Voices of faith: What is your concept of eternity?

Experts from various faiths answer question

By Staff Reports

God rewards good

• Syed E. Hasan, Ph.D., Islamic Research Foundation International: As a Muslim, my concept of eternity is firmly grounded in the life hereafter:

The principle of accountability is central to Islamic teaching, according to which everyone will be judged on the basis of his actions and will be rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad. God promises reward for those who obey his commands and strive for promoting good and eliminating evil.

Photo 1: Voices of faith: What is your concept of eternity?

Paradise will be the eternal abode of the righteous people, wherein they will dwell forever. It is God's promise that is repeated in many verses in the Quran, including the following: "But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, we shall soon admit them to gardens, with rivers flowing beneath to dwell therein for ever." (4:122).

The hereafter will be a different realm, unlike the Earth and the universe that we are familiar with. The other world will be totally different where the dimension of time and prevailing forces will be very different and cannot be explained by the known laws of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

This view also is held by proponents of the big bang theory who believe that our expanding universe will ultimately come to an end, giving rise to a new entity. The Quran says: "One the day when earth is changed into different earth, and heavens into new heavens, mankind shall stand before God" (14:48).

Brahman is eternal

• A.M. Bhattacharyya, an active member of Hindu community: In this ever-changing world of names and forms, is there anything that is changeless, eternal, without beginning and without end?

Many millennia ago, ancient Hindu seers did a thorough investigation on this philosophical question. Their findings were recorded in Hindu Scripture, Upanishad. The following is the essence of their conclusions:

Brahman (God): Upanishad says, "Brahman is truth, knowledge and eternal." Brahman is absolute, changeless, one without a second. He is transcendental, formless, everlasting, all-pervading Holy Spirit and the Lord of all souls. He is the ultimate reality and the first and final cause of creation.

Atman (individual soul): "This atman is Brahman" is one of the four great declarations of Upanishad. The sages identified the individual soul of every being as divine spirit. Since the soul, also called "self" (atman), meaning "true being," is one with God, it is inherently pure, perfect, immutable, immortal and has no beginning and no end.

Jagat (the universe): Upanishad says, "Out of Brahman the universe emerges, in him it exists, and unto him it returns." So God is the root cause and support of the universe. The cosmic process of creation does not have absolute beginning, nor does it have absolute end. The universe alternates between evolution and involution. Evolution is the manifested state, and involution is the latent state. Thus the universe goes through a cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. The cycle is repeated through eternity.