Question

I am reading the English translation of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. My copy also contains his notes on the passages. He writes under Q 10:45 that we will recognize each other on Judgment Day so we know that justice is served and that Allah served righteousness to those according to their deeds on earth.

When Judgment is passed and we (InshaAllah) are granted eternity in Jannah, will our memories of those doomed for the fire remain with us? Seems a hard thing to consume knowing that some on earth that were not evil but just not believers and we were friends with are in eternal agony. Could you explain in your best opinion of this?

Answer

A reading of the Qur’an shows that we will know each other. The people of Hell will be known to the people of Paradise. In this worldly life those who know each other and differ over the religious truths and as a result fall in different abodes will recognize each other. However, there is no clear mention of the fact that after being transferred to the respective abodes people will carry the memories. I believe there is no problem in that. As by this we will learn that Allah is the most just. He has punished those who rejected the truth in this worldly life and blessed those who followed the truth. One thing needs to be clarified. It is not necessary that all those who are good but are non-Muslims will go to Hell. This is because we cannot fully understand why a person has not converted to Islam. He may truly believe that the religion of his parents is the true. He may not have been called to Islam properly. He may not have had the opportunity to see where the truth lies. Therefore, Allah Almighty will decide the fate of the people keeping all these things into account. It would not be possible for us to declare such and such person will definitely go to Hell or Jannah.

Answered by: Tariq Mahmood Hashmi

Date: 2015-01-08