Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians - Electric Scotland

10. This World and the Next
ALL THREE monotheistic movements grew out of a
perceived distinction between God, “who alone is
holy,” and the present circumstances in which humankind
finds itself. These circumstances are often referred
to as “the world” or “this world.” Though God had
looked on this world, which was, after all, his creation,
and pronounced it “good” (Gen. 1:4, etc.), his devotees
sometimes took a somewhat more pessimistic
view of their circumstances, as did God himself on occasion,
since there were elements in that creation, some
manmade but others quite natural, that he wished to
keep distant from his presence.
The Pillars of Islam (see chapter 9) are bare bones, a
catechetical summary of the Muslim’s ritual obligations,
and though they became the point of departure
of a vast body of prescription regulating Islamic behavior,
they reflect neither the tone nor the urgency of
Muhammad’s message, particularly of the earliest revelations.
The Meccan suras of the Quran have a dramatic
eschatological emphasis, expressed now in commercial
terms and now in the vivid images of Jewish
and Christian apocalyptic. The God who created the
world will also be its judge. When the Day of Judgment
comes, accompanied by chaos and confusion, the Lord
of the World will open the accounts of all humankind
and reckon each at his or her worth. For those who
have gravely sinned or hoarded their goods out of
meanness of spirit, there awaits a fiery Gehenna of ex-