Islamic eschatology

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Islamic eschatology includes the afterlife, apocalyptic signs of the End Times, and final Judgement.^[1][2][3] It is fundamental to Islam as life after death is one of the six Doctrines of Islam. Resurrection is divided into Lesser Resurrection (al-qiyamah al-sughra) and Greater Resurrection. The former deals with the time of the individual between death and the Final Judgement. Islam acknowledges bodily resurrection. Only a few philosophers are an exception.

From 8th-9th century onwards, Muslims increasingly believed that the day of the Great Resurrection will be announced by several signs of the impending apocalypse. Such beliefs are stored and elaborated upon in apocalyptic literature, whereby introducing new figures absent in the Quran, such as the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) and Mahdi (Savior). Although some themes are common across all works, there is no standardized version of apocalyptic events.

Closely related is the matter on the fate of the individual. Different branches of Islam reached different conclusions. The Mu'tazilites hold God's goodness obligated God to reward good actions and to punish evil actions. The Asharites believe that God does neither need to punish sins nor to reward good deeds. Like Maturidis, Asharis hold, in contrast to Mu'tazilites, that sinners among Muslims will eventually leave hell. Asharis and Twelver Shias generally agree that non-Muslims, who refuse to acknowledge Muhammad as the last prophet, go to hell. Neo-Salafis, such as Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar, holds that Muslims of other sects also go to hell, although Sunnis and Twelver Shias may leave hell eventually.

Another topic of discussion is the temporal place of Paradise and Hell. According to most Sunnis and Shias, Paradise and Hell coexist with and also influence the contemporary world. Throughout Muslim literature, visits and depictions of Paradise and Hell are vividly described. Mu'tazilites, on the other hand, argue that the purpose of Paradise and Hell is to reward or punish, and thus, are only created after final Judgement.