Additional information
by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ridha Shirazi (Author)
We start with a series of lectures concerning death and the world after death which is called the hereafter. Before we begin with our subject a question arises, which is why should we speak about death? Are we done with life's worries and problems so that we may speak about death? Isn't it better to speak about life instead? In answering this first question we will mention two points. The first point is, talking about death is in reality talking about life. Life is a reality consisting of various grades of existence. The lowest grade of reality is represented by this worldly life we live in. The highest grade of life on the other hand is represented by the hereafter. This is why we talk about death because in reality we are talking about life. If someone knew the future then he could plan for that future. If he did not know the future then how can he plan for it? One believer who lived in the West for a while said that one of the things that brought the Westerners to believe in Islam is the issue of death, the issue of an uncertain future. Other religions and sects have no clear picture of death. On the other hand, in our religion we have a clear picture. The clearest that it can be. It's like a map in front of you where you can see the road and the goal. The Prophet (s), the Imams (as) and the Quran all have shown us a wide map of death and the hereafter.
