Heaven and hell
We Muslims (but I think others as well) believe in heaven and hell.
There is no indication in the Quran where these are physically located. There are words that denote heaven, such as Jenna (garden), the Garden of Eden of which rivers flow underneath, Firdaus (literary expression of heaven, the upper level of paradise). We can read about the firmament (Sema), the celestial sphere (Semowat), the seventh heaven. In addition, many symbols enrich our imagination, such as the Home of Eternity (dar al-Khuld), the Home of Being (dar al-Maqama) and a thousand others. Similarly, the Quran mentions several terms the hell, such as Jehannam and Nar, which means fire.
We get an accurate description what to expect in these two places, but no indication is found in the Quran, where those are physically located. Some Hadiths refer to this, but most of them have a weak chain of reference and their quality is quite fabulous compared to the Quran. Although it is true that 1400 years ago (and perhaps still today), people were more inclined to consume tales than sacred texts. Here you are the symbolism of Heaven in the Quran:
And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire. (Quran 67:5)
Let's move on. Here is the Big Bang theory from the Quran and its immediate connection with the foundation of life, the water:
Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the Earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (Quran 21:30)
There are two statements and both of them was clarified by the modern sciences so an illiterate Prophet had no chance to create these thoughts himself.
1. Big Bung theory on the creation of the Universe. See Annex after this Surah.
2. Water is the basic. Without water there is no life. This statement today sounds very natural but 1400 years or even 100 years ago it was very strange.
It makes my skin crawl! This is an idea that came into our hands 1400 years ago and was only scientifically proven only in the 20th century. Moreover, Allah revealed this thought to the hand of an illiterate prophet (peace be upon him)!
Now adjust the threads. The Quran gives the answer to the material existence of the universe and its origin. However, it leaves the issue of Heaven and Hell open because those are symbolic. We, mere mortals do not rest on that, and when we speak of heaven, we look up to the sky, even though we may be doing some nonsense. For the Earth revolves, and the heaven in this regard exists in different place in every second. Maybe the heaven exists on the other side of the globe and we are looking just towards the hell momentarily. Therefore, interpreting physically the symbolism is very silly thing.
The other aspect is the man him/herself. If I have been pushing to search a physical space by any means, why do I want to leave the Earth in finding the heaven, when the Earth may be the place where it should be created? Isn't the Earth the ideal setting for life? If I was launched with a rocket into the space to choose a planet where we could live wonderfully, after millions of lifeless and inanimate planets, wouldn't the Earth show the signs from the space to land and live here? Rather, one should invest more care to the Earth in order to create an "Edenic" state which without human beings would come back by its own. It follows that the man commits the fault and makes hell out of Eden. Not the scene of Adam-Eve repeats daily? This, in turn, is symbolic and cannot be linked to material reality.
The third aspect that can be deduced from the above aya is that besides the creation of the universe, water is the basis of life. We could go into details, but I will mention just one thought: our integration into the universe. We are not independent of the surrounding influences. Here is a creature with 70% water in his/her body who overwrites creation and even those wants physical evidences who claim to be God-fearing among these great beings. If a small planet, like the moon is able to lift millions of tons of water from the ocean and then release it, how it would not be able to do the same effect on a creature where water makes up two thirds of his/her body? Come on, so that our environment won't have an impact on us? I'm talking about the environment we're ruining! Do not raise your hands to the sky, but look around what you have done if you choose a physical space by all means. Finally, we should reach to the heaven and hell that is physically indefinable. The man of ancient and Middle Ages probably needed an explanation in a style of fairy tales he was accustomed to, and those made comprehensible the description of Afterlife. But in a world that collects most of its information from the digital space and lives in virtuality, these tales cannot be sold anymore. The time has come to understand the symbols, which when linked to fairy-tale characters and physical spaces, lose their true meaning. If the church or any other religious organization continues to cling to fairy-tale explanations, they will soon be disappeared in the loo of history.
Végül jussunk el a fizikailag nem meghatározható mennyországhoz és pokolhoz. Az ókor és középkor emberének minden bizonnyal olyan magyarázatra volt szüksége, ami a mesék világából, melyekhez szokott, elérhetővé vált egy Túlvilági leírás. De egy olyan világban, ami információinak többségét a digitális térből szedi össze és virtualitásban él, ezek a mesék nem eladhatók. Eljött a szimbolikák értésének ideje, melyek, ha mesefigurákhoz, fizikai terekhez kötődnek, elvesztik valós értelmüket. Ha egyház, vagy bármilyen más vallási szervezet továbbra is ragaszkodik a meseszerű magyarázatokhoz, akkor hamarosan elvész a történelem klotyójában.
If I cannot comprehend the concept of Heaven and Hell as symbolic, then logic turns us away from our own teachings. For a human the pain of burning is terrible, so the horror of hell is illustrated with burning. But we do not know what the concrete punishment of a sinner is going to be there actually? Nobody came back from there to report. One thing is certain that by burning this punishment have been made perceptible to the man of old ages. The description of the pleasures and delights of heaven is also symbolic. If I take it literally, I'm trapped! If my body dies and only my soul gets there, what are the Huris (heavenly virgins), wine and shadow good for? These are all messages to the body! They are for people of old ages who have just understood the meaning of the rewards in the Afterlife this way.
What if heaven and hell are here with us? Or are within us? Are we our own Satan and Angel? If we limit the meaning of the Holy Text to physical spaces and do not break the boundaries which are freezing our thoughts, we shall get stuck to it and we cannot get out of it. Notice that the verses of the Quran are not called verses in Arabic! The Quran consists of ayas! And aya means Sign or Symbol! So, do not read a verse, but try to abstract, because abstraction brings us closer to reality!
