Materialism and Lack of Belief in Resurrection

IQNA – The image of life after death is vague in the five books of the Torah and there is no word mentioned for the abstract concept of resurrection.

The Torah remains totally silent on one of the most important religious teachings, namely the Resurrection. 

According to researchers, the reward promised in the Old Testament for those doing good deeds is mostly worldly issues such as increase in crops.

Also, the punishment mentioned for the Bani Isra’il is also limited to this world and includes issues like famine, war, enmity, etc.

There is no other worldly reward or punishment clearly mentioned in the entire Old Testament. That is why a major denomination in Judaism basically do not believe in the resurrection of the dead and the Day f Judgment.

The Holy Quran refers to Jews’ believing in Resurrection. Therefore, the belief in Resurrection was common among Jews and this has been mentioned in divine books.

The Quran’s verses in this regard can be divided into three categories: The verses that talk about a mention of the hereafter and its rewards and punishment mentioned in the book of Moses (AS), verses in which Moses (AS) mentions the hereafter, and verses in which Jews talk about the hereafter.

For example, God says in Verse 111 of Surah At-Tawbah: “God has purchased the souls and property of the believers in exchange for Paradise. They fight for the cause of God to destroy His enemies and to sacrifice themselves. This is a true promise which He has revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran.”

Or in Verses 16-19 of Surah Al-A’ala we read: “But you prefer the present life, but the Everlasting Life is better, and more enduring. This is what is written in the ancient heavenly Books, the Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”

In fact, materialism has fundamentally infiltrated the thoughts and teachings in religious texts of Jews. So much so that they even portray God like material things and people or even like a bizarre person. For example, we read in Book of Samuel, (22: 9-12): “Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds.”