 | Dr. Nabil Seyam is director of the Board of Administration of the Islamic Society of Wichita and Co-Founder of the Annoor Islamic School. He was the recipient of the Leader of the Year in 2002 in Wichita and most recently was the recipient of the Community Servant Award by the University United Methodist Church in 2003. Dr. Seyam was selected for the Community Servant Award because of his active role in peace-building and multiculturalism throughout Kansas. He is an adjunct instructor for Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University. He is married and has six children. He can be reached at (316) 630-9222 , by e-mail at nabil@seyam.org, or visit his website at www.seyam.org |
Religion
2005-02-01 09:22:00
Is it true that most people who have lived on this earth will go to hell?
: In Matthew Chapter 7, and Luke Chapter 13, our Lord says, "Struggle to enter the Kingdom through the narrow door. The road to hell is wide with plenty of room and most go that way. But the door is small and the path is hard and narrow that leads to life and only a few find it." Is it true that most people who have ever lived on this Earth go to hell?
ANSWER: Before answering the question, I would like to use a simple example. The world population is about six billion people. How many of those are truly believers? How many of those believers are practicing their faith? How many of those who are practicing their faith are truly practicing it with intention to serve God? If I would say only a few million out of the six billion, do not be surprised. Why? Most of God creatures are not believers. In another word, are most of God creatures going to hell? Well, let's examine the Islamic perspective of this life, the hereafter and the human lifestyle. God created both hell fire and paradise. He sent messengers and prophets and descended with them books to guide us to the straight path; yet the majority of people rejected. Why?Let's review our life and what we do in it."Beautified for mankind is the love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring, and stored up heaps of gold and silver and horses branded with their mark and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah, with Him is more excellent abode.""Pastime and pageantry and boasting among you and rivalry in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of vegetation after rain whereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller but afterwards it dries up and takes on a yellow color and then it becomes straw."These are a few examples from the Holy Quran expressing the value of this life. Man spends one third of his life asleep, another third serving his employer and another third serving his family, himself and community. Take the life of most of us here in America; most of the people spend their time working and producing to serve and run the affairs of this life ONLY. As the Holy Quran says, "The desire of increase in worldly provision has distracted you (your attention to God) until you come to the graves. Nay, but you will soon come to know (of the vanity of your pursuits), Nay, but you will come to know. Nay, would that you knew (now) with a sure knowledge." The majority of people have so many priorities in life and God is their last. How do you expect an engineer to become an engineer? Is it by hoping and wishing? Or is it by hard work and passing exams. Many people think paradise is like life; paradise is not cheap. The messenger of God, Mohammed said, "The world is the believer's prison and the unbeliever's Paradise." Look at our life; God has bestowed upon us many bounties; He said every thing in this life is lawful except very few unlawful things which I had made to test you. Unfortunately we see that billions of people are attracted to the few unlawful things and leave many of the lawful bounties.To compare this world with the Hereafter is just like one of you putting his finger in the sea. Let him see what it returns with? This is truly the meaning of life. It is not equivalent to the value of the wing of a gnat. That's why in Islam we are taught to look at those who are inferior to us and not look at those who are superior to us, for this will enable us to appreciate better the favors of God. It will keep us away from despising God's favor to us.The messenger of God said, "I looked into the Paradise and saw that most of its dwellers were the poor." In fact he also said, "The poor will enter Paradise five hundred years ahead of the rich." The meaning is clear. Wealth is one of the major tests to man. To the majority wealth is a goal and objective of life; but to the believer it is nothing but a tool to get to God. To summarize, yes most people who have ever lived on this earth will go to hell. One of the reasons is, because the majority of people are not thankful to God. So how can we not be among the majority? We need to understand God first. What He wants from us and why we are in this life. Understanding that there is no life but the life of the Hereafter is the secret to heaven. To live for this life as if you are living for are dying tomorrow.
