A. The Belief of the Egyptians

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The belief in resurrection in the (recorded) olden timesB. The People of Babel

Alber Mala writes:

The Egyptians believed that the souls of the dead left the body to present themselves to the great god Isiris. The person’s heart was weighed when it was present before him and those whose accounts were cleared were sending to the garden the likes of which could never be imagined.

 They used to place a letter beside the dead to guide him in his journey. This was a very strange letter which contained the words the dead had to say before Isiris. The words were:

“All greatness is for you O exalted Lord! O Lord of the truth and justice. I have never betrayed others, never tormented an old woman, never spoke a lie in court and have never been sly or conniving.

I would never burden the labor with the burden he could not carry or be responsible for and have never been lax in my responsibilities; I have never been close to lethargy, never defiled those that are sanctified and never considered this to be right; I have never back-bited about any slave to his master, never confiscated any one’s income, never killed anyone and never stole the food of the dead.

I have never usurped the land of anyone, never robbed the suckling child of its milk, and never blocked any river. I am clean and pure.

O judges! Today is the Day of Reckoning so be kind to this person who has never been close to sin; never lied and does not know what evil is. He spared no pains in getting a pure and clean sustenance. His deeds drew the attention of the people and were pleasing to the gods. He helped the hungry; gave sacrifices in the way of god; fed the dead and his mouth and hands are clean.”

Albert Mala makes a critical assessment and says that it signifies that the ancient people of Egypt knew about the greater and lesser sins as well as the righteous deeds and the permissible ones. (2) We should add to his statement that they also believed in God’s justice, the Scale of Judgment and the gardens of Paradise. Actually such letters were like a reminder (Talqeen) which is normal for all the dead Muslims and were a sign for the living to know and restrain them from sins. It also specifies the link between sins.

In short according to the historical evidence the Egyptians believed deeply in the life after death. But this belief was compounded with many frivolities one of which was that they instead of keeping the worldly instruments and food they kept drawing of these in the graves and believed that these drawings would replace the original things.

In some graves they kept the drawings of food being cooked or the animal being slain; the drawings of the farmlands and the cooked meat in the utensil as served for the guests. (1) The mummifying of the dead and the construction of secure pyramids too were a part of it.

The purpose was to keep the bodies preserved from the death to the life in the hereafter and the soul could find the things of pleasure when it returned to the body. This is why they kept various kinds of food, the statues of bakers and cooks, jewelry and arms beside the dead. This was also because such graves were the target of the scavengers and the grave robbers. This is why the well to do constructed pyramids or large buildings above the graves which they called Permus. (2).

 


 

1. A kind of matter used to embalm the dead and is very costly but Al Amatah means food which was kept with the dead with the view that it would help the dead in the life after death.
2. The History of the Orient and Greece vol.1 page 74
3. The History of Civilization by Will Durant vol.2 page 71.
4. The History of Civilization by will Durant vol.2 page 71

 

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