I understand that the Bible, Quran and Vedas are all Word of God. Proof is that these scriptures have provided much solace to large numbers. Since these are Word of One God, their messages could not be mutually contradictory…. For example, God could not tell the Muslims that there is only one birth and tell the Hindus that there are multiple births. In this post I have studied the Ayats of the Quran and my reading suggests that every Ayat on the subject is amenable to two interpretations: (1) That every soul is given one birth, it dies, and all souls will be resurrected on one single Day of Judgement. (2) That every soul is given multiple births, it has multiple deaths, and it is resurrected after multiple deaths on the multiple Days of Judgement. This is not to suggest that the Quran endorses rebirth. This is only to suggest that the Quran could also suggest rebirth. If interpreted in this way, the Word of God in the Quran will become consistent with the Word of God in the Vedas. I give the relevant Ayats followed by the two interpretations.
Two deaths and two lives
Ayat 2:28 “How can ye reject the faith in Allah? Seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return.”
Interpretation 1: The “without life” refers to the state before the only birth; followed by birth; followed by death; followed by only one resurrection on the Judgement Day after which is the soul returns to God.
Interpretation 2: The “without life” refers to the state of the soul after its previous death, followed by multiple births; followed by multiple deaths; followed by resurrection on the Judgement Day after each death. This cycle continues until the soul evolves and returns to God.
How many years old is earth according to Quran?
Ayat 14:48: “On the day when the earth will be changed to other than this earth and the heavens also And they will come forth unto God, The One The Almighty.”
Interpretation 1: The present earth and heavens will be wholly destroyed and changed into another earth and heavens on the one Judgement Day.
Interpretation 2: The earth and heaven for each soul will be changed. The past birth was on one location on the earth; and the soul will go to another location on the earth in the next birth.
What is the judgment that occurs right after death?
Ayat 21:35: “Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good (only) by way of trial: to Us must ye return.”
Interpretation 1: Every soul shall have a taste of death only once: and God will test by way of trial only once. Those who have followed the teachings in that only birth will return to God.
Interpretation 2: Every soul shall have a taste of death after every birth: and God will test them by way of trial again and again until the soul has learnt to follow God, then to God it will return.
Ayat 67:2 similarly: “He created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.”
How long is punishment in Hell?
Ayat 23:99-100: “My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind (i.e. in that which I neglected).” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.
Interpretation 1: The soul cannot be sent back to the earth. It gets only one opportunity.
Interpretation 2: The soul cannot be sent back to the same station in the same family on the earth where it died. I can be sent forward to another station on the earth in another family.
What is the concept of eternal hell?
Ayat 23:101-104: So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another. And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] – it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light – those are the ones who have lost their souls, [being] in Hell, abiding eternally. The Fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles (i.e. their lips having been contracted by scorching until the teeth are exposed).
Interpretation 1: After the single day when the Horn is blown, the wrongdoers will stay in hell eternally with fire searing their faces and taut smiles perpetually.
Interpretation 2: After every death when the Horn is blown, the wrongdoers will stay in hell “until lips have been contracted…” They would be taken out after the punishment is completed and sent back to earth.
From graves to the Lord
Ayat 36:51: “And the Horn will be blown; and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten.”
Interpretation 1: All the souls will hasten to the Lord for the Judgement on the one Day of Judgement.
Interpretation 2: All the souls will hasten to the Lord for the Judgement on their own Day of Judgement.
All shall swoon
Ayat 39:68: “And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those that are in the heavens and all those that are in the earth shall swoon, except such as Allah please; then it shall be blown again, then lo! they shall stand up awaiting.”
Interpretation 1: The trumpet shall be blown only once on the Judgement Day, so all those that are in the heavens and all those that are in the earth shall get ready; then it shall be blown again, then they shall stand up awaiting for the Judgement to be passed.
Interpretation 2: The trumpet shall be blown individually for each soul, so all those that are in the heavens will swoon or get ready to be reborn; and all those that are in the earth shall swoon in order to die. Then it shall be blown again so that those in heaven shall stand up awaiting to be reborn and those in the earth shall await to die followed by Judgement.
What does it mean to have two deaths?
Ayat 40:11: “Our Lord, twice You have put us to death and twice You have brought us to life; now we have confessed our sins, is there any way out?”
Interpretation 1: Non-existence before the only birth is first death. The second death is after the only birth. Alternative interpretation is that these are two kind of deaths. One death is when our soul leaves the body during the sleep for a while and comes back on the waking; and another death is when a soul leaves body permanently and comes back to life only once on the Day of Judgement.
Interpretation 2: The first death is followed by second rebirth and second death. The cycle could continue until the soul accepts the path of God (The primary meaning of the Arabic word for “twice” (ih’natayni) is indeed “two.” However, it is used in the sense of “oft-repeated” in Ayats 15:87:5 and 39:23:7. It could be used in the sense of “oft-repeated” here as well).
Conclusion:
The above discussion suggests that while the conventional interpretation of the Quran that God brings each soul to life and death only once and that all the souls are raised simultaneously on the Day of Judgement, is tenable; an alternative interpretation could be that God brings each soul to life on this earth many times and this cycle continues until the soul consciously accepts the power of God. Then the soul merges in God.
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