Understanding and Wisdom of Faith in the Last Day – In general, the understanding of the last day or doomsday according to Islam is the day when the entire universe and all life in it will be destroyed. Faith in the last day is to believe and believe that all nature, including the world and everything in it, will experience destruction.
For Muslims, believing in the last day is the fifth pillar of faith. Muslims must believe and believe that that day will surely come. One day humans will be resurrected from the grave to receive the judgment of Allah SWT.
The argument regarding the last day is contained in the Al-Qur’an Surah Al-Hajj verse 7 which reads as follows.
“ And verily, the (Day of) the Day of Resurrection will surely come to pass, there is no doubt about it. And indeed, that Allah SWT will resurrect all those who are in the graves “.
This verse confirms that the last day is not nonsense, but a true event. It’s just that no one knows when it happened. This is the secret of Allah SWT and only He knows. When doomsday arrives, the earth will be destroyed, all creatures die, then Allah SWT revives humans from the grave.
Then, what is the meaning of the last day? What are the signs according to Islam? What wisdom is contained in it? Let’s take a look at educational content and Islamic religious education materials about the Last Days taken from the following sources.
Etymology and Definition of the Last Days
Al-Qiyāmah (the day of resurrection) is the resurrection of all mankind from Adam As to the last human being. This teaching is actually believed by people of three heavenly religions, namely Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Al-Qiyāmah is also the name of the 75th surah in the holy book of the Qur’an.
The word doomsday in Indonesian means “the day of the world’s destruction”. This word is absorbed from the Arabic yaum al-qiyamah , which actually means “the day of the people’s resurrection”. As for the word doomsday (the destruction of the universe and its contents) in Arabic, it is as-saa’ah .
According to the language, yaum al-qiyamah means “the day of the people’s resurrection”. The sentence consists of three syllables, namely:
- Yaum (يوم) means day, time, or period;
- Qiyam (قيام) means upright, rising and standing;
- `Ummah (أمة) means people or nation.
The Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) defines doomsday to mean the end of time (the world and everything in it is destroyed and vanished). Based on this definition, doomsday can be interpreted as the process of ending the entire universe and everything in it.
In terms, yaumul qiyamah is often interpreted as the Day of Resurrection (the destruction of the universe and its contents). Yaumul qiyamah is the same as yawm ad-din which means a period (time) when there is a revival of a human community, which lives based on dinullah (religion of Allah SWT).
The sequence of these stories according to popular understanding is the destruction of all beings, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgment of all beings. Not a single creature knows about it, but Allah SWT gives small signs and big signs that will occur near the time of qiyama (destruction).
After the destruction occurred, the creatures underwent the yawm al-mahsyar phase , which is the day of gathering at Padang Mahsyar. The next phase is yawm ad-din, which is the day of judgment or the day when Allah SWT decides all the actions of His creatures.
Based on the explanation above, it can be explained that faith in the last day is to believe and believe that all nature, including the world and everything in it, will experience destruction. The last day is marked by the sounding of the Angel Israfil’s trumpet.
The last day can be understood as the day when life ends in this world and enters the beginning of a new, eternal life in the hereafter. It was also explained that on that day the land, sea, and objects in the sky were in ruins. Mountains erupted, shattered, and scattered. The earth shook and spewed out its contents. The ocean overflowed and spilled all its contents. The objects in the sky move uncontrollably. Stars, planets and moon collided with each other.
Thus, believing in the last day means confirming wholeheartedly that after life in this world there will be another life which is the real life and is eternal. At that moment, humans will get certainty in their lives, successful and happy or vice versa. Believing in the last day must also be followed by believing in the afterlife and all the events that occur in it.
Last Days Proof
One of the arguments that explains the description of the last day is in Surah Al-Qari’ah verses 1–11 which reads as follows.
“ For heart-pounding doom. What is this heart-pounding calamity? How much do you know about that heart-pounding catastrophe? On that day humans are like clinging (a kind of insect that flies around the lights, especially at night) that fly. And, the mountains are flaky like fluffed up feathers. Whoever weighs the scales of his good deeds, he will be in a pleasant life. As for those whose scales of good deeds are light, their return is to the valley of Hawiah. How far do you know about hawiah? That is a very hot hell fire “.
The Names of the Days of Judgment in the Quran
There are several names for the last day, as a stage for humans to accept the worship and charity they have done while in the world. The Qur’an mentions other names for this last day, including:
- Yaumul Qiyamah or doomsday;
- Yaumul Mahsyar or gathering day (for all humans);
- Yaumul Hisab or day of reckoning (human charity);
- Yaumuz Zilzalah or the day of the earthquake (shaking);
- Yaumul Waqi’ah or the day of fall;
- Yaumul Qari’ah or day of commotion;
- Yaumul Ghasyiyah or the Day of Judgment;
- Yaumul Haqqah or the day of certainty;
- Yaumut Tammah or the day of the great disaster;
- Yaumul Jaza’ or Day of Judgment;
- Yaumul Wa’id or the day of threats;
- Yaumul Mizan or day of consideration;
- Yaumul Jami’ or collection day;
- Yaumut Taghabun or the day when all cheating is exposed;
- Yaumul Ba’ts or resurrection day;
- Yaumud Din or the day of reckoning;
- Yaumul Khulud or eternal day.
Two Kinds of Doomsday
Scholars classify the doomsday into two types, namely:
- Apocalypse sugra (little doomsday), namely signs of damage that is experienced by some of nature and occurs every time. Signs of the Sugra apocalypse such as natural disasters, volcanic eruptions, human deaths due to illness, tsunamis, floods, landslides, forest fires, and so on;
- Kubra Apocalypse (great apocalypse), namely the occurrence of death and destruction that befell the entire universe. The world is ravaged, damaged, and destroyed. Human life will be replaced by a new realm, namely the afterlife.
Muslims believe that the last day will not occur, if there are still people who want to mention the name of Allah SWT. However, the destruction of the world occurs when there are no more believers on earth, only bad people are left.
People will return to the state of ignorance. Various slander will befall all mankind. They are under the shelter of despair, chaos, calamity, disbelief. The world is ravaged, damaged, and destroyed. The next human life will be replaced by a new realm, namely the afterlife.
According to Islamic law, no one knows about the coming of the Day of Judgment, neither angels, prophets, nor messengers. This problem is a supernatural matter and only Allah SWT knows about it.
As stated in the verses of the Qur’an and the authentic hadith of Muhammad, Allah SWT says:
| “ | They ask you about the apocalypse: ‘When will it happen?’ Say: ‘Surely the knowledge of the Day of Resurrection is with my Lord; no one can explain the time of his arrival besides Him. Doomsday is very heavy (riot for creatures) in the heavens and on earth. Doomsday will not come to you, but suddenly’. They ask you as if you really know it. Say: ‘Surely the knowledge of the Day of Resurrection is with Allah SWT, but most people do not know (Surah Al-A’raaf verse 187). | ” |
Also in His words:
| “ | Humans ask you about the day of awakening. Say: ‘Surely the knowledge of the day of awakening is only with Allah,’ and do you know, O (Muhammad), perhaps the day of awakening is near (Surah Al-Ahzaab verse 63). | ” |
Muhammad Saw was also asked by the Angel Gabriel who came in the form of a Bedouin Arab. Jibril then asked about the time of the doomsday, but Muhammad was also not aware of the matter.
According to Islamic eschatology, the apocalypse is said to occur on Friday and there are a number of major signs of the apocalypse that are explained from a number of hadiths and the Koran.
It was also narrated by Hudzaifah bin Usaid Al-Ghifari ra that Muhammad saw us remembering each other. He then asked, “ What are you remembering? “The people replied, “We remember the Day of Resurrection”.
He also said, ” That day will not happen before you see ten signs, namely smoke, Dajal, Ad-Dabbah, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Isa bin Maryam As, Gog and Magog, three eclipses (one eclipse in east, one eclipse in the west, and one eclipse in the Arabian Peninsula), the last one is a fire coming out of Yemen that drives people to Padang Mahsyar “(HR Muslim).
The Wisdom of Faith in the Last Days
The obligation to believe in the last day has been reported in the Al-Qur’an and hadith. However, it can be confirmed by the argument aqli (mind). Reasonably, we can think that everything in the natural world is changing. Every change will surely also require an end.
Something that ends has signs reported by the Qur’an and hadith, and can be accepted by reason. Belief in the existence of the last day will provide wisdom or a very large effect in human life, at least humans will feel afraid of the punishment that Allah SWT will give after the end of the day. This will make humans always be careful in their actions and will always increase their good deeds while in the world.
According to Nurhayati Rusdi, believing in the existence of the Day of Judgment as a series of events that must be lived after the Day of Judgment will lead to discipline and vigilance, because all deeds do not escape the supervision of Allah SWT.
Based on this statement, it can be seen that someone who believes in the last day will lead to discipline and try to be better because there is no deed that escapes the supervision of Allah SWT. In this case, the discipline in question is the discipline of worshiping Allah SWT.
According to the majority of scholars, worship includes all actions that are liked and approved by Allah SWT, both in the form of words and deeds, both openly and hidden in order to glorify Allah SWT and hope for His reward.
The definition of reward includes all forms of law, whether in the form of ma’qulat al-ma’na (the meaning of which can be understood), such as laws relating to muamalah in general or in the form of ghair ma’qulat al-ma’na (the meaning cannot be understood). , such as prayer, both related to the limbs (eg bowing) and those related to the tongue (eg remembrance and intention).
This is where religious education plays a role as a means of transforming knowledge in the religious aspect (cognitive aspect), a means of transforming norms, as well as moral values to shape attitudes (affective aspect). In addition, religious education also plays a role in controlling behavior (psychomotor aspects), so as to create a complete human personality.
Islamic religious education is expected to be able to produce human beings who are always trying to perfect their faith, piety, and noble character which includes ethics, manners, or morals as a manifestation of faith in the last day.
Through faith and belief in the existence of the last day, humans have the hope of eternal life and full of essential pleasures. If indeed humans feel the grave before the end of the day, we are ordered to take refuge in Allah SWT from the torment of the grave.
Use the world bestowed by Allah SWT to seek the pleasures of the hereafter, namely heaven. The duty of a believer is to use this world for the benefit of the hereafter, not for disobedience and tyranny.
As for some of the wisdom of faith in the last day are as follows.
1. Be introspective
As servants of Allah SWT on earth, we must not behave arbitrarily and follow all our desires. Why? Everything we do in this world will result in life in the afterlife. This is what causes us to be careful.
2. Humble and Not Arrogant
No matter how great a human being is and no matter how high his position is, nothing can be compared to the greatness and power of Allah SWT. All humans will be destroyed and perish. Knowledge, power, and wealth possessed by humans, all of that is only entrusted or mandated by Allah SWT.
3. Awareness to Obey Worship
Heaven and hell are places where humans live in the afterlife. Heaven is in return for good deeds provided for His pious servants, while hell is in return for bad deeds provided for His ungodly servants.
4. Be Responsible
At the end of the day, humans will be held accountable for all their actions in the world. That means that we must be responsible for all the deeds we do in this world, and be held accountable before Allah SWT in the hereafter. No matter how big or small our deeds will surely get a reward in the hereafter.
Well, that’s a brief explanation of the Understanding and Wisdom of Faith in the Last Day . No one can know when the apocalypse will occur. But one thing for sure, the end of the world will happen sometime in the future. Humans are only given information related to the signs. As a human being, his duty is only to do his best and prepare for the last day.