Heaven and Hell (Paradise and Hellfire in Islamic culture) by Nerina Rostomji

Author: Nerina Rostomji Publisher: The Academic Center for Research Edition: First Date: 2023 AD Nerina Rostomji, the author of "Heaven and Hell: Bliss and Hellfire in Islamic Culture," reveals the distinguished material culture and aesthetic vocabulary developed by Muslims to understand heaven and hell, define communities, and strategies of defense formed around the promise of the world to come. It starts from a mental principle for any Muslim or Arab regarding the stereotypical and school-based perception of heaven and hell as the ultimate destination in the afterlife according to their deeds and actions. This is what the Islamic narrative adopts, offering innovative answers to fundamental questions related to the vital and life contexts that contributed to shaping Muslims' image of the afterworld, and how later ideas about the afterlife deeply influenced daily behaviors in Islamic society. It led to the emergence of an ethical code that encouraged abstaining from luxurious things, with the hope of possessing them in heaven later. Rostomji made an effort to provide an accurate study of texts and images, carefully linking the natural scene and social dynamics of the afterworld with earthly models and expectations. She examined topics such as servants, concubines, and women with objects from another world in the afterlife, and pointed out that stories of rewards and punishments helped preachers promote religious reform.