah’s mercy.

Those Whom the Call Never Reached

The fourteenth level of the book is a people set apart from all of these. Its chapter opens in the book’s own words:

“A people having neither obedience nor disobedience, and having neither Unbelief nor true Faith (Eemaan); and they are of different types. So from them are those whom the true call did not reach at all and who did not hear it being related. Also from them is the insane person who could not grasp anything requiring intellect and could not discern. Also from them is the deaf person who never heard anything. And also from them are the children of the Mushriks: those who died before being able to discern anything.”

The scholars differ concerning them with eight positions. The most correct position in the book is that they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection, and a Messenger will be sent to them there: whoever obeys him will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys him will enter the Fire.

Those Who Fall into Disbelief and Hypocrisy

Not all of the levels mentioned are levels of reward. Some describe the categories of those who fall into disbelief.

Among them are the hypocrites, who outwardly displayed Islam while hiding disbelief in their hearts. Ibn al-Qayyim mentions that they are among the lowest people in the Hereafter.

The Qur’an describes their fate, in Surah an-Nisa (4:145):

“The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire, and you will not find any helper for them.”

Also mentioned are the leaders of disbelief, those who actively called others away from the truth, as well as those unbelievers who blindly followed others and remained ignorant of the guidance of Allah.

Accountability of the Jinn

The final level mentioned includes the jinn, who, like humans, are accountable for their actions. They too will receive reward or punishment according to their deeds.

The Wisdom of These Levels

Through this classification, Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the people of the Hereafter are not equal. Their ranks differ according to their faith, their sincerity, and their obedience to Allah.

Shaykh as-Sa’di explains that verse, Surah al-Ahqaf (46:19), in his Tafsir:

“(For all) that is, for both good people and evil people (there will be ranks according to their deeds) that is, for each one according to his level of good or evil. Their ranks in the hereafter will be according to their deeds. Hence Allah says: (so that [Allah] may pay them in full for their deeds, and no one will be wronged) by having anything added to their bad deeds or anything subtracted from their good deeds.”

The book closes its list with the same teaching, in its own words:

“So this is the limit reached by the enumeration of the levels of those bound with the duties of the Religion in the abode of the Hereafter, and they are eighteen levels. Each of the levels has a highest grade, a lowest grade, and that which lies in between; and the people will be of different grades with Allah, and Allah, the Most High, will gather like with like, and will gather together those who are equals and will join them upon the same level, and all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the whole of the creation, and may He extol Muhammad and his true followers and his Companions and grant them peace and security.”

Some people will be raised to the highest levels because of their devotion to Allah and their following of the prophets, while others will fall into the lowest levels because of disbelief, hypocrisy, or rejection of the truth.

This understanding reminds the believer that the Hereafter is a place of perfect justice, where every person will receive the result of what they believed and what they did in this life.

For this reason, the Muslim strives to follow the path of the prophets and the righteous, hoping to be among those whom Allah raises to the highest ranks in the Hereafter.

References

The Abridgement of the Levels of People in the Hereafter, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, abridged by Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Jaarillaah ibn Ibraaheem Aal-Jaarillaah from Tareequl-Hijratayn wa Baabus-Sa’aadatayn, Salafi Publications, First Edition December 2005CE / Dhul-Qa’dah 1426AH, ISBN 1-902727-28-2, translated by Aboo Talhah Dawood ibn Ronald Burbank: the degrees verse in the introduction (printed p. 4), the first level and the basis of the Messengers’ rank (printed pp. 7 to 8), the fourteenth level (printed p. 50), the hypocrites (printed p. 54), and the closing passage on the grades (printed p. 67).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, IIPH English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab: Vol. 9, on Surah al-Ahqaf 46:19 (printed p. 167).

The Abridgement prints “Allaah”; inside quotations on this page the name is spelled Allah, by the site’s rule.

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