What does ‘Life after Death’ look like in different religions

The topic of ‘life after death’ is one that has many different interpretations. Some don’t believe in it but let it be, others believe in it and want everyone else to do too, there are some others who don’t believe in it and mock the ones who do, and so on and so forth. The discussions and debates about this topic are engaging, intellectual and at times, entertaining. But, it is the realisation that there will be death and something afterwards that troubles a majority of people. Here we list what different religions think about ‘Life after Death’.

For Hindus, the answer to ‘What comes after death’ is not easy! The understanding and notions of afterlife in Hinduism has many different concepts in it, the most famous ones being - Karma and Reincarnation. According to Hindu beliefs and traditions, the soul undergoes a cycle of death and rebirth, in the ‘samsara’ or sansar (world). And what happens with the human in the next life is decided by his or her actions during the current life and the ones that were before (or past life). For Hindus, the ultimate goal is ‘Moksha’, freedom from the cycle of rebirth and union with the divine, but ‘Moksha’ does not come easily. There are 4 tenets of life that Hindus need to attain before finally receiving Moksha and escaping the cycle of samsara.

In Christianity, life after death is linked to salvation through Jesus Christ. According to Christian beliefs, those who accept Jesus as their saviour and follow his teachings will attain eternal life in heaven. It is believed that Heaven is a place of eternal joy and the devotee can finally be one with God. In heaven, believers are reunited with their loved ones who have also accepted Jesus.
But, people who reject his teachings, do wrong to others, and do not fulfil their duties are condemned to hell where they have to experience suffering and torment.

In Judaism, there are many different beliefs and interpretations about the afterlife. While some sects do not believe in the afterlife at all, there are some who do and some others who believe that life does not end, instead it just goes higher to connect with the divine.
Some Jewish teachings talk about an afterlife where the righteous are rewarded and the ones who did wrong are punished. Other teachings focus more on the importance of leading a moral and ethical life in the present rather than thinking about what might happen after death. In Judaism, there are also concepts of Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) and Gan Eden (Paradise) that hint towards after-life activities.

In Islam, there is an afterlife and forms a central tenet of their faith. Muslims have the concept of ‘Jannah’ (paradise) or ‘Jahannam’ (hell), where humans shall be cast based upon their acts.
People who follow Islam believe in the ‘Day of Judgment’, where all the souls will be resurrected from the ground below and will then be judged by Allah himself for their deeds and actions. It is believed that those who lived righteous lives and followed the teachings of Islam will be rewarded with entry into Jannah and those who committed evil deeds will face punishment in Jahannam, which will be filled with fire and torment.

Similar to Hindus, Buddhists too have a concept of afterlife. Buddhists too believe in the cycle of ‘Samsara’ and for them eternal salvation comes in the form of ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Nibbana’. According to Buddhist beliefs, people are forever trapped in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, driven by their karma and it should be their ultimate goal to attain Nirvana, a state of liberation where humans are free from the suffering of rebirth. For Buddhists, maintaining purity of thoughts and actions, doing good deeds, charity, being away from desires, not getting into worldly attachments and the likes are the means to attaining Nirvana.