The Blessings and Punishments of the Hereafter Are the Embodiment of Deeds in the World

If you are curious about the topic of the hereafter and what happens after death, you have probably heard the terms “embodiment of deeds” or “inward truth of deeds.” We all, in some way, know that the conditions we will have in the hereafter are the outcomes of our deeds, behaviors, and conducts in the world. The embodiment of deeds or the manifestation of deeds are terms used in Islamic Philosophy. They mean that our deeds will be enlivened and present before us on the Day of Judgement. However, we do not know precisely how it happens.

• Do we do our deeds in the world and receive their outcomes in the hereafter, in the form of heaven or hell?
• Do our deeds have an outward form and an inward form? Will we be confronted with the inward form of our deeds?
• Is the embodiment of deeds the truth of our deeds that become evident to us in the hereafter?

All these points are somewhat true; however, the embodiment of deeds is among the topics that we do not have much information about because it cannot be seen and it relates to the hereafter. So to understand it, we either have to use divine teachings or resort to proportion and comparison.

In the previous lessons, we discussed the Law of Proportion and concluded that the relationship between the fetus and the world is like the relationship between the world and the hereafter. Just as a newborn brings the result of all the deeds performed in the womb to this world, we too receive the result of all our deeds in a real and tangible form in the hereafter. Our deeds will be embodied and we will not be able to conceal or hide anything. In this lesson, we intend to understand what the embodiment of deeds is and how the deeds of the fetus in the womb are embodied in the world. We also want to understand how our deeds are embodied in the hereafter.

The Outcome of Our Actions in the Womb

When we see how a fetus acts in the mother’s womb from the outside, we become aware of the relationship between his smallest efforts or his negligence and the type of his birth into the world. This relationship is so precise and calculated that even the timing of this negligence or defect in the mother’s womb has a direct relationship with the ultimate impact it has on the body. The deeds performed by the fetus build his worldly characteristics, and the slightest breach of duty by the fetus will manifest itself as incurable diseases and irreparable defects after his birth.

Just as the scores a student gets at final exams reflect his efforts and focus during the term, the physical characteristics of a newborn speak volumes about his development during the prenatal period. In fact, the fetus provides a complete report of his actions during his nine months in the mother’s womb in the form of a human being. As the relationship between the fetus’s actions in the mother’s womb and their manifestation in the world is clear to us, we do not even think that he can hide his negligence in the mother’s womb. It is because we know that his deeds will be embodied as his physical form as soon as the he enters the world; in other words, he will see the embodiment of deeds.

To clarify this, consider someone who is cooking food. We do not need someone to tell us that he is a professional cook, has measured ingredients properly, or has followed the recipe. The quality and taste of the food answer all our questions.

The Embodiment of Deeds in the Environment Out of the Womb

As we read in previous lessons, the mother’s womb is within the world, so there is no distance between it and the world. As long as the fetus is in the mother’s womb, he is unaware of the world that has surrounded the womb. The outcome of developing his organs is embodied as a being that is supposed to live in the world after coming out of the womb environment. In the same way, we are surrounded by the hereafter when we are in the womb of the world. In this world, we engage in making tools for living in the world which we will enter after wafat. Just as the fetus faces the outcome of his actions in the womb, in fact, he is born into the result of his deeds after coming out of the womb, we will also see the embodiment of deeds and find the outcome of making tools in the womb of the world after going out of it.

However, our deeds in the world create the conditions for living in the hereafter. Our existence in the hereafter is being shaped at this very moment. Our loves, hatreds, worries, joys, desires, relationships, behaviors, thoughts, and decisions finally shape our inward state and our eternal lives; it means that our actions, morals, and beliefs build our heaven or hell. As soon as we enter the realm of Barzakh and the hereafter, we will see every moment of our lives in the world. Upon entering the hereafter, the tools that we have constructed with our thoughts, behaviors, choices, and decisions in the womb of the world will be unveiled and the truth of our deeds will become clear to us. These tools guarantee our birth into heaven if they are compatible with the living conditions of the hereafter. But if these tools are not compatible with  the living conditions of the hereafter, it means we cannot use those conditions and we will be born into hell. So, in fact, our deeds do not go anywhere; they gradually and constantly make our inward state in the hereafter.

Although a fetus sees his hands and feet in the womb, he is not aware of the functions of these limbs in the world. Similarly, we see the outward aspect of our deeds in the world, but we are unaware of their truth and function in the hereafter. In the womb of the world, we only make tools for ourselves. Upon entering the realm that encompasses the womb of the world and confronting the living conditions of the hereafter, we will see the embodiment of deeds.

In this lesson, we came to understand that our deeds in the world are not separate from us. A fetus in the mother’s womb is engaged in developing his organs, and he will immediately see the result of his deeds upon entering the world. Likewise our decisions, relationships, thoughts, and behaviors shape the inward truth that we will face as soon as we enter the hereafter. Therefore, our deeds in the womb of the world determine whether we will enter heaven or hell.

How much do you think about confronting your deeds in the hereafter? Are you pleased with facing the outcomes of your deeds in the world?