Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Tarbiat Assistant professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Modares University
2
Researcher in Islamic and Christian Studies
10.22081/jti.2026.76062.1164
Abstract
Background & Objective: The understanding of death and eternal life constitutes a cornerstone in the ontological and ethical frameworks of Abrahamic religions. While conventional comparative studies often limit their focus to doctrinal descriptions of eschatology, this study employs a textual-hermeneutic approach to investigate how the concepts of mortality, resurrection, and eternal existence in the Qur’an and the Bible (Old and New Testaments) reconstruct human worldview, psychological serenity, and moral pedagogy.
Methods: This qualitative research utilizes a comparative hermeneutic method alongside thematic semantics (drawing upon linguistic foundations such as tawaffī in Islamic exegesis and psuchē/zoē/sheol in Biblical literature). Sacred texts, classical interpretations (e.g., Al-Mizan, Majma‘ al-Bayan, Al-Tawhid), Biblical scriptures, and contemporary existential-philosophical literature are analyzed to extract structural parallels and contextual convergences.
Findings: The study reveals that across both traditions, death is not conceptualized as absolute annihilation (‘adam), but as a transitional passage (tawaffī / relocation) preserving personal identity and consciousness. While the Biblical scriptures—particularly the New Testament—focus heavily on Christological redemption and the sudden bodily resurrection, the Qur’anic discourse offers a comprehensive framework connecting barzakh (intermediate state), cosmic accountability (ḥisāb), and existential orientation. Furthermore, both scriptures converge on the pedagogical efficacy of death consciousness: mitigating existential anxiety, restraining materialistic attachment, fostering moral discipline, and instilling hope through eternal telos.
Conclusion: Remembering death (dhikr al-mawt), far from inducing morbid despair, serves as a dynamic educational catalyst that grounds human existence in transcendent purpose, offering an integrative existential paradigm for contemporary spiritual crisis.
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