What will "perish"? And what won't?

As salaam aleikum, brothers and sisters!

I have many questions about certain verses of the Qur�an, and certain ahadeeth. I will some them up, and then write my question below each one.

-----
�And call not, besides Allah, on another god. There is no god (worthy of worship) but He. Everything will perish, except His Face. To Him belongs the Judgement, and to Him you will be returned.� - Quran (Surah Al-Qasas) 28:88.
-----

I understand everything of this verse, except: �Everything will perish, except His Face�. I researched, and the scholars say that �His Face� simply means �He� (referring to Allah). First of all, why did Allah (SWT) use �His Face� instead of just �He�? Don�t they mean the same? Then why make a difference, if they mean the same? Why didn�t He just use �He�, like He did in the previous sentence: �There is no god but He�? What�s the wisdom behind this?

Then the second question about this, is what does Allah (SWT) mean with �Everything will perish��? Does He mean that EVERY SINGLE CREATION will be destroyed? So, does He mean that everything He created will be destroyed? So, Jannah, Jahannam, the Seven Heavens, Baitul Ma�moor, the Arsh and Kursi, Barzakh, the Ocean above the Seven Heavens, every single Angel, human, jinn and animal, and also every single soul will be destroyed? Surely, this can�t be right! If �everything� is going to be destroyed, then the souls of the humans, Angels, jinn and animals are also going to be destroyed� Because it says �everything�� Aren�t the souls eternal? Doesn�t that mean that they will never be destroyed? Aren�t Jannah and Jahannam eternal? Doesn�t that mean that they will never be destroyed? Same goes for other creations� So, what does Allah (SWT) mean with �everything�? Does He mean every LIVING thing? Like in, everything that has a soul? But our bodies die, not our souls. Can someone tell me what �everything� means? What�s the context?

If He means that every living thing will perish, then why didn�t He say so specifically? Because �everything� can be literally seen as EVERYTHING.

-----
�Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.� � Quran (Surah Ar-Rahman) 55:26-27
-----

The question here is: does this verse mean EXACTLY the same as the previous? If so, then we know WHAT is meant by �everything�, which is �everyone upon the earh will perish�. Is this what Allah (SWT) meant in the previous verse? So, this verse just means that everyone is going to die, right? But our souls aren�t going to die, right? Does this verse also mean that the whole Earth is going to be destroyed? If so, when, why and how? And again, why does Allah (SWT) use this �His Face� again, instead of just �He�. This time He says something else at the end. Is this extra the explanation of why He uses �His Face�, so He can praise Himself more, instead of just saying �He�?

-----
�That Day We will fold up heaven like folding up the pages of a book. As We originated the first creation so We will regenerate it. It is a promise binding on Us. That is what We will do.� (Qur'an, 21:104)
-----

What does this verse mean? And what does He mean with �heaven�? Does He mean the Seven Heavens? Is He going to destroy the Seven Heavens? If so, then the Earth is also going to be destroyed, because the Earth is in the First Heaven. But if the Seven Heavens are going to be destroyed, then isn�t Baitul Ma�moor also going to be destroyed, because it�s situated in the Seventh Heaven? But how can this be? Isn�t the Baitul Ma�moor supposed to be eternal? What DOES this verse mean? Does �heaven� here mean Jannah? Tell me, what does this verse mean?


-----
�They do not measure Allah with His true measure. The whole earth will be a mere handful for Him on the Day of Rising the heavens folded up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! He is exalted above the partners they ascribe!� (Qur'an, 39:67)
-----

About the same as the previous one; what does this verse mean?

-----
�And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown a second time, and behold they will be standing, looking on (waiting)� (Qur�an, 39:68)
-----

So when the Trumpet blows, every single creation with a soul will taste death, except whom Allah wills, is that correct? What has a soul? Don�t only the humans, jinn, animals and Angels have souls? Or does something else have a soul? So only the humans, jinn, animals, and Angels will die? And who are those who will not die because of the Trumpet? And are those who will not die because of the Trumpet, eventually going to die? I assume so, because �every single soul shall taste death�. So everyone with a soul, WILL die, but just not everyone will die immediately when the Trumpet blows for the first time, correct?

-----
And it is based on the saheeh ahaadeeth which mention these two blowings and what will follow them. al-Bukhaari (4651) and Muslim (2955) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Between the two blowings of the Trumpet there will be forty.� The people said, �O Abu Hurayrah! Forty days?� I said: �I am not sure.� They said, �Forty years?� I said: �I am not sure.� They said, �Forty months?� I said: �I am not sure. Then Allaah will send rain down from the sky and they will grow as herbs grow. There is no part of a man which will not decay except a single bone at the base of the coccyx, from which he will be re-created on the Day of Resurrection.�
Al-Nawawi said: what is meant by the words of Abu Hurayrah, �I am not sure� is that he could not be certain as to whether what was meant was forty days or years or months; all that he was certain of was that it was forty in general terms.
-----


This kind of applies that the Earth is not going to be destroyed, because if it was, then every body that was buried is also going to be destroyed. How can you look at this narration from a logical point of view? And where will we be resurrected? Where we were buried? And what about those people who never got a burial? Or those people who were cremated? This narration doesn�t make sense, if you think about the fact that not everyone still has his �coccyx�� Or what does this mean? Can someone please explain this narration to me?

-----
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah tells us that all the inhabitants of the earth will depart and die, as will the inhabitants of the heavens, except those whom Allah wills, and nothing will be left but His noble Countenance, for the Lord, may He be exalted and sanctified, will not die, rather He is the Ever-Living Who will never die. Tafsir al-Quran il-�Azeem.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Ibn �Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say: �O Allah, I seek refuge in Your glory � there is no god but You � from Your sending me astray, for You are the Ever-Living Who does not die, but jinn and men die.�
-----

The above explains much, but still doesn�t answer the question: �what will perish?� What is meant with �everything�? And here it is said that Allah (SWT) is the Ever-Living, which is true. But aren�t the souls also �Ever-Living�, because it never dies? Doesn�t this make this attribute un-unique? Don�t our souls also hold the title of �Ever-Living�? Or what DOES this mean exactly?

-----
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Will all of creation, even the angels, die? He replied: What most of the people believe is that all of creation will die, even the angels, and even the Angel of Death. There is a hadeeth concerning that which is marfoo� i.e., attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
�And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it (after it has been perished); and this is easier for Him.� [30:27].
-----


He says here that every creation will �die�. Does he mean everything with a soul? Or does he literally mean EVERYTHING, like we said before? He used �die�, so I�m guessing that he was talking about the Angels, animals, jinns and humans, because only they can �die�, because of they have a soul. A mountain cannot �die�. It can be �destroyed�. But it can�t die. So, I guess that�s what he means. Then there�s a verse mentioned after it. What does this verse mean? Does that verse say that every creation will eventually be destroyed? So, Jannah, Jahannam, etc., will also be destroyed (or perish)? Because that�s a �creation�! What does this verse mean? The souls can�t die. They can only �taste death�, through the death of their bodies. This verse does NOT say that EVERY creation is going to be destroyed, that�s true. It only says that if a creation is perished, that He will recreate it, if He wants. But the thing is that He says �THE�� instead of �A�� creation. Because saying �THE� refers to every creation, or am I wrong? Can someone explain this to me?

-----
Then there�s a weak narration that says that when the Trumpet blows for the first time, everyone will die, except the Angels that carry the Throne of Allah, and Mikhail, Jibreel, Israfeel, and the Angel of Death. Allah (SWT) will ask the Angel of Death to take the souls of every Angel mentioned above, and then to take his own soul. The Angel of Death does that, leaving Allah (SWT) as the only one left (who is alive). Then He will do something with the Seven Heavens and the Earth, and He will praise Himself.
-----

We have no problem to believe that every single Angel will die. Because they will die. They have souls, and thus they will �taste death� like we do. But if the Angels that carry the Throne die, then doesn�t the Throne collapse or something? Because there�s nothing carrying it anymore. I mean, the whole purpose for those Angels is to carry the Throne, right? So, if they die, then what happens to the Throne? Will it be destroyed? And if the Throne doesn�t collapse, then why what�s the point of those Angels? Doesn�t that make them useless? Can someone please explain this to me? Does someone know this hadith, and can someone explain this hadith to me?

And finally, can someone just wrap the things up that I need to understand, in order to diminish this confusion? Thank you!

Jazakullah khairan!

Al Ghuraba wrote: As salaam aleikum, brothers and sisters! I have many questions about certain verses of the Qur�an, and certain ahadeeth. I will some them up, and then write my question below each one. ----- �And call not, besides Allah, on another god. There is no god (worthy of worship) but He. Everything will perish, except His Face. To Him belongs the Judgement, and to Him you will be returned.� - Quran (Surah Al-Qasas) 28:88. ----- I understand everything of this verse, except: �Everything will perish, except His Face�. I researched, and the scholars say that �His Face� simply means �He� (referring to Allah). First of all, why did Allah (SWT) use �His Face� instead of just �He�? Don�t they mean the same? Then why make a difference, if they mean the same? Why didn�t He just use �He�, like He did in the previous sentence: �There is no god but He�? What�s the wisdom behind this? Then the second question about this, is what does Allah (SWT) mean with �Everything will perish��? Does He mean that EVERY SINGLE CREATION will be destroyed? So, does He mean that everything He created will be destroyed? So, Jannah, Jahannam, the Seven Heavens, Baitul Ma�moor, the Arsh and Kursi, Barzakh, the Ocean above the Seven Heavens, every single Angel, human, jinn and animal, and also every single soul will be destroyed? Surely, this can�t be right! If �everything� is going to be destroyed, then the souls of the humans, Angels, jinn and animals are also going to be destroyed� Because it says �everything�� Aren�t the souls eternal? Doesn�t that mean that they will never be destroyed? Aren�t Jannah and Jahannam eternal? Doesn�t that mean that they will never be destroyed? Same goes for other creations� So, what does Allah (SWT) mean with �everything�? Does He mean every LIVING thing? Like in, everything that has a soul? But our bodies die, not our souls. Can someone tell me what �everything� means? What�s the context? If He means that every living thing will perish, then why didn�t He say so specifically? Because �everything� can be literally seen as EVERYTHING. ----- �Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.� � Quran (Surah Ar-Rahman) 55:26-27 ----- The question here is: does this verse mean EXACTLY the same as the previous? If so, then we know WHAT is meant by �everything�, which is �everyone upon the earh will perish�. Is this what Allah (SWT) meant in the previous verse? So, this verse just means that everyone is going to die, right? But our souls aren�t going to die, right? Does this verse also mean that the whole Earth is going to be destroyed? If so, when, why and how? And again, why does Allah (SWT) use this �His Face� again, instead of just �He�. This time He says something else at the end. Is this extra the explanation of why He uses �His Face�, so He can praise Himself more, instead of just saying �He�? ----- �That Day We will fold up heaven like folding up the pages of a book. As We originated the first creation so We will regenerate it. It is a promise binding on Us. That is what We will do.� (Qur'an, 21:104) ----- What does this verse mean? And what does He mean with �heaven�? Does He mean the Seven Heavens? Is He going to destroy the Seven Heavens? If so, then the Earth is also going to be destroyed, because the Earth is in the First Heaven. But if the Seven Heavens are going to be destroyed, then isn�t Baitul Ma�moor also going to be destroyed, because it�s situated in the Seventh Heaven? But how can this be? Isn�t the Baitul Ma�moor supposed to be eternal? What DOES this verse mean? Does �heaven� here mean Jannah? Tell me, what does this verse mean? ----- �They do not measure Allah with His true measure. The whole earth will be a mere handful for Him on the Day of Rising the heavens folded up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! He is exalted above the partners they ascribe!� (Qur'an, 39:67) ----- About the same as the previous one; what does this verse mean? ----- �And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown a second time, and behold they will be standing, looking on (waiting)� (Qur�an, 39:68) ----- So when the Trumpet blows, every single creation with a soul will taste death, except whom Allah wills, is that correct? What has a soul? Don�t only the humans, jinn, animals and Angels have souls? Or does something else have a soul? So only the humans, jinn, animals, and Angels will die? And who are those who will not die because of the Trumpet? And are those who will not die because of the Trumpet, eventually going to die? I assume so, because �every single soul shall taste death�. So everyone with a soul, WILL die, but just not everyone will die immediately when the Trumpet blows for the first time, correct? ----- And it is based on the saheeh ahaadeeth which mention these two blowings and what will follow them. al-Bukhaari (4651) and Muslim (2955) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: �Between the two blowings of the Trumpet there will be forty.� The people said, �O Abu Hurayrah! Forty days?� I said: �I am not sure.� They said, �Forty years?� I said: �I am not sure.� They said, �Forty months?� I said: �I am not sure. Then Allaah will send rain down from the sky and they will grow as herbs grow. There is no part of a man which will not decay except a single bone at the base of the coccyx, from which he will be re-created on the Day of Resurrection.� Al-Nawawi said: what is meant by the words of Abu Hurayrah, �I am not sure� is that he could not be certain as to whether what was meant was forty days or years or months; all that he was certain of was that it was forty in general terms. ----- This kind of applies that the Earth is not going to be destroyed, because if it was, then every body that was buried is also going to be destroyed. How can you look at this narration from a logical point of view? And where will we be resurrected? Where we were buried? And what about those people who never got a burial? Or those people who were cremated? This narration doesn�t make sense, if you think about the fact that not everyone still has his �coccyx�� Or what does this mean? Can someone please explain this narration to me? ----- Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah tells us that all the inhabitants of the earth will depart and die, as will the inhabitants of the heavens, except those whom Allah wills, and nothing will be left but His noble Countenance, for the Lord, may He be exalted and sanctified, will not die, rather He is the Ever-Living Who will never die. Tafsir al-Quran il-�Azeem. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Ibn �Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say: �O Allah, I seek refuge in Your glory � there is no god but You � from Your sending me astray, for You are the Ever-Living Who does not die, but jinn and men die.� ----- The above explains much, but still doesn�t answer the question: �what will perish?� What is meant with �everything�? And here it is said that Allah (SWT) is the Ever-Living, which is true. But aren�t the souls also �Ever-Living�, because it never dies? Doesn�t this make this attribute un-unique? Don�t our souls also hold the title of �Ever-Living�? Or what DOES this mean exactly? ----- Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Will all of creation, even the angels, die? He replied: What most of the people believe is that all of creation will die, even the angels, and even the Angel of Death. There is a hadeeth concerning that which is marfoo� i.e., attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). �And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it (after it has been perished); and this is easier for Him.� [30:27]. ----- He says here that every creation will �die�. Does he mean everything with a soul? Or does he literally mean EVERYTHING, like we said before? He used �die�, so I�m guessing that he was talking about the Angels, animals, jinns and humans, because only they can �die�, because of they have a soul. A mountain cannot �die�. It can be �destroyed�. But it can�t die. So, I guess that�s what he means. Then there�s a verse mentioned after it. What does this verse mean? Does that verse say that every creation will eventually be destroyed? So, Jannah, Jahannam, etc., will also be destroyed (or perish)? Because that�s a �creation�! What does this verse mean? The souls can�t die. They can only �taste death�, through the death of their bodies. This verse does NOT say that EVERY creation is going to be destroyed, that�s true. It only says that if a creation is perished, that He will recreate it, if He wants. But the thing is that He says �THE�� instead of �A�� creation. Because saying �THE� refers to every creation, or am I wrong? Can someone explain this to me? ----- Then there�s a weak narration that says that when the Trumpet blows for the first time, everyone will die, except the Angels that carry the Throne of Allah, and Mikhail, Jibreel, Israfeel, and the Angel of Death. Allah (SWT) will ask the Angel of Death to take the souls of every Angel mentioned above, and then to take his own soul. The Angel of Death does that, leaving Allah (SWT) as the only one left (who is alive). Then He will do something with the Seven Heavens and the Earth, and He will praise Himself. ----- We have no problem to believe that every single Angel will die. Because they will die. They have souls, and thus they will �taste death� like we do. But if the Angels that carry the Throne die, then doesn�t the Throne collapse or something? Because there�s nothing carrying it anymore. I mean, the whole purpose for those Angels is to carry the Throne, right? So, if they die, then what happens to the Throne? Will it be destroyed? And if the Throne doesn�t collapse, then why what�s the point of those Angels? Doesn�t that make them useless? Can someone please explain this to me? Does someone know this hadith, and can someone explain this hadith to me? And finally, can someone just wrap the things up that I need to understand, in order to diminish this confusion? Thank you! Jazakullah khairan!

Nevermind. I found the answers myself.


Question #1:

"Why does Allah (SWT) use "His Face" instead of "He"?"


Answer #1:

"His Face" means "He", but it doesn't just mean "He", rather it means more. "His Face" brings up "He" ("Allah"), and also His other attributes/titles/names (such as "Ar-Rahman"). Those things never perish. This is derived from the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, who explained that "His Face" brings up self-praise, and brings up qualities of God Almighty. This was common in the Arabic language, and understandable. So therefore, using "His Face" instead of just "He", is a form of self-praise, that Allah (SWT) does, just to show us who He is. That's why He reminds us that we will be brought back unto Him, so that He can judge us. Therefore, we should KNOW who He is, because we are ALL going to deal with HIM!



Question #2:

"What does Allah (SWT) mean with "Everything will perish..."? What's the context?"


Answer #2:

The context can be found in 55:26-27. �Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.� This verse explains 28:88. 28:88 and 55:26-27 mean exactly the same, but 55:26-27 is more specific, and explains 28:88. Every single living thing will DIE. Every single Angel, jinn, human and animal will die. All of them. So every living thing in the Seven Heavens and the Earth (which is in it) will die. They will "taste death" just like Allah (SWT) said in the Qur'an. So this verse is referring to every single creation that HAS a soul, will eventually die. This verse does NOT mean that every creation is going to be destroyed. No. Now that we have the context, it's pretty clear. I came to this realization when I read the tafsir of Ibn Kathir. He explained it, and he wrote down the context of 28:88. He said that it has the same context of 55:26-27, so therefore we should listen to what he says, because surely he knows the Qur'an better than all of us. So in short, everyone with a soul will die, and the soul itself will not die. Everything that CAN die (Angels, jinns, humans and animals) WILL die. A mountain cannot "die". It can only be "destroyed". So it doesn't mean that if something can only be destroyed, that it's GOING to be destroyed, no. Because Jannah can only be "destroyed". It cannot die. So therefore, Jannah doesn't have to be destroyed. It won't. It could be that something that can only be destroyed, is going to be destroyed. That's possible. But it does NOT mean that every single thing that can ONLY be destroyed (so it cannot die), IS ALWAYS going to be destroyed. That's my point.


Question #3:

"Are the souls, Jannah, Jahannam, Baitul-Ma'moor, Seven Heavens, Earth, Arsh and Kursi, Barzakh, etc., going to be destroyed?"


Answer #3:

No. See the above answers. The context tells us that Allah (SWT) was NOT talking about the above things. There is no evidence that suggests that the above things ARE going to be destroyed. The Seven Heavens aren't going to be destroyed.

You can read the tafsir of Ibn Kathir:

http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2620&Itemid=76

If you want, you can also read the tafsirs of the previous verses on that website.

The Earth isn't going to be destroyed either. Everything ON IT will be destroyed. "ON IT". Not the Earth itself. The Earth won't explode or something, to the extent that the Earth will be no more. No. Everything ON IT will be destroyed. The Earth will be left as a lifeless planet. It will also be left as a planet with a plain surface, so no more mountains, no more trees, etc. Just plain. Kind of like a desert, but worse. A complete destruction of the surface. Not a single building will be left standing, nor a single house, nor a single garage, nor a single tent, nor a single pole. Nothing. Just a plain surface with complete desolation and destruction.

The souls are obviously not going to be destroyed, otherwise we would never be judged after we die. But we will. The soul can only "taste death".


Also see this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mczj3Qe6co


Question #4:

"How can someone be resurrected if his "coccyx" isn't there anymore?"

Answer #4:

The hadith mentioned HOW Allah (SWT) is going to resurrect those that HAVE a coccyx left (i.e., those who are buried). But for those that do NOT have a coccyx left, like those we were cremated, Allah (SWT) will still recreate them, because He promised to do so. How? Only He knows how. Remember that Allah (SWT) created Adam (AS) out of NOTHING. Is He then not able to recreate out of nothing? Yes, indeed. No one can escape the Day of Resurrection. No one.


Question #5:

"Where will we be resurrected?"

Answer #5:

It was narrated that Sahl ibn Sa�d said: �I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, �The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on reddish white land like a pure loaf of bread (made from pure fine flour).� Sahl or someone else said, �It will have no landmarks for anyone (to make use of).� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6521)

That's where we will be resurrected. It doesn't sound like Earth, but God knows best. Maybe the destruction on the surface of the Earth was so intense, that it became different. So different, that no one can recognise it. Or maybe everyone will be transported to another planet, and to be resurrected there. I think that we will be resurrected on Earth, but it will look different when we see it again, after The Hour. The Earth will look way different, and it will have different dimensions, etc. Maybe Allah (SWT) will make the Earth bigger? These questions will remain unanswered, and rightly so. We shouldn't bother with these kind of questions.


Question #6:

"Isn't the title of "Ever-Living" that God gives Himself un-unique, because of the fact that souls are also "ever-living?"

Answer #6:

His title of "Ever-Living" is still unique. The soul is going to TASTE death. God is NOT going "to taste death". That's already a difference, and thus is this title unique for Allah (SWT). Our souls are going to taste death, so therefore, they aren't really "ever-living" in that sense, because they came in contact with death. Yes, they will never cease to exist, but they aren't "death-proof", hence making them not the same as the title that God has, namely the title of "Ever-Living". The second thing is, that God never had a beginning, yet He is the First. God is never going to have an ending, yet He is the Last. "Last" means that no single thing will be in existence after the existence of God, because God will NEVER cease to exist, so therefore, no one will be around when He isn't around. He will ALWAYS be around, and He will NEVER die, nor cease to exist. He is truly Ever-Living. This is already a second difference. The third one is, that the "living" of the soul is dependent on the existence of God. So basically, if God never existed, then the souls would never be in existence. But if the souls never existed, then that does NOT mean that God never was in existence. God does NOT need ANYONE! He is FREE! He is Self-Suficient! And every single creation needs HIM. I can go on and on, but this attribute is truly unique. Yes, the souls are "ever-living", but the "Ever-Living" that God talks about when He talks about Himself, is on a whole 'nother level. We might call ourselves "just" when we do something just. One of Gods attributes is "The Just". You might ask, what's so special about that, because I can be just also? That which makes that attribute unique, is the fact that the "Justice of God" is on a whole 'nother level than ours. Our "justice" is NOTHING compared to the Justice of God. That's my point. It's on a whole 'nother level!


Question #7:

"Last and final question; what happens to the Throne of Allah (SWT) when the Angels that carry it, die?"

Answer #7:

Only God knows what will happen. In no way, do we know what's going to happen. That knowledge has not been given to us. So therefore, we do not know the answer to this question. I guess we will come to know on the Day of Judgement.



So there you have it. I answered it myself


Jazakullah khairan! As-salaam aleikum!