AI-Aakhirah is often translated as life after death. It has also been interpreted as the "ends of life" as opposed to the "dunya" or the here-and-now of life.

    AI-Aakhirah begins with the resurrection of man, after which there will come a moment when every human will be shaken as he is confronted with his intentions and his deeds, good and bad, and even by his failure to do good in this life (Judgement day).
On the basis of these deeds and misdeeds you will be judged. You will be rewarded or punished according to the unerring justice and mercy of the Master of the Day of Judgement.

    The fact of this life after death, of resurrection, judgement, and of just recompense, is an integral part of the Islamic view of reality. Qur' anic statements on the reality of the Hereafter are intended to show that the Hereafter is desirable and necessary and also possible.

The Hereafter: desirable and necessary

    Without the idea of the Hereafter- of resurrection and judgement and just recompense, God would not be the just and wise and merciful God that He is.

    God created people and made them responsible for their actions. Some behave well and others do not. On earth the virtuous are often in a wretched state while the wicked often seem to have the good things of life. Innocent people often suffer at the hands of exploiters and criminals who seem to gain rather than suffer by their crimes in this world.
If there is no future life in which the virtuous are rewarded and the vicious suffer loss, there would be no justice. There would be no purpose in creating people with a sense of responsibility and in sending prophets to them to remind them of these responsibilities.

"What, does man think that he is to be left aimless?" (75: 36)

"Or do those who commit evil deeds suppose that We shall make them as those who believe and do good works, the same in life and death? Bad is their judgement. And God has created the heavens and the earth with truth, and that every soul may be repaid what it has earned." (45: 21-22)

"We have not created heaven and earth and all that is in between them without meaning and purpose, as is the surmise of those bent on denying the truth...Would We treat those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds in the same manner as (We shall treat) those who spread corruption on -earth? Would we treat the God-conscious in the same manner as the wicked?" (38: 27-28)

    Justice and fairness require that there must be a Hereafter. But the Hereafter is also necessary to clarify the true purposes of life so that men may see clearly the real "ends" of life and what they have been striving for. All intentions which precede acts will need to be transparent if, for example, the human moral plague of doing good things for wrong motives is to be exposed. All matters that were disputed in this world, differences between people and their worldviews, differences in beliefs and orientations will need to be, and will be settled to determine what was right and what was wrong. This is why the Hereafter is called in the Qur'an, the "Day of Truth" and the "Day of Decision" when all man's self-deceptions or ghuruur will be laid bare and "you will come to know with the eye of certainty".

    Your consciousness of these truths of the Hereafter will have important effects on your attitudes, emotions and actions in this world.

    It will give meaning and purpose to your life. Your life will not be limited to worldly desires and your own greed. Your life, therefore, will not be a materialistic life because you know that this life will not end with your death.

    You will have as a result greater emotional and psychological balance. You would be better able to face challenges, difficulties and trials because you have confidence in the wisdom, mercy and justice of the Master of the Day of Judgement. You will be less afflicted by anxiety, sadness and fear. Frustration will not be a part of your mental make-up.

    You will be determined not only to avoid bad, obnoxious and criminal acts, but to use all your resources to the best of your ability to do good for indeed, as God says in the Qur'an, "He has created death and life to test which one of you is best in conduct".