The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter (2/4)
Dr. Aisha Hamdan
Connecting children to the Day of Resurrection and the hereafter
Children can be connected to belief in the hereafter in a variety of ways. As this topic is mentioned throughout the Qur’an, this would obviously be the proper tool for approaching the subject matter. Children are able to accept and understand the concepts of death, resurrection, and an afterlife, depending on their particular level of development. These are issues that should be discussed freely and comfortably within the home.
In the Qur’an, for example, Allah provides similes of death and resurrection so that the reader may more easily comprehend. This can be particularly effective for children since it ties abstract concepts to something more tangible. By nature children are concrete thinkers, so they are in need of such techniques to assist in their understanding. As they enter adolescence, the ability to appreciate abstract notions becomes apparent.
One of the greatest proofs that Allah uses in the Qur’an for the resurrection after death is that of our own creation. If Allah was able to create us in the first place, it will be even easier to re-create us on the Day of Resurrection. Children should be reminded that their existence and their creation are from Allah and that He will return them to Him. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says,
“And the [disbelieving] human says: When I have died, am I going to be brought forth alive? Does man not remember that We created him before, while he was nothing?” (Qur'an, Surah Maryam, 19: 66-67)
The initial creation of human beings is a reminder of this. Allah says,
“O people, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed — that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind. That is because Allah is the Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent. And [that they may know] that the Hour is coming — no doubt about it — and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 5-7)
In this verse, Allah coins a parable of resurrection of the dead by likening it to how He revives the earth with vegetation after it has been barren. This same parable can be found in several places in the Qur’an. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) mentions,
“And of His signs is that you see the earth stilled, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and grows. Indeed, He who has given it life is the Giver of Life to the dead. Indeed, He is competent over all things.” (Qur'an, Surah Fussilat, 41: 39)
And:
“And who sends down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land — thus will you be brought forth.” (Qur’an, Surah Az-Zukhruf, 43: 11)
Children relate easily to features of nature, so these types of parables can be very effective. Parents should encourage them to ponder the wonders of nature and how the land is brought back to life after its death. This is truly an amazing phenomenon that we often take for granted. The seasons of the year are a sign of Allah’s power and majesty, and a reminder of our own death and resurrection. We should not allow them to pass without taking notice and being grateful for Allah’s bounties.
The whole creation itself is reminder of the ability of Allah to create and re-create.
“Have they not considered how Allah begins creation and then repeats it? Indeed that, for Allah, is easy. Say [O Muhammad]: Travel through the land and observe how He began creation. Then Allah will produce the final creation [development]. Indeed, Allah, over all things, is competent.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Ankabut, 29: 19-20)
“And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest description [attribute] in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Qur’an, Surah Ar-Rum, 30: 27)
Allah has created this vast universe; would it not then be within His ability to create something less significant, which is the human being?
“ls not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it is so]; and He is the Knowing Creator. His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it: Be! — and it is. So Exalted is He in whose hand is the realm of all things, and to Him you will be returned.” (Qur’an, Surah Ya-Sin, 36: 81-83)
A family’s vacation trip can easily be turned into a lesson integrating these verses and signs. A garden in the backyard can be a daily opportunity to remind children of Allah’s might and bounties. Studies in science should consistently be tied to verses from the Qur’an and hadiths of the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) so that children realize that the miracles of science exist only by the will of Allah. Humans have no power or ability compared to that which Allah possesses. Many scientists in current times disregard this fact due to their failure to connect knowledge and discoveries to the power and might of Allah.
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