Uploading the Seventh Heaven

The concept of heaven and hell has evolved over the millenia. Most often one hears about the Karmic link to the ultimate destination: "Go thou to heaven or to the earth according to thy merit."

Vedic folks were said to be satisfiedwith living their life to the fullest. They never aspired to to attain immortality.

It was a common belief that human beings are allocated a span of one hundred years for earthly existence, and people just prayed for a healthy life.

"Interpose not, O gods, in the midst of our passing existence,by inflicting infirmity in our bodies." As time passed, the idea of eternity for mortals evolved.

Thus, later in the Rig Veda, we read: "Grant us food, and may I obtain immortality through my posterity.

Generally, one must admit that our beliefs in the unseen heaven and hell are conditioned by our respective faiths.

From a commonsense point of view, to be in the Seventh Heaven means to be enjoying life "beyond power of description".

A long time ago, I happened to visit a Madrassah in Lahore. Even today, I can remember what the teacher-preist was telling his young disciples -Taliban, as we now know:

"In heaven, each inhabitant has 70,000 tongues that speak 70,000 languages, all forever chanting the praises of Allah in the Islamic concept of heaven, which also prevailed among the Jews. one goes after death to the heaven he has earned on earth, and the Seventh Heaven,
ruled by Abraham, is the ultimate one, the region of pure light lying above the other six, the heaven of heavens."

Being a non-Muslim, the Taliban barely tolerated my presence inside the Madrassah.

I was confused, and stay confused, though without fear of death, having been there before.

Mind-boggling! 70,000 tongues and 70,000 languages. One would welcome some new insight into this aspect of heaven. There is, I believe, another, more frightening, aspect of heaven in Islam.

Humanity is divided into two permanently-warring factions: Those who believe in Allah and Muhammad are God's Party. All others are the Devil's Party.

It's "the most sacred duty" of the former "to eliminate and subdue" the latter. "Islam encourages its followers to murder, plunder and seduce the women of the infidels". It also "projects such murder, plunder and seduction of Kafirs as "the greatest virtues -- Islam calls it Jehad, which guarantees the Mujahid (holy warrior) salvation and Jannat (heaven).

Jehad "is the surest means to Jannat -- the abode of choicest carnal-delights after death, sex and violence.

Too morbid, I say. The global community is being hijacked by the lunatic fringe, the fanatics. Are we going to stand out as the voice sanity -- of reason, compassion and tolerance, says my best friend, Dr. Visho Sharma.