Many of us were told that Dunya is the reality we are in right now, and later on, after the day of ressurection another reality would exist, which is called Akhira. Of course, this is the understanding of many Muslims. However, a deeper reading of the Qur’an presents another view, one that Allamah Tabatabai elaborated in al-Mizan.
According to this view the relation between Dunya and Akhirah is not that one exists after the other one. Rather, their relation is that of the surface and depth and that akhirah exists currently, and the reason some people do not experience it is the spiritual negligence. A very watered down example would be if you are stressed one day, you could come home and not notice the new haircut of your partner. Taking our example a bit deeper, for a person who is addicted to work, their attention becomes so focus on one thing, that so many aspects of life will be missed by them. Their children’s childhood, their relationships, etc. When the attention is focused on one thing, so much can happen around a person and they do not find out. Only after a divorce and children moving out, some people are woken up from the trance and realise the truths they have missed. The classic absent father in some hollywood movies who only in later life wants to come back and be a father. These are all examples of how our attention can narrow the reality we live in.
According to the following verse of the Qur’an, an excessive preoccupation with the physical aspects of life (the dunya) inevitably leads to heedlessness of the spiritual dimension (the akhirah):
يَعْلَمُونَ ظَاهِرًا مِّنَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ هُمْ غَافِلُونَ
They know the surface of the life of Dunya, and they, are unaware of akhirah.(30:7)
To elucidate, consider what it means when we say someone knows only the surface of something. This implies a superficial understanding, lacking depth. For instance, if a friend accuses another of only caring about the surface of their personality, it means they are neglecting the deeper, more significant aspects of who they are.
In the same vein, when the Qur’an states that people are aware of the surface of life, it immediately sets up the expectation of a deeper reality that is being neglected. The verse then clarifies that what is being overlooked is the akhirah, or the Hereafter.
Thus, the dunya represents the superficial, fleeting aspects of existence—what can be seen, touched, and experienced in the immediate moment. In contrast, the akhirah represents the profound, eternal reality that underlies our existence. It is the depth that gives true meaning and context to the surface we perceive.
But what about the Resurrection?
A question that may naturaly arise at this stage is so what about the idea that after death and resurrection, people will enter akhirah. How can that be reconciled with this as in that takes place in a point later in time? The answer is that, akhirah is not created after our death from this physical world, rather, that is the point in which those who have not yet removed the veils, will see it.
A question that may naturally arise at this stage is: what about the idea that after death and resurrection, people will enter the akhirah? How can this be reconciled with the notion that the akhirah is a deeper reality already present?
The answer lies in understanding that death and resurrection are not when the akhirah is created, but rather the moments when the veils are lifted for those who have not yet perceived it. In other words, before the resurrection, it is possible to be so occupied with the dunya that one misses the reality of the akhirah. However, after death, a person’s experience of the dunya ends, and at resurrection, they have no choice but to see the akhirah.
To elaborate, consider someone who is inside a theater watching a captivating play. They are so engrossed in the performance on stage that they are unaware of the vast and beautiful world outside the theater. This outside world has always existed, but their focus on the play keeps them from perceiving it.
Now, imagine that the play ends, the curtains close, and the doors of the theater open. The person must leave the theater; they can no longer stay inside. Once outside, they are confronted with the reality of the outside world—a reality that has been there all along but was unseen while they were preoccupied with the play. So akhirah is always there, but dunya can distract people from it. However, one day the theatre of Dunya will end and so akhirah becomes apparent to all.
In some verses, it is mentioned that in akhirah, the veils are removed, and you see the reality:
لَقَدْ كُنْتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هَذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنْكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ
Indeed, you were in heedlessness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp. (50:22)
or
بَلِ ادَّارَكَ عِلْمُهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْهَا بَلْ هُمْ مِنْهَا عَمُونَ
Rather, their knowledge is lost concerning the akhirat. Rather, they are in doubt about it. Rather, they are, concerning it, blind. (27:66)
Allameh Tabataba’i, in his commentary on Surah Qaf, Ayah 22, writes in al-Mizan:
And [I swear] by my life, if there were no other verse in the Holy Quran regarding this matter except the verse: ‘Indeed, you were in heedlessness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp,’ ‘you were heedless of this life, We removed your cover, and now your sight is sharp,’ it would be sufficient. The word ‘heedlessness’ is used for something present before a person and known to them, not for something nonexistent or to come into existence later. Thus, it is understood that the life of the akhirat also exists in this world, but a veil has intervened between us and it. Moreover, the removal of the cover is for something present and behind a veil. If what a person sees on the Day of Resurrection were not already in the world, it would not be correct to say on that day to people: ‘You were heedless of this life, and it was veiled to you; We removed your cover, and thus heedlessness turned into observation.’
He also says:
What a person sees on the Day of Resurrection is prepared for him and exists in this world, but he is heedless of it. Especially on the Day of Resurrection, it is a day of unveiling and seeing beyond the veil, because heedlessness can only be imagined when there is something present and we are heedless of its existence. The term ‘cover’ is used correctly only when there is something behind it, and it covers and conceals it from the viewer. Thirdly, the term ‘sharpness of sight’ is correctly used when there is something very precise to be seen; otherwise, there would be no need for sharp eyesight.
This means that it is possible in this world to access akhirah. In fact, not only is possible it is expected of us to reach that level of awareness in this world. For the people who have taqwa, they can access heaven that is already for them:
وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a heaven as wide as the skies and earth, prepared for the people who have taqwa. (3:133)
Your mind may still find it difficult to accept this due to what you may have been told earlier. You may try to resist this understanding of the verse. But remember the line from the sermon in Nahj al-Balagha by Imam Ali (a) when he describes the people of taqwa:
فَهُمْ وَ الْجَنَّةُ کَمَنْ قَدْ رَآهَا، فَهُمْ فِیهَا مُنَعَّمُونَ
Thus, to them, Paradise is as though they see it and are enjoying its bliss.
Another beautiful line is by Imam Husayn (a) where he said:
فكأنَّ الدّنيا لم تكُن و كأنَّ الآخرةَ لم تزل
It is as if dunya never existed, and Akhirah was always there.
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