Reincarnation can also be found in the teachings of Islam, a religion established by the Prophet Mohammed. Mohammed was born in 570 A.D. into a prominent family that served as care takers of the holy site of Mecca, which tradition holds was built by Abraham. Mohammed married his employer, a businesswoman named Khaadija; Mohammed was 25 and Khaadija 40. Islam’s holy text is the Quran (or Koran), which means the “Recital” or “Reading.” In essence, the Quran is a channeled work, transmitted from God through Mohammed.
Mohammed’s first revelation occurred when he was 40 years old in 610 A.D. He then began recording verses which, over time, became the Quran. As this spiritual movement grew, Mohammed and his followers became the subjects of persecution and they had to flee Mecca in 622 A.D., taking refuge in Medina. Mohammed was a warrior as well as prophet and led his people into battle many times. Eventually Mohammed brought his followers back to Mecca, today’s shrine of Islam.
Reincarnation in the Quran
There are several references in the Quran that seem to refer to reincarnation. Let us review a few of these passages.
"And when his body falleth off altogether, as an old fish-shell, his soul doeth well by releasing, and formeth a new one instead...The person of man is only a mask which the soul putteth on for a season; it weareth its proper time and then is cast off, and another is worn in its stead." (1)
"God generates beings, and sends them back over and over again, til they return to him." (2)
"How can you make denial of Allah, who made you live again when you died, will make you dead again, and then alive again, until you finally return to him?" (3)
"God is the one who created you all, then provided you sustenance, then will cause you to die, then will bring you to life." (4)
"Surely it is God who splits the seed and the stone, bringing the living from the dead; and it is God who brings the dead from living."(5)
Quran & Renewal of Relationships through Reincarnation: Soul Groups
"I tell you, of a truth, that the spirits which now have affinity shall be kindred together, although they all meet in new persons and names." (6)
This last verse is one of my favorites seems to allude to the existence of soul groups, of people who have emotional connections returning to life with those they have known before. In addition to passages on reincarnation, the Koran also references karma:
Quran, Reincarnation & Karma
"God does not compel a soul to do what is beyond its capacity: it gets what it has earned, and is responsible for what it deserves." (7)
"Every soul will be brought face to face with the good that it has done and with the evil it has done." (8)
"And We will set up the scales of justice for the day of reckoning. And no soul shall be wronged in anything. And be it the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth: and We are well able to take account." (9)
"For We give life to the dead, and We record what they sent before and what they left after them: and We have taken account of all things." (10)
Quran and the Universal Human
The Quran has wonderful passages that make one think in terms of the Universal Human, where religious affiliation is minimized and one’s benevolence is deemed most important. Consider the following verse:
“Indeed, be they Muslims, Jews, Sabians, or Christians, those who believe in God and the final day and who do good have nothing to fear, and they will not grieve." (11)
Mohammed cautioned against exclusionary religious practices, which in his day was aimed at the Christian Church. Mohammed’s point was that God should be the central theme in a person’s life, not the messengers or prophets who convey God’s words. The “Book” in this passage refers to the Bible.
“People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, do not say of God anything but truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only an Envoy of God and a Word of God bestowed on Mary, and a spirit of God." (12)
Rumi & Reincarnation
Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273), was a great Islamic and Sufi poet. Sufis are considered the esoteric holders of Islamic wisdom, much as the Kabbalists are regarded as holders of the hidden wisdom of Judaism. Rumi wrote:
"Like grass I have grown over and over again. I passed out of mineral form and lived as a plant. From plant I was lifted up to be an animal. Then I put away the animal form and took on a human shape. Why should I fear that if I died I shall be lost? For passing human form I shall attain the flowing locks and shining wings of angels. And then I shall become what no mind has ever conceived. O let me cease to exist! For non-existence only means that I shall return to Him." (13)
Of interest, a contemporary incarnation of Rumi has been identified. To learn more, go to:Rumi | Kahlil Gibran Reincarnation Case
Rumi, Reincarnation & Christian Church Father Synesius
It is interesting to note that a Christian Church Father mused similarly about the pathway of human evolution, as did Rumi. This view suggests that the plant and animal kingdoms can serve as a stepping stone for a soul’s advancement to the stage of human development. Let us contemplate the following quotation from the Christian Church Father Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemais (370–430 AD), from his Treatise on Dreams:
“Philosophy speaks of souls being prepared by a course of transmigrations. . . When first it comes down to earth, it (the soul) embarks on this animal spirit as on a boat, and through it is brought into contact with matter." (14)
In these passages of the Islamic poet Rumi and the Christian Father Synesius, the common theme of human evolution through repeated incarnations is hypothesized and voiced.
In the section on this website entitled Soul Evolution, issues such as whether human souls ever incarnated in the animal kingdom are addressed. My conclusion is that in contemporary times, humans do not reincarnate as animals.
Footnotes
1. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, an East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 56
2. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston, Reincarnation, an East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 56
3. Quran, Sura 2, The Cow, Verse 28, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, Harper, San Francisco, 1993, p. 89
4. Quran, Sura 11, Rome, Verse 38., from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, Harper, San Francisco, 1993, p. 89
5. Quran, Sura 6, Cattle, Verse 95., from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 56
6. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston: Reincarnation, and East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 57
7. Quran, Sura 2, The Cow, Verse 287, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 18
8. Quran, Sura 3, The Family of Imraan, Verse 30., from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 22
9. Quran, Sura 21, The Prophet, Verse 47, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 81
10. Quran, Sura 36, Ya Sin, Verse 12, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 111
11. Quran, Sura 5, The Table, Verse 69, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 49
12. Quran, Sura 5, The Table, Verse 171, from The Essential Koran, by Thomas Cleary, p. 42
13. Jeffrey Mishlove, Roots of Consciousness, Council Oak Books, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1993, p. 191
14. Joseph Head and S. L. Cranston: Reincarnation, an East–West Anthology, The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961, p. 39
Numerous Quranic verses confirm this position regarding the reincarnation concept, they can be classified as follows:
Does the Quran support
The Theory of Reincarnation?
By : Khurram Shahzad
Reincarnation in its essence is a religious belief. Millions of people worldwide believe in reincarnation or cyclic rebirths based on "transmigration" of the human soul from one physical body to another. The dictionary meaning of the word reincarnation is "coming back in the flesh". The process of reincarnation allegedly continues until the soul reaches its full maturity and perfection when it joins its source - God or the "Universal Soul".
The Karma is defined as a kind of debt that one incurs as a result of his/her actions during a lifetime. If the actions are good, the person will have good karma and will be born again in a desirable state. Conversely a bad karma would result in a miserable rebirth. Thus one"s condition in life is a direct effect of his/her actions during his/her past life dictated by the law of Karma. Therefore it is a simple case of cause and effect.
The roots of this religious belief can be traced back to ancient Greek and Egyptian philosophy. The Hindu and Buddhist teachings are also centred around this concept. The main idea is the same except for minor variations, that being the constant evolution of the soul until it reaches through trial and error, a state when it can merge back into the "Universal Soul". The ancient Egyptians on one hand believed that the dead person returns back to this earth for another life as the same person he/she used to be. Consequently, the pharaoh was buried with all his treasure and wealth intact so that he can claim them back upon his re-birth. The Hindu version of reincarnation is slightly different, whereas the dead pharaoh would return to life as the same person he used to be (the pharaoh), the Hindu version believes that a dead person would not return as the same person he/she used to be, but return as a completely different person but with the same soul. The idea of this paper is not to go into the depth and details of the various beliefs regarding the reincarnation theory, but to present a Quranic perspective of the concept and its validity.
Reincarnation is refuted by all the main Monotheistic religions of the world. The reason for this is that it is against their basic teachings of a finite life for the human upon which he/she is judged and rewarded accordingly. If the human is to go through numerous lives, on which life is he/she to be judged? The first life? The last life? The Holy Quran, the last and proven word of God, unequivocally rejects this false religion of reincarnation.
First : The Barzakh (Barrier)
"When death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back. I will then work righteousness in everything I left." Not true. This is a false claim that he makes. A "Barzakh" (barrier) will separate his soul from this world until resurrection"23:99-100
The above words of God are clear and unambiguous. When a person dies, God takes his/her soul while he is still in the process of imploring God for another chance. As soon as the human dies a barrier is immediately in place. This barrier prevents his/her soul from returning to earth. This barrier is maintained until the Day of Resurrection.
Second : Number of Death's (two Death's or one Death?)
The mentioning of two deaths and two lives in 40:11 may cause some interpreters to somehow connect the Quranic teachings to the concept of multiple births, however on closer examination we realise that the opposite is true.
"They will say, "Our Lord, you have put us to death twice, and You gave us two lives; now we have confessed our sins. Is there any way out?" 40:11
The truth of the matter is that this very verse serves as another solid proof against any such theory. 40:11 traces the progress of our course from the feud in the Heavenly Society (38:69) to the Day of Judgement. We made a covenant with God (5:7) and then we were put to death. That was our First death.
The fact that we were all living in a previous life before being brought to earth is well confirmed in the Quran, for more information on this topic please visit:
Consequently, the first death ended our life in the previous life which was in God's Kingdom and not here on Earth. The second death ends the life of the disbelievers here on Earth, hence they say to God:
"You have put us to death twice, and You gave us two lives"
The believers on the other hand do not taste the second death, after the end of their life on Earth the angels invite them to enter Heaven, they do not die but move straight to Heaven. For more info on this topic please visit:
Upon our first death, we were brought to this life to be given a further chance to redeem our souls and submit to God's absolute authority. This is our first and only life on Earth. The "one death" for the believers and the "two deaths" for the disbelievers set the rule that all humans have only one life on Earth and that no one returns to Earth after their death. This is clearly different from reincarnation which implies multiple lives and deaths for each individual.
Third : Apportioned Share in Life
In this life every human being is apportioned a share in accordance with God's will. The Quran explains this concept in the following verse:
"Use the provisions bestowed upon you by God to seek the abode of the Hereafter, without neglecting your SHARE in this world" 28:77
This means that God has decreed for each human a share in this earthly life, which is entirely dependent on His will, and has nothing to do with one"s actions in previous lives.
A concession for multiple lives would violate the concept of a fixed and preset share in this life, this is because each different life would encompass a different share, and not a set share as we read in 28:77.
"God provides for whomever He wills without limits" 24:38
Once again this verse points to the fact that there is no such thing as a Karma or debt. God out of His infinite mercy gives to whomever He wills without any limits.
There are always some case studies which may influence one's thinking causing some to believe in such multiple life theories. Many observations and beliefs are based on so called "past life recall" or "dejas vu". Many interpret such occurrences to having been living in a different place and time in a previous life. However, there are many plausible explanations to such phenomena. One such explanation is the unseen contact with the jinn who could be transferring such visions to us and tricking us into believing that we were alive in a previous life and place. The stories of jinn and their interactions with humans is well documented in the Quran. It is worth noting here that the majority of the jinn are disbelievers, and it is understandable that they would try to trick us into thinking that we have numerous lives, and thus impale the urgency to strive for righteousness in this only life we are given.
To conclude, and since we are given clear Quranic evidence against the concept of reincarnation, we must accept such truth and discard this concept without any hesitation. This life on Earth is our only chance for redemption. We should set our goals and priorities straight, and seek God's approval through righteousness and good deeds. Contrary to what the devil may want us to believe, we will not get another chance