❖ Objection:
The primary purpose of punishment is believed to be reformation of the offender, but this purpose seems absent in the punishment of the Hereafter. Therefore, the objection claims that punishment in the Hereafter is irrational and unjust.❖ Response:
This objection arises due to a misunderstanding of the relationship between crime and punishment, particularly by conflating worldly legal systems with the divine system of the Hereafter.❶ Purpose of Punishment
The fundamental purpose of punishment is not always reformation or deterrence, but rather the manifestation of justice—that is, to reflect the natural consequence of an action (Jazā).✔ Concepts such as reform and deterrence only hold meaning in a world where the offender has another chance to act or where others can learn from the consequences.
✔ In the Hereafter, such considerations are irrelevant as there will be no further opportunity for action or learning.
❷ Two Distinct Worlds
Life is divided into two stages:① Dār al-‘Amal (The World of Action): This worldly life is where humans have the freedom and opportunity to act.
② Dār al-Jazā (The World of Recompense): The Hereafter is the realm where the results of those actions are revealed.
In the Hereafter, reformation and deterrence have no relevance, as the sole purpose is to present the outcome of deeds.
To judge the Hereafter through the lens of worldly punishments is fundamentally flawed.
❸ Illustrative Example
Imagine a system in which the phases of action and recompense are clearly separated. In the phase of recompense, punishment serves only to reveal the true consequence of one's prior actions—not to reform or to serve as a warning to others.Likewise, in the Hereafter, punishment is simply the natural result of one’s deeds.
❖ Conclusion:
In the Hereafter, punishment is not intended to reform, because it is Dār al-Jazā—a world exclusively for rendering the outcomes of one’s actions.Concepts such as reformation and deterrence belong to the worldly life, and have no application in the Hereafter.
