Ākhira
Definition
The akhira — the Hereafter — is the alternative object of investment that al-Ghazali holds up throughout the Condemnation of the World. Every page of this book is implicitly or explicitly making a comparison: invest here (in the world) and receive this (temporary, ultimately unsatisfying return); invest there (in the Hereafter through worship, character, and right action) and receive that (permanent, comprehensive, divinely guaranteed return). Al-Ghazali argues that the comparison, honestly made, always favours the Hereafter — and that the Muslim who invests primarily in the world has simply not made the comparison honestly.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Ākhira.
-
"The only means to disperse this gathering is through constant remembrance. It brings near what is distant. The hereafter, which Satan and false hopes distance from him, becomes closer as he continuously engages in remembrance. It is as if he has entered it, and is present there. At that point, the world appears small in his eyes, and the Hereafter takes on greater significance in his heart. The world which is nearer to him than the Hereafter becomes distant, for whenever the Hereafter draws closer to his heart, the world moves away from him. Every step taken closer to it is a step further from the Other, and this is only achieved through constant remembrance."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, The Wholesome Rain of Good Words
-
"Thus it is to be enjoyed in favor of what follows. If it is known that the pleasures and bliss of this world are enjoyment and a means to the pleasures of the Hereafter, then this is why the world and its pleasures were created. Any pleasure that aids in and leads to the pleasure of the Hereafter is not condemned, but praised in so far as it leads to the pleasure of the Hereafter. Knowing this, the greatest bliss of the Hereafter and its delights is seeing the face of the Lord, mighty and majestic, hearing His words directly, and being close to Him. As confirmed in the authentic hadith about the vision,"
— Ibn al-Qayyim, The Disease and The Cure
-
"Make your Hereafter your capital and your world its profit. Spend your time first in securing your Hereafter, and if there is any time left, spend it on your worldly life and seeking your livelihood. Do not make your world your capital and your Hereafter its profit, and if there is any time left, you spend it on your Hereafter, performing the five prayers hastily, lacking their pillars, with differing obligations, without bowing, prostration, or tranquility between the pillars, or you become weary and exhausted and sleep through the entire obligation, a corpse at night, idle."
— Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, Futūḥ al-Ghayb — Revelations of the Unseen
Appears in
1 book in the library
Hear the term in context.
Every book above uses Ākhira the way the classical scholars meant it. Listen with the full Study Kit in the app.