Belief in the Hereafter, al-akhirah, covers everything that happens after death: the grave, the resurrection, the reckoning, and the eternal life that follows, in Paradise or the Fire. It is the fifth article of faith named in the hadith of Jibril.

Muslims believe that once a person is buried, they enter what is often called barzakh: an intermediate stage between this life and the resurrection. A hadith in Sahih Muslim, number two thousand eight hundred and seventy, describes two angels visiting a person in the grave and questioning them about their faith, with a believer answering correctly and being shown their place in Paradise.

Then, at a time known only to Allah, the Trumpet will be sounded, and everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected and gathered for judgement. The Qur'an calls this the Last Day, the Day of Resurrection, and the Day of Judgement.

On that day, each person's deeds are brought to account. The Qur'an describes a Scale, by which deeds are weighed with perfect justice. In Surah Al-Anbiya, chapter twenty-one, verse forty-seven, an English translation of the meaning reads: “We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is even the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.”

Islamic teaching also describes a bridge that everyone must cross. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, number six thousand five hundred and thirty-five, describes believers being stopped at a bridge between Paradise and Hell, where remaining wrongs between people are settled before they enter Paradise.

The outcome of this reckoning is either Paradise or the Fire. Scholars agree on this broad framework: the grave, the resurrection, the reckoning, the Scale, the Bridge, Paradise and the Fire. They differ on some specific details, such as the precise nature of punishment in the grave, and the final fate of believers who die still carrying major sins. This lesson presents the areas of agreement.

Belief in the Hereafter is meant to shape how a person lives now. This life is understood as a test, whose results are settled afterwards. That is part of why the Qur'an so often pairs belief in the Last Day with belief in Allah Himself.