فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍۢ شَرًّۭا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٨﴾
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Life, death and the afterlife
What do Muslims believe about the afterlife?
Short answer
Muslims believe that death is not the end. Everyone will be raised on the Day of Judgment, face God, and be judged with perfect justice, with the righteous entering Paradise and those who rejected truth and did wrong facing punishment, subject to God's mercy.
The fuller answer
After death, the soul waits in a stage called barzakh until the Day of Judgment. On that day, deeds are weighed, and a person receives their record. The Quran says that whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Muslims believe God is Most Merciful, so a good deed is multiplied and a bad deed counted once, and a person who repents is forgiven. Muslims hope that God's mercy will be greater than their sins, while also fearing His justice, and this balance of hope and fear shapes the way they live.
From the Quran
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ ﴿١٨٥﴾
Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍۢ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَٰسِبِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.
Please note
This answer follows the mainstream Sunni understanding and is general learning, not a fatwa. Where Muslims differ, the answer says so. Have a question of your own? Write to us.