The Theory of the Soul

Abstract

If human being came to the belief that living after death is nothing but an illusion or superstition, would it not ruin part of his or her life? The Great Tiding i.e. the verity of the Resurrection, which is announced in Quran, was not an already unknown belief among other religions. Zoroastrianism and other pre-Islamic religions had announced the facticity of Judgment Day and the belief in reckoning and in Paradise and the Hell was held on to during ancient times. But a subject that had not been mentioned in pre-Islamic religions, was Islam's new theory regarding the idea of spirit. During the history of civilization of various societies, human being has tried to embody his beliefs in the life after death. By incorporating the idea of the existence of spirit into the daily life of the living people and by representing it in ancient carvings, in practicing religious ceremonies, in coronation, in victory or in the images of temples and tombs, man registered his belief for the future generation. The contemporary human being also represents his impression of the life after death via art and technology. Making movies with scenarios about ghosts and phantoms and showing the presence and influence of spirits in the life of the living people are all signs of ancient beliefs. Formulating the theory of the soul is an attempt to discover the Quranic outlook on human being. The aforementioned theory is the expression of a truth which is found out via a new methodology named the method of Sending Down (Revelation).