الآخرة
al-Ākhira
Topic
The hereafter: the judgment, and the eternal consummation of that judgment in Paradise or Hell.
What it means
Al-Ākhira means “the last” or “the later”, and it is the counterpart of al-dunyā, this present life. Belief in it is one of the articles of Islamic faith. It includes the resurrection, the reckoning of deeds, and the eternal outcome in Paradise or Hell. The Quran describes the believers as those who are certain of the hereafter (2:4) and says, “The hereafter is better and more lasting” (87:17). Awareness of the ākhira shapes conduct in this life, because deeds are weighed and judged by God, who is both just and merciful.
Often misunderstood as
Rendered “afterlife”, it suggests a mere continuation of life, while the ākhira is a judgment that gives moral weight to conduct now.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 23, listed as AL ĀKHIRAH. The definition is restated here.