Islam-Afterlife

Overview
The ideas of heaven, hell and resurrection have been with Islam since the time of Muhammad. When humans die they remain in an "interworld" in which they stay until the "Judgment Day" or resurrection. On this day the souls will be sentenced to heaven or hell depending on the way they lived their earthly life. Though some believe that a true Muslim, if sentenced to hell, given a certain period of time will eventually have all sins burned away and then be forgiven and sent to paradise.

Disputes Between Denominations
In Islamic beliefs there is a disagreement in afterlife between two denominations. The Shiites believe that the soul is everlasting and upon death of the body the soul finds its rightful form to enter paradise. The Sunnis believe that the soul and the body die temporarily to be judged by an angel, where it again dies and awakes finally for the “Day of Judgment”, to be condemned to heaven or hell based on their prior way of life. There are also different beliefs for the images of heaven and hell. Some believe that al-Jannah or paradise, consists of eight levels each containing a different pleasure or joy, while an-nar, or hell, is made of seven layers, the worst of this is being distant from God. The Islamic belief in Judgment and Resurrection is similar to that of Christianity and Judaism. Lewis, James R.. Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1994. "Muslim Beliefs about the Afterlife." Religion Facts. 2007. Religion Facts. 18 Dec 2007 .