How God Determines Your Afterlife

Things that happen on Judgement Day which you probably weren't aware of. 

The Day of Judgement

Allah will raise up the souls of people and recreate them again for the Yawm ul-Qiyamah, Day of Standing (Qur’an, 79:10-14). It also has other names as well such as the Day of Assembly, the Day of Resurrection, Day of Judgement and others.

After being separated from our physical bodies and buried for a time, God will give us life again. All of us will appear and earlier generations of humans for our judgement.

"And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on." (Qur’an, 39:67-75)

Some people will find themselves in an interesting situation. Good people will be instinctively anticipating Allah’s presence while not-so-good people will be quaking with fear.

"And the disbeliever says, 'When I have died, am I going to be brought forth alive?' Does man not remember that We created him before, while he was nothing? So by your Lord, We will surely gather them and the devils; then We will bring them to be present around Hell upon their knees."
(Qur’an, 19:66-68).

Then everyone will be sorted into groups based on a variety of factors, the most important one being by belief. Everyone will come forward on a level, flat plain standing behind who or what they used to follow in the world.

“You will come to us naked and alone.” (Quran, 6:94)

Sorting and Records

Whoever followed a Prophet’s teachings will be standing behind that prophet. Whoever followed idols, ideologies or false teachers will be behind them. We Muslims will be standing behind Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Allah calls this the Sorting (Qur’an, 30:14-16)

Then each person will be brought forward and shown the complete record of what he or she did in their life. (Qur’an, 50:21-29) Good people will receive their record in their right hand, while the evil people will get on their left or from behind their backs.

"So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, 'Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account.' So he will be in a pleasant life [...] But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, 'Oh, I wish I had not been given my record. And had not known what is my account. I wish my death had been the decisive one'."
(Qur’an, 69:19-27)

Also read Qur'an, 84:10-11

We will see with our eyes the truth of what we did (Qur’an, 64:9). Every good deed, every evil deed, every thought and motivation, nothing will be hidden (Qur’an, 54:52-53). We will be amazed that our record leaves out nothing. Even our body parts will testify against us! (Qur’an, 24:24) Then Allah’s bounty and blessings upon us will be explained and we will be questioned about what we did with them.

After the truth is made clear to us, we will either receive pardon for some of our sins or not, according to the mercy of Allah. Allah is fair to everyone and has promised to forgive sins. The only thing we had to do in this life was to seek His forgiveness, seek repentance (Tawbah). If we never did, then we’re on our own.

According to a hadith,

“Allah the Exalted has declared, ‘Child of Adam! Indeed, I shall continue to pardon you as long as you call upon Me and hope for My forgiveness. Whatever your sins may be I care not. Child of Adam, even if your sins should pile up as high as the sky and you asked for My forgiveness, I would forgive you. Child of Adam, if you came to Me with an Earth full of sins and met Me, not holding anything as My equal, I would come to you with an Earth full of forgiveness.” (Tirmidhi)

Those who worshipped men or idols will be ordered to call upon their false gods for help (Qur'an, 19:82). Of course these things will be of no assistance but it will be Allah’s way of bringing home the reality to them of how foolish they were to serve those who could never really benefit them.

Even Shaytaan will abandon them and say that he had no power over them and that they made their own mistakes.

"And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded; Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."
(Qur’an, 14:21-22)

The wrong-doers will beg and offer to buy their way out of trouble but they will not be listened to at all. (Qur’an 5:36). They will be overcast in shame and their heads will hang low in sorrow over their utter helplessness. (Qur’an, 10:30)

They obeyed statues or deluded men or their own lusts in the world and now their final accounting has come for them when they weren’t ready. Now it will be too late.

The Balance

Our good and bad deeds will be meticulously sorted (Qur’an 53:32). If we ever wronged anyone or harmed any creature, we may end up losing some of our good deeds to them by way of compensation (Qur’an, 4:112). Then our deeds will be weighed on a scale showing our true conduct in the end (Qur’an, 101:6-11).

“If you could but see when the criminals are hanging their heads before their Lord, [saying], 'Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so return us [to the world]; we will work righteousness. Indeed, we [now] believe.'
If We had so willed We could certainly have brought every soul to true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true. I will fill Hell with jinn and people all together. Taste the fire for you forgot the meeting on this Day of yours, and We too will forget you! Taste the penalty for eternity for your evil deeds!”
(Qur’an, 32:12-14)

Who Deserves Hell?

The worst people will be dragged and thrown into the gates of Hell-fire right away, while everyone else will wait. (Qur’an, 39:71) Then, when the judgement is finished, a bridge will be stretched over the top of the pit of hell. This bridge, called the Sirat, will lead to Paradise on the other side. Everyone will have to cross this bridge and feel the roar of Hell-fire below.

The bridge will be as thin as a razor and be studded with sharp and jagged edges. The Prophets and most righteous people will zoom right over it and enter the gates of Paradise where they will receive delights and their rewards. (Qur’an, 39:73-75) Then all the billions of people after that will begin to cross.

'Indeed, those who disbelieve will be addressed, "The hatred of Allah for you was [even] greater than your hatred of yourselves [this Day in Hell] when you were invited to faith, but you refused."
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?"
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allah was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allah , the Most High, the Grand."'
(Qur'an, 40:10-12)

As they move over it, people will be cut or hurt by the rough edges according to how their actions were in their physical life. If they were not too bad in conduct, they’ll get across without too much trouble and enter Paradsie as well.

If they were not too good but not too bad either they may come over the bridge in tatters, but will be allowed to enter Paradise. On the flip-side, if they were more evil than good, and Allah didn’t forgive any of their sins, then they will get tripped up and snagged. They will tumble over into the dark pit of Hell below where the fire throws out sparks the size of logs (Qur’an, 67:7-8)

Some of the worst people will stay in Hell forever. Others will stay only as long as it takes to punish them for their sins.

Whoever finishes their punishment will be taken out by the angels who will recognise them by the marks of their prostrations and any marks from washing for prayers (wudhu) which they did while alive. The water of life will poured over their burnt bones and they will become whole again.

Then they will be admitted to Paradise with purified souls, free from stain. But even one moment in Hell-fire is the most unimaginable torture one could ever dream of.

The Final Stop Before Paradise

There is a place between Paradise and Hell called the Heights where some will wait before they are allowed to enter Paradise. They don’t deserve to enter right away on account of their deeds but Allah has decreed they don’t deserve Hell-fire either. They will see Paradise and long for it and see Hell-fire and fear it. When their wait is over they will be admitted to Paradise, Jannah.

"And between them will be a partition, and on [its] elevations are men who recognise all by their mark. They call out to the companions of Paradise, 'Peace be upon you.' They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely." (Partial, Qur’an, 7:46-51)

Those who enter Paradise stay in it forever and never want to leave. It is a place of eternal peace, happiness and delight (Qur’an, 32:17). This is the ultimate achievement and should be the whole focus of our lives here on Earth. This is where we want to end up, not in Hell-fire (Qur’an, 40:7-9).

Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Whoever loves his present life does damage to his next life. Whoever loves his next life does damage to his present life. So present what is lasting to what is fleeting.” (Ahmad and Baiqahi)

So, our whole life is a test which determines what will happen to us in the akhirah, the life after death. Our few years on this planet will be done with in an instant. That's why Allah asks us sternly, do you want to live as if there were no tomorrow, even though it will surely come? (Qur’an, 41:49-51). Remember why you are alive and what will happen to you after you will die and you will truly lose all fear of death. (Qur’an, 39:53-59) Instead, you will make the focus of your life seeking Allah’s forgiveness and living by the way of life He ordained for us humans: Islam.

“Is then the person who believes no better than the person who is rebellious and wicked? They are not equal. For those who believe and do righteous deeds Gardens as homes for their (good) deeds. As to those who are rebellious and wicked, their abode will be the Fire: Every time they wish to get away from it they will be forced back and it will be said to them, ‘Taste the penalty of the fire which you used to reject as a lie.’ ” (Qur’an, 32:18-20)

More on Akhirah:
What Happens After I Die?
Why Are We Tested?
When Prophet Muhammad Left Us