Death and the barzakh
Every soul will taste death; after it is the barzakh until the Day of Resurrection, then the reckoning:
كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوۡنَ أُجُورَكُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۖ فَمَن زُحۡزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدۡخِلَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ فَقَدۡ فَازَۗ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِEvery 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.
The reckoning is just
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرٗا يَرَهُۥ وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٖ شَرّٗا يَرَهُۥSo whoever does an atom's weight[1965] of good will see it, And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Paradise (Jannah)
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادِي الصَّالِحِينَ مَا لَا عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ، وَلَا أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍGod Almighty said: I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has imagined.
Hell (Jahannam)
Hell is a place of justice for those who rejected and wronged. Muslims hope for God’s mercy and fear His punishment. According to most Sunni scholars, it is not eternal for everyone who enters: those with faith in their hearts are brought out by God’s mercy after what they deserve.
The door of mercy and repentance
Islam stresses that God’s mercy is vast, that sincere repentance wipes sins away, and that despair of God’s mercy is itself a grave sin.
Frequently asked questions
Do Muslims believe in destiny?
Yes; they also believe humans have will, choice and responsibility for their actions.
Texts and translations are under scholarly review.