The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 454
454. Essence of Islam II clearly shows that a believer is invested with a body after death. All great Muslim thinkers are agreed that pure believers are invested with a holy and bright body as soon as they die, through which they enjoy the bounties of paradise. To confine paradise at that stage to martyrs alone would amount to disbelief. Can a true believer commit such impertinence as to affirm that the Holy. Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be on him) under whose grave paradise lies, is outside paradise, but those who acquired faith and righteousness through him and became martyrs are dwelling in paradise and are eating of its fruits? The truth is that he who devotes his life to the cause of God is a martyr and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be on him) is the first of martyrs. [Brāhīn-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 21, pp. 388-390]. An objection is raised that if every pure believer who is not burdened with sin enters paradise immediately on death, this would mean a rejection of resurrection and all its accompanying conditions, inasmuch as, according to the verse: 231 وَمَا هُمْ مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِيْنَ their departing from paradise is not permissible. Thus, the whole system of resurrection and the events relating to the hereafter would be nullified. . The answer is that the Holy Qur'ān teaches that pure believers enter paradise immediately on death and also teaches that there will be resurrection of the body and the dead will be revived and we believe in both. The only difference is that the entry into paradise on death is a 231 'Nor shall they ever be ejected therefrom. '-Al-Hijr, 15:49 [Publisher]