Death and Afterlife

What happens to a human being after death?

The life of this body is related to the Arzi Arwah (terrestrial spirits). When the terrestrial spirits are taken out, the body become lifeless; this is known as death. Then, the Samawi Rouh (human soul) is taken to the higher realms. The soul does not stay in the grave. The soul is taken to Alam-e-Baala, specifically Alam-e-Barzakh (the Realm of Purgation) which includes two stations. If someone is a Dhakir-e-Qalbi (one who acquired the Initiation of the Heart), possesses the deeds accompanied by the presence of the heart (Amal-e-Sualeh) and is Sualeh (righteous), then his soul is kept in Alam-e-Barzarkh, in the Station of Il’liyeen. If someone was engaged in physical worship only and is not a Momin (True Believer) - regardless of intense performance of Salat and which religion he practiced - if he had not acquired Amal-e-Sualeh, and the heart is void of divine light and of emaan (faith), then the souls of such people are kept in the Station of Sij’jeen. These souls shall remain there until Youm-e-Mehshar (the Day of Judgment) and on the Day of Judgment they will face accountability. If these souls are granted salvation, from there they will be sent into the paradise. If they are not granted salvation - for example, they may have performed Salat vigorously, prostrated many times and observed fasting; however, at the same time, if they kept grudges against the Friends of God, were involved in backbiting against the Friends of God and were blasphemous to the prophets, then who would grant salvation to such people?

If someone does not believe in the prophets or the saints, then neither the prophets nor the saints shall grant such a person salvation. Hence, such people shall be sent to hellfire. Those who had the correct tenet, admired Prophet Mohammad, and would fervently recite Durood-o-Salam (Salutations upon the Prophet) and respected the saints, someone (Friend of God) shall grant him salvation on the Day of Judgment as a result of which his soul will enter paradise. However, entering the paradise does not mean he will have the same benefits available to him that a Momin would. For such individuals, the Quran says, ‘And do they believe they will obtain the same rank as the pious ones?’ They will stay there as the servants.

When the terrestrial spirits have been taken out from the body, what questions are going to be asked to the body? The body cannot be asked any questions, the body has died! On the Day of Judgment, the questions will be directed to the souls. In the grave the questions will be directed to the Nafs (Self). Then, you are also going to be shown the face of Prophet Mohammad. Now if you had seen Prophet Mohammad, only then you would recognise his face. Due to your inner darkness, you have not even seen the devil, let alone being able to recognise the face of Prophet Mohammad. People think that they should obtain knowledge about the religion. Prophet Mohammad did not say to obtain this knowledge by reading numerous books.

You accumulate so much bookish knowledge and yet the souls inside remain unaware. This is not knowledge of the religion!

This misconception is in the minds of all people today: read this book and you will obtain the knowledge mentioned within, or memorise the explanation of the Quran and this will count as being the knowledge of the religion. What is the point of such knowledge which does not benefit your souls in any way? The souls are dormant, they have not been revived with God’s love or acquired Irfan-e-Ilahi (Esoteric Knowledge), nor do they have the inclination of reaching God! The souls remained in the dormant state in which they were inserted into the body; then, what is the point of being a scholar of such knowledge?

Prophet Mohammad said that there are two types of knowledge. One is obligatory upon human beings by God and the other is Ilm-e-Nafay (Esoteric Knowledge/Knowledge of Mysticism), through which hearts and souls are revived and enlightened. The Kalima (Declaration of Faith) recited by the tongue should also be recited by the heart and soul. In the end, this body will remain in this world. The body will not go up there, the soul will. If the soul had not recited the Kalima - if only the body was in engaged in the recitation of the Quran and Hadith while the soul was completely unaware, then what is the use of such knowledge? There are no benefits of this type of knowledge.

God has one condition only: for someone to bring forth a Qalb-e-Saleem (Secured Heart). Bring an enlightened heart, for God only looks at the hearts. Even in your life, if God was to glance at you, he would look at your heart; if your heart was shining, God would become merciful upon you.

Those whose shiny hearts God looked upon in this world, what accountability would they go through? Such people are like preapproved, preaccepted credit cards. They are already under the Merciful Sight of God. I ask you a direct question: of all the books that you have read and all the knowledge you have in your possession, does the Kalima resonate in your heart? Has your soul been awakened?

Hadith-e-Qudsi: One who has recognised his Self (Nafs), it means he has recognised God.

With all the knowledge you have obtained, try to act upon this Hadith! One who has recognised his Self, it only means that he has recognised God. You may have acquired a lot of knowledge - you may have read many books and memorised the Quran and Hadith, but through all this knowledge, have you recognised your Self? Have you recognised God? I have understood from this Hadith-e-Qudsi that what God is trying to say to humanity here is that Self-realisation is actually God-realisation. 

Take all of the knowledge you have acquired and accumulated, and try to recognise your Self. What is the point of listening to the lectures and sermons of clerics? What did you obtain out of this? Nothing!

If you don’t know your Self, forget about knowing God! God said he created this world so that the world may recognise him. In simple words, the purpose of creation is to recognise God.

According to Hadith-e-Qudsi, 'I was in the Hidden Treasure and I desired to be known, hence I created Makhlooq (creation).'

The purpose of your creation is to recognise God. That is why you were created! Now, you are in the business of recognising God and you don’t recognise your Self! Read all the books and then tell me, who are you? Are you a Kafir (Infidel)? Are you a Munafiq (Hypocrite)? Are you a Momin (True Believer)? Are you a Wali (Saint)? Who are you? One who does not know whether he is a Momin or a Munafiq, how will the poor guy recognise God? You may continue to recite, ‘Kul ho Allah ho ahad’ (Quranic verse), but what will happen? You may receive 10 good deeds, however these deeds will just be written (in your Book of Deeds). When knowingly or unknowingly, you were blasphemous to a Friend of God or developed a bad conjecture about someone who God loves more than you can imagine, in that case, all your worship is left useless. Read the Quran and its translation: either the translation of Aala Hazrat, Tahir ul Qadri or anyone else. After reading it, tell me who you are. The knowledge of Quran is not in the book, the knowledge of Quran is in the heart of Prophet Mohammad. First you must reach the Prophet Mohammad and then you shall receive that knowledge from his heart.

Mevlana Rumi said, 'Religion is not found in the books. The books have knowledge and wisdom; religion is granted through Nazar (Merciful Sight) [of a perfect Spiritual Guide].'

Prophet Mohammad mentioned, ‘Acquire knowledge even if you have to travel to China,’ and ‘Acquisition of knowledge is obligatory upon all Muslim men and women.’ Is the knowledge that Prophet Mohammad mentioned the same knowledge that you are obtaining? You did not recognise your Self before this knowledge, and even after reading Quran and Hadith, you do not have Self-realisation. It is really important - that is why it has been made obligatory upon you, right? Why is there no difference in you after [supposedly] obtaining it? You are the same dog today as you were before. Today you are making the mosques impure in the same way as you did by entering them yesterday.

The Nafs (Self) is in the form of a dog in spirituality. Shah Abdul Latif Bittayi, a saint, was walking his dog. He tied his dog to the entrance of a mosque and went to offer Salat. A cleric said him, ‘What have you done? You have tied a dog to the entrance of the house of God!’ He said, ‘Yes, and you are sitting with a dog inside!’ A dog is just a dog; it will not ruin anybody’s faith. However, the dog of the Self that resides in you, you have to turn that dog into a Muslim. This is real Islam. If Islam does not turn the dog of your Nafs into Muslim, then it is not Islam; it is mischief. A Spiritual Guide who cannot turn this dog into human is not a Spiritual Guide, he is a pimp. It doesn’t matter whose progeny he is from, even if he is from Hazrat Ali’s progeny. There can be pimps and bastards in the progeny of Hazrat Ali also. Where it is written in Quran that there cannot be any pimps in the progeny of Hazrat Ali? 

His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi says, 'God is not bothered whether you are Syed or Qureshi. There is only the Divine Law, and those who were heedless of your [God] remembrance are animals.'

There is no value, in the eyes of God, whether you are Syed or Qureshi. Whoever you are, there is only the Divine Law. Today Arabs consider themselves the champions; they believe no one knows the religion better than them. Read the Quran and see what it says!

'The people of Arab consider themselves as Momin, O’ Prophet tell them, they are not Momin.'

[49:14]

On the Akhiri Jummah (Last Friday), Hujjat ul Widha, Prophet Mohammad said, 'No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab and the non-Arabs are by no means inferior.' However, if you look at them today, the Arabs don’t give importance to the non-Arabs. They mistreat them. They have so much false pride and aree full of arrogance. And our nation (the Pakistani nation) is the same. If someone leaves Mecca or Medina after taking the course of being a cleric, he comes out wearing a Saudi outfit and completely forgets Urdu. There are many such pimps settled in Saudi Arabia; a pimp who sells women and lives off their earning is not the biggest pimp. In this era, these bearded pimps are the real pimps!  

The knowledge you have in your possession today - did you recognise God through it? The knowledge which doesn’t give you self-realisation, how will it grant you salvation?

On the other hand, His Divine Eminence Imam Mehdi Gohar Shahi declares, 'It’s not a long story. Take the Initiation of the Heart (Dhikr-e-Qalb), test your fate and find out in 1-2 days how merciful God is upon you.'

If God’s name begins to beat in your heart, then you have been blessed. If God’s name does not enter your heart, then who knows who you are! Whether you are a Hamman or Firoun, Shadaad or Yazeed, Abu Jahhal or Abdul Wahhab Najdi, Tahir ul Qadri, Ilyas Qadri or Shah Tarajbul Haq, or the son of a prostitute - we have no idea who you are. If God’s name starts within the beating system of your heart, then it does not matter whether or not you remember the names of your mother and father, in the eyes of God you are close to God and worthy of respect. Because God’s criteria is not the progeny you come from; the only criterion in the eyes of God is Taqwah (Piety). Throwing water over yourself is not piety. Piety is the act of purifying the dog of your Nafs and cleansing the heart.

Nafs-e-Ammarah (the Commanding Self) commands you to commit sins - no matter how hard you try to refrain from sins and the committance of sins, and you tell yourself that you will not do this. Do the Quran and Hadith not tell Muslims to not to commit adultery? Not to backbite and slander? It is written in the Quran is it not? 'To slander and to backbite is equal to eating the flesh of your dead brother,' and even then, people are involved in backbiting and slandering. Why? The dog inside you forces you to commit evil. If you have read the Quran, but it had no effect on the one commanding you to commit sins, then what was the point of reading such a Quran? Find someone who is a dog hunter! One who will hunt these dogs, grab them by the neck and force them to recite the Kalima. And one day, by continuous recitation of the Kalima, these dogs will become human. When a Kamil Dhaat (Perfect Spiritual Guide) forces the dog of the Nafs to recite the Kalima, the dog becomes a human; however, when a cleric tells someone to recite the same Kalima, instead of becoming human, they become Wahhabi, Shiite, Sunni, Barelvi etc. They do not become human, so this is useless knowledge.

What was the knowledge that Prophet Mohammad made obligatory upon all? Prophet Mohammad said, 'The scholars are from my chest [heart],' which means, 'A scholar is one who is connected to my chest' those who obtain Spiritual Grace from my chest shall become scholars.' Only one who obtained Spiritual Grace from the heart of the Prophet is a scholar; one who obtains knowledge from Dar ul Uloom (religious madrassa) is a pimp. What do these people know of spirituality? What do these people know about recognising Imam Mehdi? These people are scared of those who call them out to be pimps and womanisers, they don’t dare speak in front of such a man. But if a personality who is the epitome of humility, who is the embodiment of God, whose being is the manifestation of the divine attributes, comes in front of them and says, 'Enlighten your heart,' People put Fatwas of Kufr on Him, and declare Him to be worthy of death! Imam Mehdi knows the world, hence Imam Mehdi has appointed rogues all around him and tames the dogs of their Nafs. Imam Mehdi has placed His collar on the dogs of these rogues so that noow they are the dogs of Imam Mehdi; they are no longer stray dogs. 

'Knowledge' means, 'to know', and you don’t know your Self. Then what kind of knowledge do you have?

Bulleh Shahi said, 'You need only Alif for Allah and repeat "Allah, Allah". One day you shall become enlightened.'

You only need Alif from Alif Laam Meem, and with that Alif repeat ‘Allah, Allah’ and one day you shall become an enlightened conscience. Where will you find the Alif? You have to kiss the ankles of someone [Friend of God/Spiritual Guide], you have to prostrate to someone!

Sultan Haq Bahu said, 'If you want to obtain union with God you have to serve a Faqir (Spiritual Man/Friend of God), you have to become the dirt underneath his feet.'

Mevlana Rumi said, 'If you are the hardest of stones, what should you do? Find a Sahib-e-Dil [Friend of God]. He will transform you into a pearl (Gohar)!'

This is Irfan, knowledge with observation and experience. For example, if you are saying ‘Allah, Allah’, you are just saying it. What is Irfan? If you say 'Allah,' and you see Allah, this is Martaba-e-Ehsan and this is the knowledge that we are propagating.