Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga, Coordinator of Institute of Ismaili Studies’ Qur’anic Studies Unit, presented a paper on the concept of resurrection and the hereafter in the thought of the Pure Brethren or Ikhwan al-Safa’ at an international symposium in Göttingen, Germany from 27 to 31 May, 2009.
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The paper discussed how the Pure Brethren argue for a spiritual and intellectual understanding of the concepts of qiyama (resurrection) and ba’th (awakening), through a discussion on the issue of ‘bodily’ resurrection and an interpretation of passages from the Holy Qur’an: the authors view paradise as ‘the spiritual realm’ and hell as ‘the corporeal realm’. The paper also discussed how the story of Adam’s creation, where all angels bowed to him except Iblis, as portrayed in the Holy Qur’an, is seen in the Rasa’il as an actual event that takes place inside each human being.
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