Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 319
319 the next life will be quite different from the blessings of this life. The same will be the case with the pains and punishments of the next life. The Holy Quran says that when the fruits of heaven will be laid before the dwell- ers of paradise they will say, 'This is that with which we were provided before. ' 152 Again with reference to this saying of theirs the Holy Quran says, 'They shall have its like given to them. ' 153 That is to say, those things will not be of this world, but will resemble the things of this world in their external appearance. The fact is that though the soul does not use physical things as the body does, yet it does partake of the pleasures as well as the pain which are experienced by the body. Hence, as the soul is accustomed to the things of this life, so, in order to complete the measure of its pleasure or pain, the things of the life to come will be made to assume the form of the things of this life. In order to enable us to realize to some degree the spiritual conditions of the next life, the Holy Quran cites an illustration to aid us in this realization. It says: 'God taketh souls unto Himself at death, and during their sleep the souls of those who do not die; and He retaineth those on which He hath 152 Al-Baqarah, 2:26. 153 Al-Baqarah, 2:26.