October 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Understanding Death Through Different Religions: Insights & Perspectives (part 3)
What happens when you die? | Activate God with Habibat
In this episode of the Activate God podcast, host Habibat explores the concept of death and the afterlife through the lenses of various world religions. From Buddhism and Christianity to Hinduism, Ifá, Islam, Judaism, and broader spirituality. She reflects on what happens after we die, beliefs surrounding judgment day, and the ultimate spiritual goals across faith traditions. Habibat also shares personal insights and experiences with loss, emphasizing the importance of living intentionally, embracing purpose, and moving through fear. The episode concludes with a prayer and a call for listeners to live with purpose, joy, and love. This episode seeks to normalize conversations about death and offer comfort to those navigating grief—while teaching from an interfaith and multifaith perspective.
Chart/summary of death based on some world religions link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG2z0QDokM/XHoB0tCljauvlBh7WM2Eig/edit?utm_content=DAG2z0QDokM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
Activate God Link: linktr.ee/ActivateGodPodcast
00:00 Introduction: Why Talk About Death?
01:03 Personal Reflections on Life and Death
02:11 Exploring Death Across Religions
09:35 The Purpose of Activate God Podcast
13:10 Comparative Study of Religious Beliefs on Death
22:13 Favorite Quotes from Sacred Texts
29:07 Living Intentionally and Embracing Life
33:24 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Music Credit: “Mirror Mirror (Instrumental)” by Biblioteka — Licensed via Audiosocket. Used with permission via Canva. All rights reserved to the artist and copyright holder.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So you might ask why I talkabout death outta all the
conversations.
Why I talk about death,truthfully, it's really because
life is happening, but alsodeath is happening.
So in this episode, we're gonnabe talking about death.
What happens next?
What different religions saywhen you die?
When you're believing God.
(00:20):
The thing that you believe is athing that usually comes true.
So if you're, if your heart isrooted in God and rooted in
love, then the thing that you'regonna get back is rooted in God
and rooted in love I do notwanna play God.
I want God to use me.
This life is very temporary andreally the hereafter is the most
permanent piece of it all.
(00:41):
And in order for us to get toheaven is um, that we do our
best in this world.
(01:04):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Activate God podcast.
I'm your host, Habibat, and I amsuper, super, super excited to
be here with you.
It's such a pleasure to live inthis world.
The gift of life is a beautifulthing, and I think oftentimes
(01:25):
when we live, we take it forgranted.
And over the past few months, atthis point I've been talking
about death because I thinkthere is a connectedness with
life and death, and the truthis, we are all going to die.
That is the most consistentthing that we're gonna do.
We're all gonna die.
(01:45):
And over the past few months Ihave.
Experienced some loss.
I have seen my loved ones losesome people.
So I've been talking about deathwithin, the past, like the past
two episodes, and this will belike the last official death
episode.
But of course we're gonnacontinue talking about what does
it look like to be intentionalabout living and.
(02:06):
Death might pop up again becauseI don't think it's a
conversation that we normalize.
So in this episode, we're gonnabe talking about death.
What happens next?
What different religions saywhen you die?
So we're gonna be studying Ifa,Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,
Hinduism, spirituality Judaism,and so much more because the
(02:28):
reality is.
One of the most consistentthings that we all have access
to, that we are all connected byis either our birth or our
death.
And now that we're all alive,the next step that's definitely
consistent is death.
And I think the more you live,the more you learn that.
Death is inevitable and we don'tknow when we're gonna die.
(02:51):
We don't know when our lovedones are gonna die.
So I do wanna normalize theconversations around death and
I've done extensive researchbecause this is a really
interesting topic that I don'tthink we've normalized enough,
and I do wanna normalize it andI wanna compare and contrast
what different religions aresaying because it's important.
And based on what you believe, Ithink it helps you navigate
(03:14):
death and life intentionally.
So you might ask why I talkabout death outta all the
conversations.
Why I talk about death,truthfully, it's really because,
um, life is happening, but alsodeath is happening.
And I, and I see it as we live,right?
The older I get, the more I'mlike, Ooh, death is coming.
It's coming closer.
(03:35):
Who knows when?
And God willing, inshallah, Ilive a long life, but who knows
what's gonna happen, and thepeople around me So in terms of
the normalization of life, deathis a part of that.
The other part is particularlywhen I started this podcast, I
started it with talking about,fears and what does it look like
to navigate through your fearsand like the steps to push
(03:55):
through it.
What safeguards you have to putin place for you to navigate
through it.
And along the way I learned thatin order for you to hear God's
voice, you need to be able todiscern whether it's.
Fear or love, or is it yourvoice or God?
And I think in order for you tohear God's voice truthfully and
become more connected to God,generally, you have to be able
to discern your fears and whatare you scared of and what are
(04:18):
you gonna do to navigate throughit?
And then along the way, as I'mtalking about fears and I'm
talking about how to hear God'svoice, I'm like,, life is
happening and there is strugglesand triumphs of life.
So that was one of the episodes.
And then along the way, as I'mcelebrating life and going
through life transitions, I'mlike,, wow, death is a part of
this.
So that's how we came up withdeath.
(04:40):
As a podcast episode is apodcast theme and truthfully
around that same time, a lot ofpeople were transitioning around
me.
I mentioned in previous episodesone of my uncles, uncle
Tajjudeen Shittu, transitioned.
And also my former therapist,Dawnn Denise Reale the one and
only.
Also transitioned.
And I needed some more answers.
(05:02):
And really the purpose or thehope for this podcast episode is
that for one I normalize hey,losing people is normal, but
two, going through the emotionsof it all is normal.
It is hard losing someone,whether or not you love them
tremendously or not, it isextremely difficult.
When your life switches justlike that.
It is.
It is.
And I think for me, being ableto understand what happens after
(05:24):
they die really helps me,connects with them better.
And a sense of like, because Iknow, based on what I believe, I
feel more connected because Iknow, I believe that this not
the end for them.
But we're gonna talk about likewhat different religions say
based on what your thoughtprocess is and what you believe.
So that helped me.
(05:45):
So I do think that reallylearning about what happens when
you die can actually give yousome type of solace and peace
and accepting someone's loss AndI also think that like if, if
death if, if we're looking atdeath.
Hear me out, if we're looking atdeath right, and if we're
looking at like, people dyingaround us, The energy can be
fueled to help us liveintentionally.
I think about the people thatI've lost over the past few
(06:06):
years, and I know for sure thelife that they want me to live
is for me to be intentional andfor me to live it.
If you've lost someone onceagain, my apologies and my
condolences.
And may their memory be ablessing.
If you've lost someone, I hopethat you too can recognize it.
This person would want you to beintentional about living.
(06:26):
Living in purpose, living in anintentionality, living with joy,
living with love, living withlightness.
That's what I hope.
That's what I hope.
And if they don't, then they'reprobably a hater.
But I know a lot of us, we'velost tremendous, really
beautiful people.
And and I know that they wouldwant us to live with joy and
(06:47):
intentionality.
The other thing about death isthat sometimes when someone
dies, particularly with familyand friends, I think sometimes
it reveals some things aboutourselves.
And about the family, aboutunhealed things there's so many
things that gets shown andrevealed during this time.
So once again, if you've lostsomeone, and once again, we're
(07:07):
all probably loose one at somepoint, if you've lost someone.
I hope that you and your familyand your loved ones are able to,
for one, acknowledge that Hey,the emotions of all of this is a
lot.
Losing whether or not it'ssurprise or you knew it was
gonna happen is not easy.
And then three, I hope thaty'all are really kind and tender
to yourself in the midst ofthis, because that person could
(07:27):
have been the glue to thefamily, and now that person is
no longer here.
So what happens then?
What happens then is someoneelse has to carry that mantle
or.
What should really happen iseveryone should be carrying that
mantle.
Everyone should be trying to bethe glue to the family, Everyone
should be trying to beintentional about their
character and trying to loveyour family.
(07:48):
That person carried on a lotmore in places where they
probably shouldn't.
So now it's time for everyoneelse to.
And one of the things that I'vebeen thinking about in my life
lately, particularly with meconnected to many communities
that I'm a part of i do notwanna play God.
I want God to use me.
And by me playing God, I'msaying that I cannot be the
savior for everything andeveryone.
(08:09):
What I can be is intentionalabout being in spaces where God
wants me to be in and for me touse my gifts in that ways and
for me to continue to take careof myself.
But in terms of playing God andtrying to be the Savior, that's
not sustainable.
If anything, it's actuallykilling me and oftentimes kill
people.
And part of me, if I'm laughing,'cause that's.
That's my defense mechanism tobe quite honest.
(08:30):
Um, And I think there's aparticular level of heaviness in
this topic when we talk aboutdeath that I don't want to fully
exist in because I think thereshould be a little bit more
lightness in death because ofhow normal it is.
But I don't wanna play God.
When we lose someone, we have toacknowledge that we cannot play
God.
This was intentional.
(08:50):
This was on purpose.
This was by purpose, this was bydesign.
This was God's doing or Godapproved of it.
And God is gonna restoreaccordingly, hopefully.
And once again, I don't reallyfully know what God's plan is.
Let's be clear.
I don't but I do think thatthings are here for a reason.
Things happen for a reason.
(09:11):
And in order for you to heal theparts of your family, your
friends, that was fracturedbecause of the death of a loved
one.
I think it's important to beintentional about the work that
it takes.
I think, it's important to allowtime to sometimes reveal the
additional things that needs tobe done.
I think.
I think centering joy andlightness and love as a
(09:32):
foundation of it, I think isessential.
So if you don't already know,the purpose of Activate God is
it's, this is my baby, mybabies.
It is an interfaith multi-faithcommunity where I discuss life
lessons, I discuss religion.
I.
Spirituality, I discussnavigating through life and what
(09:52):
is it for us to expand ourrelationship with ourselves,
with each other, as well asultimately God or whatever name
you call God.
And the hope is, and the goal isfor us to make sure that we
center God into our lives, andthis way we can truly exist in
purpose.
So really, by activating God,you're activating.
Your purpose.
And one of the things that I dois I post daily prayers on
(10:12):
social media.
So if you have not already,please be sure to subscribe,
follow, like, comment, share,all that stuff.
I post daily prayers on YouTubethreads.
Instagram and TikTok.
And in terms like my backgroundwho I am, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
have an episode about who I am,but a little bit of my
background, i've always lovedlearning about religion and
(10:33):
spirituality.
I was raised Muslim, but a lotof my friends are Christian and
a lot of them practice Ifa,Lucumí, and I've always studied
with them and I've always goneto churches and explored the
different religions.
And I've always found itfascinating.
So I think during this phase ofmy life, I've been dedicated
towards really trying to beintentional about understanding
what the similarities are in thereligions, because, when we talk
about religion and spirituality,we talk about it in a space of
(10:57):
divisiveness and not necessarilyin a space of love.
And I think particularly withGod at the end of it is
foundationally in love.
So why are we, when we arecomparing different religions.
Using a hate and fear as afoundation when we could just
use it base at the base of it inlove.
(11:20):
So that's my hope, that my hopeis for me to really try to.
Allow us to shape and shift howwe view different religions so
that we can understand it a lotmore, but also center love as we
discuss about the thing thatwe're learning about, but also
the thing that we may notnecessarily fully agree upon,
and how do we share with love?
And not necessarily from a placeof this religion is bad and you
(11:42):
don't know what you're talkingabout.
No.
It's okay to disagree.
God literally gives us thatoption to disagree with each
other.
We're not monolithic in anyways.
The other thing about me is thatI, for one, I love studying
world religions.
I have a, I did not necessarilyget a formal training.
Unfortunately, I have to twomaster's degree and at this
point, I'm done with schoolformally in that ways.
(12:02):
But I wish, I would have to bequite honest, I wish I went to
divinity school.
That would've been.
So cool.
But I did not.
But what I did do, what I havebeen doing, what I will be
continue to do is for me to domy individual study, for me to
continue talking to my friendsand my family, for me to
continue being in conferencesand educational spaces that I
can learn about the differentreligions and spiritual
(12:22):
practices.
And allowing God and life to, tobe my teacher right now.
That's my hope.
So once again, if you have notalready comment subscribe, do
all of it.
It would mean the world to me.
Literally write a comment oh myGod, you're doing so great.
Or I completely agree with you.
This was a, this was aninteresting topic and an
interesting conversation and, inmy religion.
(12:44):
This is what it says.
And this is the nuance that wasmissing in this conversation.
I would really appreciate that.
'cause once again, this is aspace right where I'm teaching,
but I'm also learning from you.
So hopefully I get to learn moreabout you.
And at some point I'm.
Be interviewing different peopleabout what they believe about
their own lessons andrelationship with God.
(13:05):
So we're definitely gonna growover time, so look out for that
as well.
So now let's start talking aboutdifferent religions and what it
says about what happens when youdie.
So once again, I've doneextensive research in regards to
comparing the differentreligions.
So as I mentioned, I'm gonna betalking about at the foundation
of it, and I'm gonna be lookingat my notes'cause I do have
notes.
(13:26):
You gotta be a student, you haveto have notes, you have to be
prepared.
So I'm gonna be talking aboutIslam because Christianity,
Judaism, Ifa, spiritualitygenerally as well as Hinduism
and Buddhism.
So those are the.
Six, seven religions andspiritual practices that I'll be
talking about.
But also please understand thatthere are nuances in each of the
(13:49):
religions.
Let's be honest.
How someone in uh, first lookingat Christianity, for example,
how someone practicesCatholicism versus how someone
practices baptism.
Very different how someone inIslam practices.
Sunni versus she are verydifferent, and what they believe
might be a little bit different.
So I do wanna acknowledge thatat the basis of what happens
when you die and each religion,there are a little bit more
(14:11):
nuance to it.
And I think based on what youbelieve culturally as well, that
has to play part into it.
Because how a practicing Muslim,who's Nigerian Yoruba believes
about what happens when you diemight be, might look different
from what happens when apracticing a Pakistani Muslim
practices, because ourfoundation culturally might be a
(14:33):
little bit different.
So I would acknowledge thatbecause if I were to really go
deep into it, this would be amovie.
With multiple series andmultiple parts, so I do wanna
definitely say that.
And I also want you to, withthis episode as I'm talking
about your religion, and if Idon't already mention your
religion, please put it in acomment.
'cause I would love to learn.
So definitely comment and tellme more about what you believe,
(14:55):
what your practices are and whatyour culture and religious
beliefs are because it will helpme.
Understand what happens when youdie a little bit more based on
what you believe.
And I just really find itfascinating when people talk
about a person when they die,AKA and ancestor, and how they
believe that they're stillwatching over them.
(15:15):
And one of the things that Ifind most fascinating, and so I
am, I'm a black girl.
I am, I'm a single girl, y'all.
But I'm a black girl, Nigerian,Muslim.
So I'm a black girl, and um, Ilove Meg Thee stallion.
I like her being, I like her.
I like her freedom.
The thing that I love most aboutMeg Thee stallion is the ways
which she honors her mother, andher grandmother.
(15:37):
I think that people don't talkabout that when they talk about
her.
They talk about like the twerkand they talk about like all the
scandals, et cetera, et cetera.
All the drama associated withher.
But I don't think they talkabout the ways in which she
honors her loved ones,particularly those who she's
lost.
And if you talk about, if youwatch Meg Thee stallion talk
about like her mother and hergrandmother, she talks about
like how, oh, my mother and mygrandmother, like they would
(15:58):
watch me, but they wereprotecting me and.
This is the reason why like, I'mas successful, or this is the
reason why I got this far, orthis is, this is it.
So I think that is fascinatingfor me, at least for me.
And I think that's a, that'ssomething that I would love to
study more, what people believe,what happens when they've lost
someone.
(16:18):
And what happens when they thinkthat they're gonna die?
What happen?
What do they believe will happenwhen they die?
I'm fascinated by that.
So of course, once again, thisis this is the last preface, the
truth is God knows a hundredpercent.
None of us know.
Even if the text is this iswhat's happening, the nuances in
the text is sometimes up forinterpretation.
(16:39):
So we really don't fully know.
So I am teaching based on mylimited small, little
theoretical ideas, based on myresearch, but truthfully, God
knows a hundred percent.
So let's say that God knows ahundred percent what happens
when you die, I do not know.
And my goal for this episode isto help us understand what
happens based on what differentreligions say.
But once again, very small,minuscule comprehension.
(17:00):
But hopefully it'll start theconversation in regards to like
us talking about this.
Differences and the similaritiesin the different religions.
So let us start.
So once again, we're gonna betalking about Islam, Ifa,
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism,Hinduism, and spirituality.
And once again, God, I ask if Imisspeak, please forgive me.
(17:22):
God, please forgive me.
God, you like, yeah,, pleaseforgive me.
My intention is for me to teachfrom a place of love.
But once again, I don't knoweverything and I don't know many
things.
So I hope that I hope that Godknows my heart.
My heart is for us to normalizetalking about death and for us
to learn about what happens whenwe die.
(17:45):
And the similarities between thedifferent religions and the
differences in them.
So let's talk about what happensbased on what the different
religions say?
Let's start there.
And I'm gonna be showing achart, while I'm talking, I
created a chart that I think isgorgeous.
So I'll be showing the chart tohelp us see it a little bit more
uh, closely.
And if you're listening to thisepisode on audio or wherever you
(18:08):
are listening to your podcast,I'll definitely be putting the
chart in the description box.
So please definitely click it.
Um, That I think is the cutestthing because I'm really
committed to this.
So in Islam, they believe in theafterlife, or Muslims believe in
the afterlife, so you have lifeafter your death, and.
In Christianity, they believe inheaven or hell, Islam actually
(18:32):
believes that as well.
In Judaism they believe in theconcept of the underworld, which
is the realm of the dead, or asthey call it, the world to come
slash the afterlife.
So very similar, the three verysimilar major religions.
The an Ifa an Ifa folks don'tknow is Yoruba.
Yoruba religion fundamentally.
(18:54):
So Yoruba specifically, there'sYoruba culture, there's Yoruba
language, and then there's Yuba.
Religion, sometimes they don'tnecessarily intertwine,
especially the language and orthe people and the religion.
I'm Yoruba.
Culturally and ethnically, butnot necessarily religiously.
So these are very differentthings.
So with Ifa what happens whenyou die is they believe in the
(19:17):
ancestral realm.
And in Hinduism they believe inanother life or.
Moksha, pardon of my misvocabulary.
And then in Buddhism, theybelieve in another life or
nirvana.
The other thing that I wasstudying was, do they believe in
judgment day?
In Islam, the answer is yes.
There is a day of judgment andChristianity.
(19:39):
The answer is yes.
Immediately or a final judgment.
In Judaism, the answer is yes,there's a resurrection of the
righteousness of the mosaic, ageand Ifa.
The short answer is no.
There's no formal judgment, butancestors influence our destiny.
And Hinduism, the answer iskarma based judgment, and that
(20:03):
in Buddhism, the answer is karmadetermines rebirth.
So I think it's fascinating, interms of judgment.
Day'Cause once you die, whathappens then?
And is there, like do, do youget like a day where God decides
like what happens to you if it'sheaven or hell or if you're
becoming an ancestor or not?
(20:24):
So I find that fascinating.
The other question I wasstudying is, do they believe in
a rebirth or reincarnation?
Because I think that's anotherthing that people, pe, people
think about, so in Islam theanswer is no.
They don't believe inreincarnation and rebirth
Christianity.
Also know in Judaism, sometraditions believe in
(20:45):
reincarnation.
In Ifa.
Short answer is yes in someplaces.
And some people believe thatit's within your family lineage.
But once again, of course, weknow that there's nuances based
on what people believe.
Hinduism, the answer is yes, Acycle of rebirth.
Some Sarah and Buddhism, theanswer is yes, there is
(21:06):
reincarnation.
So I also was studying what isthe ultimate goal?
Based on what the differentreligions are saying, the
ultimate goal is for us to livean eternal life in paradise in
Islam.
So that's Jannah.
The ultimate goal forChristianity is to live a
eternal life with God in heaven,which is the same thing as
(21:28):
Islam.
The other religion.
Judaism is life in the world tocome or unity with God.
That's the ultimate goal.
Very similar to the three thethree Abrahamic faiths,
fascinatingly similar.
And Ifa the ultimate goal isbecoming an ancestor and guiding
the living.
That's the ultimate goal, tomake sure that you are able to
(21:50):
continue supporting the peoplewho are living on this earth.
And in Hinduism, the ultimategoal is liberation which is from
this.
Cycle of rebirth.
And then in Buddhism, theultimate goal is enlightenment,
which is nana or freedom fromsuffering.
That's the ultimate goal.
(22:11):
So that's fascinating.
So now I'm gonna talk a littlebit more about like my favorite,
saying associated with.
Each religion or a spiritualpractice.
And particularly a lot of themare associated with the books or
the texts, the Quran for Islam,the Bible and Christianity.
But I just find it fascinatingbecause I think it's important
(22:32):
to understand through what theclosest thing that we have to
God's word to see theassociation of God and death
through the words or through theoral tradition or through the
text from the sacred text.
So in Islam, for example one ofthe things that.
That Muslims say that I love'cause I'm Muslim is verily from
(22:57):
Allah, we come and to him wereturn.
And this is IAF 1 56 and one ofmy favorite parts about
particularly Muslims is hownormal we talk about death.
We really do because one of thethings that we acknowledge is
that this life is temporary.
This life is very temporary andreally the hereafter is the most
(23:20):
permanent piece of it all.
And in order for us to get tothe hereafter, to, to the Jannah
to the heaven and then there'shell to the heaven is that we do
our best in this world.
But like, really, we should betrying to do our best and honor
life as much as we can becauseit's only going to help us.
(23:41):
Prepare for the hereafter.
And I'm only saying it inEnglish so verily from God we
come and to God we return turn.
And in Christianity I wasreading through John.
The New King's James version,John 11, 25 to 26, and Jesus
(24:04):
said to her, I am theresurrection, the life, and who
believes in me.
Though he may die, he shalllive, and whoever lives and
believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?
I think to me, one of the thingsthat I love is the idea of
belief.
And what does it look to be abeliever and what does it to
(24:25):
believe in something sobeautiful?
And what I gathered from thistext is that if you are
believing God or what I'minferring once again, I don't
know everything.
What I infer from this text isthat when you're believing God.
The thing that you believe is athing that usually comes true.
So if you're, if your heart isrooted in God and rooted in
(24:46):
love, then the thing that you'regonna get back is rooted in God
and rooted in love and in orderfor you to live, you should live
that way.
One of my favorite quotesassociated with Judaism in some
ways is may their memory be ablessing?
And this is talking aboutsomeone who's passed away and
(25:07):
rather than saying that, Hey mycondolences, what they say is,
may their memory be a blessing,primarily.
I'm sure that they also say mycondolences and I think that is
just so powerful.
And I started asking what is theroot of that and the root.
They got it from Proverbs tenseven, which states the memory
of their righteous is blessed.
(25:28):
And I think there's something sopowerful about may their memory
be a blessing, because reallythe goal as we live is for us to
make sure that our memory in ourand our life.
Be a blessing to those aroundus.
And when we transition, our goalis for people to remember our
blessings more than ourstruggles and more than our
(25:49):
harms that we've done or ourhurts that we've done.
'Cause of course, likeforgiveness has to happen,
right?
but I'm saying that ultimatelyat the foundation of it all, as
we transition, may our memory bea blessing.
May, may, the person who've whoyou lost, may the memory be a
blessing.
May you really experience themin the lightest ways and
remember them in a beautifulway, and that any hurt that
(26:10):
they've caused you or anyquestioning of God God, why now
may their memory be a blessing.
And next up in terms of Ifa andwhat, one of my favorite quotes
associated with Ifa is everybodyborn into.
The world is bound to die.
It is only existence in heaventhat is permanent.
(26:32):
This is very simple.
It's very similar to Islam whereit's verily from God we came and
to God we return.
So it's Hey, y'all we're boundto die and the only thing that's
permanent.
Is the afterlife.
And the next step is Hinduism.
So one of my favorite quotesassociated with Hinduism in some
ways is according to the BabaGod, Gita is the soul is never
(26:57):
born and it never dies.
It is eternal, indestructible,and timeless.
It is not destroyed when thebody is destroyed.
I think there's something sopowerful about that, as they
say, our body and our bo and ourspirits are very different.
The separation between the twois real.
Our, when our body dies, ourspirit continues to live on.
(27:19):
And I know in Islam andChristianity and Judaism,
fundamentally, that's what, andIfa that's what they believe.
And this is also capturing thatpart two our bodies might be
destroyed, but our soul is not.
And there's something sobeautiful about knowing that the
soul lives and it continues tolive.
And the last one that I wannatalk about is Buddhism.
(27:41):
And my favorite quote associatedwith Buddha is, even death is
not to be feared by one who haslived wisely.
lemme repeat that again.
Even death is not to be fearedby one who has lived wisely.
What this is saying is thaty'all, let's live.
(28:02):
Let's live.
Let's live the life.
No, seriously.
There's something so immenselypowerful about choosing to live
wisely, and choosing to liveintentionally.
'cause when you liveintentionally you don't have
anything to fear.
Death is not the, that death isnot to be fearful or to be
feared of because if you'rechoosing to be live wisely.
(28:24):
If you're choosing to liveintentionally, if you're
choosing to live in purpose,then all the beautiful things
that are bound to happen to youwill happen to you after you die
because God is Hey, you'vehonored me.
You've done your best withcharacter.
You've done your best withtreating yourself well.
You've done your best withtreating your neighbor well.
You've done your best inhonoring me.
So ultimately the next step isheaven or as as Buddhist believe
(28:47):
is Enlightenment nirvana orLiberation Hinduism.
Or for Ifa, you becoming themost honored ancestor, Or in
other religions, Judaism,Christianity, and Islam.
The idea of the beautiful partof afterlife and being connected
to God and experiencingparadise.
Or eternal life with God.
So y'all in all, let's live.
(29:11):
Let us live in the midst of usexperiencing people who are
dying around us, us continuingto live life.
'cause at some point we're allgonna die.
Is that we live.
Live.
And the hope right now is for usto live with less fear, for us
to live with less fear that isnot in alignment with God.
(29:34):
Yeah, like Before I got on themicrophone, I called one of my
brothers shout out to my brotherAmalu.
And I was like,, I'm so scared.
Like I don't know if I wanna dothis.
Oh my God.
And he was like,, girl, hepoured into me so well, and I
really appreciate like hisaffirming words.
Um, and, And yeah,, I thinkthat's a part of life, like
being able to like acknowledgethat like, Hey, girl.
(29:54):
Like You will have fear and somefears are important to have, but
others is keeping you stuck.
It's keeping you unhappy.
It's actually keeping youdepressed.
It's actually keeping you fromliving the life that you really
want.
It's actually keeping you inregret.
And in this phase of our lives,we don't want that.
We do not wanna exist in fearright now.
(30:16):
We do not wanna exist in regret.
We want to live because of thepeople that we've, that we know
who, who have transitioned forone, they would want us to live.
And then two we wanna continueliving a life.
Oh, and the other part and Iwanna talk a little bit more
about the spirituality and thespiritual world, because as I
mentioned before one of thethings that I've studied and I'm
a part of is religious andspiritual spaces.
(30:38):
And I've seen many of my friendswho spoke about them being
around a loved one who wastransitioning and they were
right next to them.
On their deathbed, they speakabout how light they're
transitioning is between theirbodies dying and their spirits
just ascending, and.
And there's a particularlightness that happens in their
being.
They start smiling more theystart becoming lighter.
(31:01):
It's very there's a oozingfeeling that they that they've
described to me.
And I think that's just sobeautiful.
So I think even in the midst ofus talking about death and us
talking about the transitionalmoments, what the transitional,
what if the transitional momentof between us living and us
dying is actually a smooth one.
It's a easy one.
It's a good one, so why?
(31:21):
Why be scared of death?
And truthfully, if we're tryingto get real deep, I'm like,, th
this, this, this earth stuff is,is not cute.
Earth sometimes could be heavyand not fun.
Um, So if this is, if this islike the, the, this could be the
worst of our, of our being, andafter this it only gets better.
(31:42):
Like, yeah..
Um, I'm being serious.
Uh, But yeah..
But um, I'm praying for you.
All right.
I'm praying for us all.
And if you.
If you need a prayer, if youneed some lightness energy, if
you need whatever it's that youneed, put in the comments.
Or send me a DM on my socialmedia pages, activate God on
YouTube, Instagram, TikTok andthreads.
(32:04):
And my number and my email isassociated with.
It as well.
But I would love to hear alittle bit more about what you
believe about death and whatyour religion, say specifically,
your particular upbringing sayabout what happens when you die.
And I can tell you what Ibelieve personally at this very
moment of my life.
So once again, I mentioned I'mMuslim Nigerian, Muslim, Yoruba
(32:25):
particularly Yoruba, culturally,not Yoruba, religiously, and
what I believe.
At this very moment, I mightchange in two days from now, but
at this very moment I believe inthe idea of heaven and hell.
But I believe that God reallywants the best for us.
And I believe the more good youdo in this world, the more
you'll be able to experienceheaven.
(32:47):
And the more likely you'll getinto the place of heaven.
That's my personal belief.
And then I believe that once youdo get to heaven, you'll be able
to continue to be a source ofguidance to the people who are
living here.
That's what I believe.
I believe that.
I believe that because of Ithink people who transitioned
have the ability to continue toimpact our lives till this day.
(33:10):
Whether or not it is through byit is through their energy.
Whether or not it is throughthem continuing to give us signs
whether or not that is them,literally being a guy, guardian,
angel or guardian.
Angel to us.
Um, I believe that.
I believe that.
Okay.
I usually share a prayer at theend of the episode.
So assume a posture ofreverence.
However way you wanna pray.
(33:36):
Dear God, thank you for yetanother day.
Thank you for allowing us tolive.
Thank you for allowing us tobreathe.
Thank you for allowing us toexperience life.
Thank you for allowing us tounderstand that life is meant to
be lived and death is ultimatelyinevitable.
Please allow us to live a lifethat we can bask in.
And as we do lose people and aswe Also experience our own loss.
(34:00):
God, please give us a easefulheart, an intentional mind, a
light spirit, that allows us toreally go through the grief
stages that we need to gothrough of losing someone, but
also allows us to know that theliving right now is not the end
of it all.
So God, I ask that you continueto protect us, that you continue
to protect our loved ones, thatyou continue to know what's best
(34:21):
for us and allow us to exist inwhat's best for us.
Allow our actions to be inalignment with you.
God, I thank you.
God, we thank you.
We thank you for all thesethings and more.
We thank you for the ways inwhich you continue to protect
us, guide us, love us, andcontinue to show us the way.
Please continue to set us up ona straight path, a path of joy,
(34:41):
a path of love, a path oflightness, a path of living, a
path of purpose, a path ofcontentment.
Thank you, God.
And we ask for all these thingsand more.
'cause you know that we arepeople who desire more.
As we continue to exist ingratitude and contentment.
We ask for all these things andmore.
Thank you.
Ameen, Amen, and Ase…! And onceagain, I would like to thank you
(35:06):
all so much for watching thisepisode.
This episode was a lot for me,to be quite honest, as I
mentioned.
But I'm grateful that I did itbecause life was meant to be
lived and life was meant to belived with minimal fear, with
fears.
But not to be stopped by thefears that are actually
inhibiting us from existing andpurpose.
So once again, thank you forwatching.
And during the next episode, I'mgonna be talking about what does
(35:28):
it look like to be committed?
To be committed to, to becommitted to your purpose, to be
committed to have conviction.
That's what's gonna be next.
Um, yeah,, And I'd love to hearwhat topics you'd like me to
cover.
Because we're gonna be talkingabout for one, life lessons is a
part of activate God, but alsostudying what different
religions say and comparing andcontrasting religion and
(35:49):
spirituality.
So we're gonna do it all.
Once again, thank you.
Thank you.
This was a pleasure.
We must do this more often.
We must.
We must.
Um, And once again, if you havenot already, please be sure to
like,, comment, subscribe,share, and do all the other
(36:10):
stuff.
I think I said it all.
I'd greatly appreciate it.
Well, Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Ciao.
Bye.
So you might ask why I talkabout death outta all the
conversations.
Why I talk about death,truthfully, it's really because
life is happening, but alsodeath is happening.
So in this episode, we're gonnabe talking about death.
What happens next?
What different religions saywhen you die?
When you're believing God.
(00:20):
The thing that you believe is athing that usually comes true.
So if you're, if your heart isrooted in God and rooted in
love, then the thing that you'regonna get back is rooted in God
and rooted in love I do notwanna play God.
I want God to use me.
This life is very temporary andreally the hereafter is the most
permanent piece of it all.
(00:41):
And in order for us to get toheaven is um, that we do our
best in this world.
(01:04):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Activate God podcast.
I'm your host, Habibat, and I amsuper, super, super excited to
be here with you.
It's such a pleasure to live inthis world.
The gift of life is a beautifulthing, and I think oftentimes
(01:25):
when we live, we take it forgranted.
And over the past few months, atthis point I've been talking
about death because I thinkthere is a connectedness with
life and death, and the truthis, we are all going to die.
That is the most consistentthing that we're gonna do.
We're all gonna die.
(01:45):
And over the past few months Ihave.
Experienced some loss.
I have seen my loved ones losesome people.
So I've been talking about deathwithin, the past, like the past
two episodes, and this will belike the last official death
episode.
But of course we're gonnacontinue talking about what does
it look like to be intentionalabout living and.
(02:06):
Death might pop up again becauseI don't think it's a
conversation that we normalize.
So in this episode, we're gonnabe talking about death.
What happens next?
What different religions saywhen you die?
So we're gonna be studying Ifa,Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,
Hinduism, spirituality Judaism,and so much more because the
(02:28):
reality is.
One of the most consistentthings that we all have access
to, that we are all connected byis either our birth or our
death.
And now that we're all alive,the next step that's definitely
consistent is death.
And I think the more you live,the more you learn that.
Death is inevitable and we don'tknow when we're gonna die.
(02:51):
We don't know when our lovedones are gonna die.
So I do wanna normalize theconversations around death and
I've done extensive researchbecause this is a really
interesting topic that I don'tthink we've normalized enough,
and I do wanna normalize it andI wanna compare and contrast
what different religions aresaying because it's important.
And based on what you believe, Ithink it helps you navigate
(03:14):
death and life intentionally.
So you might ask why I talkabout death outta all the
conversations.
Why I talk about death,truthfully, it's really because,
um, life is happening, but alsodeath is happening.
And I, and I see it as we live,right?
The older I get, the more I'mlike, Ooh, death is coming.
It's coming closer.
(03:35):
Who knows when?
And God willing, inshallah, Ilive a long life, but who knows
what's gonna happen, and thepeople around me So in terms of
the normalization of life, deathis a part of that.
The other part is particularlywhen I started this podcast, I
started it with talking about,fears and what does it look like
to navigate through your fearsand like the steps to push
(03:55):
through it.
What safeguards you have to putin place for you to navigate
through it.
And along the way I learned thatin order for you to hear God's
voice, you need to be able todiscern whether it's.
Fear or love, or is it yourvoice or God?
And I think in order for you tohear God's voice truthfully and
become more connected to God,generally, you have to be able
to discern your fears and whatare you scared of and what are
(04:18):
you gonna do to navigate throughit?
And then along the way, as I'mtalking about fears and I'm
talking about how to hear God'svoice, I'm like,, life is
happening and there is strugglesand triumphs of life.
So that was one of the episodes.
And then along the way, as I'mcelebrating life and going
through life transitions, I'mlike,, wow, death is a part of
this.
So that's how we came up withdeath.
(04:40):
As a podcast episode is apodcast theme and truthfully
around that same time, a lot ofpeople were transitioning around
me.
I mentioned in previous episodesone of my uncles, uncle
Tajjudeen Shittu, transitioned.
And also my former therapist,Dawnn Denise Reale the one and
only.
Also transitioned.
And I needed some more answers.
(05:02):
And really the purpose or thehope for this podcast episode is
that for one I normalize hey,losing people is normal, but
two, going through the emotionsof it all is normal.
It is hard losing someone,whether or not you love them
tremendously or not, it isextremely difficult.
When your life switches justlike that.
It is.
It is.
And I think for me, being ableto understand what happens after
(05:24):
they die really helps me,connects with them better.
And a sense of like, because Iknow, based on what I believe, I
feel more connected because Iknow, I believe that this not
the end for them.
But we're gonna talk about likewhat different religions say
based on what your thoughtprocess is and what you believe.
So that helped me.
(05:45):
So I do think that reallylearning about what happens when
you die can actually give yousome type of solace and peace
and accepting someone's loss AndI also think that like if, if
death if, if we're looking atdeath.
Hear me out, if we're looking atdeath right, and if we're
looking at like, people dyingaround us, The energy can be
fueled to help us liveintentionally.
I think about the people thatI've lost over the past few
(06:06):
years, and I know for sure thelife that they want me to live
is for me to be intentional andfor me to live it.
If you've lost someone onceagain, my apologies and my
condolences.
And may their memory be ablessing.
If you've lost someone, I hopethat you too can recognize it.
This person would want you to beintentional about living.
(06:26):
Living in purpose, living in anintentionality, living with joy,
living with love, living withlightness.
That's what I hope.
That's what I hope.
And if they don't, then they'reprobably a hater.
But I know a lot of us, we'velost tremendous, really
beautiful people.
And and I know that they wouldwant us to live with joy and
(06:47):
intentionality.
The other thing about death isthat sometimes when someone
dies, particularly with familyand friends, I think sometimes
it reveals some things aboutourselves.
And about the family, aboutunhealed things there's so many
things that gets shown andrevealed during this time.
So once again, if you've lostsomeone, and once again, we're
(07:07):
all probably loose one at somepoint, if you've lost someone.
I hope that you and your familyand your loved ones are able to,
for one, acknowledge that Hey,the emotions of all of this is a
lot.
Losing whether or not it'ssurprise or you knew it was
gonna happen is not easy.
And then three, I hope thaty'all are really kind and tender
to yourself in the midst ofthis, because that person could
(07:27):
have been the glue to thefamily, and now that person is
no longer here.
So what happens then?
What happens then is someoneelse has to carry that mantle
or.
What should really happen iseveryone should be carrying that
mantle.
Everyone should be trying to bethe glue to the family, Everyone
should be trying to beintentional about their
character and trying to loveyour family.
(07:48):
That person carried on a lotmore in places where they
probably shouldn't.
So now it's time for everyoneelse to.
And one of the things that I'vebeen thinking about in my life
lately, particularly with meconnected to many communities
that I'm a part of i do notwanna play God.
I want God to use me.
And by me playing God, I'msaying that I cannot be the
savior for everything andeveryone.
(08:09):
What I can be is intentionalabout being in spaces where God
wants me to be in and for me touse my gifts in that ways and
for me to continue to take careof myself.
But in terms of playing God andtrying to be the Savior, that's
not sustainable.
If anything, it's actuallykilling me and oftentimes kill
people.
And part of me, if I'm laughing,'cause that's.
That's my defense mechanism tobe quite honest.
(08:30):
Um, And I think there's aparticular level of heaviness in
this topic when we talk aboutdeath that I don't want to fully
exist in because I think thereshould be a little bit more
lightness in death because ofhow normal it is.
But I don't wanna play God.
When we lose someone, we have toacknowledge that we cannot play
God.
This was intentional.
(08:50):
This was on purpose.
This was by purpose, this was bydesign.
This was God's doing or Godapproved of it.
And God is gonna restoreaccordingly, hopefully.
And once again, I don't reallyfully know what God's plan is.
Let's be clear.
I don't but I do think thatthings are here for a reason.
Things happen for a reason.
(09:11):
And in order for you to heal theparts of your family, your
friends, that was fracturedbecause of the death of a loved
one.
I think it's important to beintentional about the work that
it takes.
I think, it's important to allowtime to sometimes reveal the
additional things that needs tobe done.
I think.
I think centering joy andlightness and love as a
(09:32):
foundation of it, I think isessential.
So if you don't already know,the purpose of Activate God is
it's, this is my baby, mybabies.
It is an interfaith multi-faithcommunity where I discuss life
lessons, I discuss religion.
I.
Spirituality, I discussnavigating through life and what
(09:52):
is it for us to expand ourrelationship with ourselves,
with each other, as well asultimately God or whatever name
you call God.
And the hope is, and the goal isfor us to make sure that we
center God into our lives, andthis way we can truly exist in
purpose.
So really, by activating God,you're activating.
Your purpose.
And one of the things that I dois I post daily prayers on
(10:12):
social media.
So if you have not already,please be sure to subscribe,
follow, like, comment, share,all that stuff.
I post daily prayers on YouTubethreads.
Instagram and TikTok.
And in terms like my backgroundwho I am, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
have an episode about who I am,but a little bit of my
background, i've always lovedlearning about religion and
(10:33):
spirituality.
I was raised Muslim, but a lotof my friends are Christian and
a lot of them practice Ifa,Lucumí, and I've always studied
with them and I've always goneto churches and explored the
different religions.
And I've always found itfascinating.
So I think during this phase ofmy life, I've been dedicated
towards really trying to beintentional about understanding
what the similarities are in thereligions, because, when we talk
about religion and spirituality,we talk about it in a space of
(10:57):
divisiveness and not necessarilyin a space of love.
And I think particularly withGod at the end of it is
foundationally in love.
So why are we, when we arecomparing different religions.
Using a hate and fear as afoundation when we could just
use it base at the base of it inlove.
(11:20):
So that's my hope, that my hopeis for me to really try to.
Allow us to shape and shift howwe view different religions so
that we can understand it a lotmore, but also center love as we
discuss about the thing thatwe're learning about, but also
the thing that we may notnecessarily fully agree upon,
and how do we share with love?
And not necessarily from a placeof this religion is bad and you
(11:42):
don't know what you're talkingabout.
No.
It's okay to disagree.
God literally gives us thatoption to disagree with each
other.
We're not monolithic in anyways.
The other thing about me is thatI, for one, I love studying
world religions.
I have a, I did not necessarilyget a formal training.
Unfortunately, I have to twomaster's degree and at this
point, I'm done with schoolformally in that ways.
(12:02):
But I wish, I would have to bequite honest, I wish I went to
divinity school.
That would've been.
So cool.
But I did not.
But what I did do, what I havebeen doing, what I will be
continue to do is for me to domy individual study, for me to
continue talking to my friendsand my family, for me to
continue being in conferencesand educational spaces that I
can learn about the differentreligions and spiritual
(12:22):
practices.
And allowing God and life to, tobe my teacher right now.
That's my hope.
So once again, if you have notalready comment subscribe, do
all of it.
It would mean the world to me.
Literally write a comment oh myGod, you're doing so great.
Or I completely agree with you.
This was a, this was aninteresting topic and an
interesting conversation and, inmy religion.
(12:44):
This is what it says.
And this is the nuance that wasmissing in this conversation.
I would really appreciate that.
'cause once again, this is aspace right where I'm teaching,
but I'm also learning from you.
So hopefully I get to learn moreabout you.
And at some point I'm.
Be interviewing different peopleabout what they believe about
their own lessons andrelationship with God.
(13:05):
So we're definitely gonna growover time, so look out for that
as well.
So now let's start talking aboutdifferent religions and what it
says about what happens when youdie.
So once again, I've doneextensive research in regards to
comparing the differentreligions.
So as I mentioned, I'm gonna betalking about at the foundation
of it, and I'm gonna be lookingat my notes'cause I do have
notes.
(13:26):
You gotta be a student, you haveto have notes, you have to be
prepared.
So I'm gonna be talking aboutIslam because Christianity,
Judaism, Ifa, spiritualitygenerally as well as Hinduism
and Buddhism.
So those are the.
Six, seven religions andspiritual practices that I'll be
talking about.
But also please understand thatthere are nuances in each of the
(13:49):
religions.
Let's be honest.
How someone in uh, first lookingat Christianity, for example,
how someone practicesCatholicism versus how someone
practices baptism.
Very different how someone inIslam practices.
Sunni versus she are verydifferent, and what they believe
might be a little bit different.
So I do wanna acknowledge thatat the basis of what happens
when you die and each religion,there are a little bit more
(14:11):
nuance to it.
And I think based on what youbelieve culturally as well, that
has to play part into it.
Because how a practicing Muslim,who's Nigerian Yoruba believes
about what happens when you diemight be, might look different
from what happens when apracticing a Pakistani Muslim
practices, because ourfoundation culturally might be a
(14:33):
little bit different.
So I would acknowledge thatbecause if I were to really go
deep into it, this would be amovie.
With multiple series andmultiple parts, so I do wanna
definitely say that.
And I also want you to, withthis episode as I'm talking
about your religion, and if Idon't already mention your
religion, please put it in acomment.
'cause I would love to learn.
So definitely comment and tellme more about what you believe,
(14:55):
what your practices are and whatyour culture and religious
beliefs are because it will helpme.
Understand what happens when youdie a little bit more based on
what you believe.
And I just really find itfascinating when people talk
about a person when they die,AKA and ancestor, and how they
believe that they're stillwatching over them.
(15:15):
And one of the things that Ifind most fascinating, and so I
am, I'm a black girl.
I am, I'm a single girl, y'all.
But I'm a black girl, Nigerian,Muslim.
So I'm a black girl, and um, Ilove Meg Thee stallion.
I like her being, I like her.
I like her freedom.
The thing that I love most aboutMeg Thee stallion is the ways
which she honors her mother, andher grandmother.
(15:37):
I think that people don't talkabout that when they talk about
her.
They talk about like the twerkand they talk about like all the
scandals, et cetera, et cetera.
All the drama associated withher.
But I don't think they talkabout the ways in which she
honors her loved ones,particularly those who she's
lost.
And if you talk about, if youwatch Meg Thee stallion talk
about like her mother and hergrandmother, she talks about
like how, oh, my mother and mygrandmother, like they would
(15:58):
watch me, but they wereprotecting me and.
This is the reason why like, I'mas successful, or this is the
reason why I got this far, orthis is, this is it.
So I think that is fascinatingfor me, at least for me.
And I think that's a, that'ssomething that I would love to
study more, what people believe,what happens when they've lost
someone.
(16:18):
And what happens when they thinkthat they're gonna die?
What happen?
What do they believe will happenwhen they die?
I'm fascinated by that.
So of course, once again, thisis this is the last preface, the
truth is God knows a hundredpercent.
None of us know.
Even if the text is this iswhat's happening, the nuances in
the text is sometimes up forinterpretation.
(16:39):
So we really don't fully know.
So I am teaching based on mylimited small, little
theoretical ideas, based on myresearch, but truthfully, God
knows a hundred percent.
So let's say that God knows ahundred percent what happens
when you die, I do not know.
And my goal for this episode isto help us understand what
happens based on what differentreligions say.
But once again, very small,minuscule comprehension.
(17:00):
But hopefully it'll start theconversation in regards to like
us talking about this.
Differences and the similaritiesin the different religions.
So let us start.
So once again, we're gonna betalking about Islam, Ifa,
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism,Hinduism, and spirituality.
And once again, God, I ask if Imisspeak, please forgive me.
(17:22):
God, please forgive me.
God, you like, yeah,, pleaseforgive me.
My intention is for me to teachfrom a place of love.
But once again, I don't knoweverything and I don't know many
things.
So I hope that I hope that Godknows my heart.
My heart is for us to normalizetalking about death and for us
to learn about what happens whenwe die.
(17:45):
And the similarities between thedifferent religions and the
differences in them.
So let's talk about what happensbased on what the different
religions say?
Let's start there.
And I'm gonna be showing achart, while I'm talking, I
created a chart that I think isgorgeous.
So I'll be showing the chart tohelp us see it a little bit more
uh, closely.
And if you're listening to thisepisode on audio or wherever you
(18:08):
are listening to your podcast,I'll definitely be putting the
chart in the description box.
So please definitely click it.
Um, That I think is the cutestthing because I'm really
committed to this.
So in Islam, they believe in theafterlife, or Muslims believe in
the afterlife, so you have lifeafter your death, and.
In Christianity, they believe inheaven or hell, Islam actually
(18:32):
believes that as well.
In Judaism they believe in theconcept of the underworld, which
is the realm of the dead, or asthey call it, the world to come
slash the afterlife.
So very similar, the three verysimilar major religions.
The an Ifa an Ifa folks don'tknow is Yoruba.
Yoruba religion fundamentally.
(18:54):
So Yoruba specifically, there'sYoruba culture, there's Yoruba
language, and then there's Yuba.
Religion, sometimes they don'tnecessarily intertwine,
especially the language and orthe people and the religion.
I'm Yoruba.
Culturally and ethnically, butnot necessarily religiously.
So these are very differentthings.
So with Ifa what happens whenyou die is they believe in the
(19:17):
ancestral realm.
And in Hinduism they believe inanother life or.
Moksha, pardon of my misvocabulary.
And then in Buddhism, theybelieve in another life or
nirvana.
The other thing that I wasstudying was, do they believe in
judgment day?
In Islam, the answer is yes.
There is a day of judgment andChristianity.
(19:39):
The answer is yes.
Immediately or a final judgment.
In Judaism, the answer is yes,there's a resurrection of the
righteousness of the mosaic, ageand Ifa.
The short answer is no.
There's no formal judgment, butancestors influence our destiny.
And Hinduism, the answer iskarma based judgment, and that
(20:03):
in Buddhism, the answer is karmadetermines rebirth.
So I think it's fascinating, interms of judgment.
Day'Cause once you die, whathappens then?
And is there, like do, do youget like a day where God decides
like what happens to you if it'sheaven or hell or if you're
becoming an ancestor or not?
(20:24):
So I find that fascinating.
The other question I wasstudying is, do they believe in
a rebirth or reincarnation?
Because I think that's anotherthing that people, pe, people
think about, so in Islam theanswer is no.
They don't believe inreincarnation and rebirth
Christianity.
Also know in Judaism, sometraditions believe in
(20:45):
reincarnation.
In Ifa.
Short answer is yes in someplaces.
And some people believe thatit's within your family lineage.
But once again, of course, weknow that there's nuances based
on what people believe.
Hinduism, the answer is yes, Acycle of rebirth.
Some Sarah and Buddhism, theanswer is yes, there is
(21:06):
reincarnation.
So I also was studying what isthe ultimate goal?
Based on what the differentreligions are saying, the
ultimate goal is for us to livean eternal life in paradise in
Islam.
So that's Jannah.
The ultimate goal forChristianity is to live a
eternal life with God in heaven,which is the same thing as
(21:28):
Islam.
The other religion.
Judaism is life in the world tocome or unity with God.
That's the ultimate goal.
Very similar to the three thethree Abrahamic faiths,
fascinatingly similar.
And Ifa the ultimate goal isbecoming an ancestor and guiding
the living.
That's the ultimate goal, tomake sure that you are able to
(21:50):
continue supporting the peoplewho are living on this earth.
And in Hinduism, the ultimategoal is liberation which is from
this.
Cycle of rebirth.
And then in Buddhism, theultimate goal is enlightenment,
which is nana or freedom fromsuffering.
That's the ultimate goal.
(22:11):
So that's fascinating.
So now I'm gonna talk a littlebit more about like my favorite,
saying associated with.
Each religion or a spiritualpractice.
And particularly a lot of themare associated with the books or
the texts, the Quran for Islam,the Bible and Christianity.
But I just find it fascinatingbecause I think it's important
(22:32):
to understand through what theclosest thing that we have to
God's word to see theassociation of God and death
through the words or through theoral tradition or through the
text from the sacred text.
So in Islam, for example one ofthe things that.
That Muslims say that I love'cause I'm Muslim is verily from
(22:57):
Allah, we come and to him wereturn.
And this is IAF 1 56 and one ofmy favorite parts about
particularly Muslims is hownormal we talk about death.
We really do because one of thethings that we acknowledge is
that this life is temporary.
This life is very temporary andreally the hereafter is the most
(23:20):
permanent piece of it all.
And in order for us to get tothe hereafter, to, to the Jannah
to the heaven and then there'shell to the heaven is that we do
our best in this world.
But like, really, we should betrying to do our best and honor
life as much as we can becauseit's only going to help us.
(23:41):
Prepare for the hereafter.
And I'm only saying it inEnglish so verily from God we
come and to God we return turn.
And in Christianity I wasreading through John.
The New King's James version,John 11, 25 to 26, and Jesus
(24:04):
said to her, I am theresurrection, the life, and who
believes in me.
Though he may die, he shalllive, and whoever lives and
believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?
I think to me, one of the thingsthat I love is the idea of
belief.
And what does it look to be abeliever and what does it to
(24:25):
believe in something sobeautiful?
And what I gathered from thistext is that if you are
believing God or what I'minferring once again, I don't
know everything.
What I infer from this text isthat when you're believing God.
The thing that you believe is athing that usually comes true.
So if you're, if your heart isrooted in God and rooted in
(24:46):
love, then the thing that you'regonna get back is rooted in God
and rooted in love and in orderfor you to live, you should live
that way.
One of my favorite quotesassociated with Judaism in some
ways is may their memory be ablessing?
And this is talking aboutsomeone who's passed away and
(25:07):
rather than saying that, Hey mycondolences, what they say is,
may their memory be a blessing,primarily.
I'm sure that they also say mycondolences and I think that is
just so powerful.
And I started asking what is theroot of that and the root.
They got it from Proverbs tenseven, which states the memory
of their righteous is blessed.
(25:28):
And I think there's something sopowerful about may their memory
be a blessing, because reallythe goal as we live is for us to
make sure that our memory in ourand our life.
Be a blessing to those aroundus.
And when we transition, our goalis for people to remember our
blessings more than ourstruggles and more than our
(25:49):
harms that we've done or ourhurts that we've done.
'Cause of course, likeforgiveness has to happen,
right?
but I'm saying that ultimatelyat the foundation of it all, as
we transition, may our memory bea blessing.
May, may, the person who've whoyou lost, may the memory be a
blessing.
May you really experience themin the lightest ways and
remember them in a beautifulway, and that any hurt that
(26:10):
they've caused you or anyquestioning of God God, why now
may their memory be a blessing.
And next up in terms of Ifa andwhat, one of my favorite quotes
associated with Ifa is everybodyborn into.
The world is bound to die.
It is only existence in heaventhat is permanent.
(26:32):
This is very simple.
It's very similar to Islam whereit's verily from God we came and
to God we return.
So it's Hey, y'all we're boundto die and the only thing that's
permanent.
Is the afterlife.
And the next step is Hinduism.
So one of my favorite quotesassociated with Hinduism in some
ways is according to the BabaGod, Gita is the soul is never
(26:57):
born and it never dies.
It is eternal, indestructible,and timeless.
It is not destroyed when thebody is destroyed.
I think there's something sopowerful about that, as they
say, our body and our bo and ourspirits are very different.
The separation between the twois real.
Our, when our body dies, ourspirit continues to live on.
(27:19):
And I know in Islam andChristianity and Judaism,
fundamentally, that's what, andIfa that's what they believe.
And this is also capturing thatpart two our bodies might be
destroyed, but our soul is not.
And there's something sobeautiful about knowing that the
soul lives and it continues tolive.
And the last one that I wannatalk about is Buddhism.
(27:41):
And my favorite quote associatedwith Buddha is, even death is
not to be feared by one who haslived wisely.
lemme repeat that again.
Even death is not to be fearedby one who has lived wisely.
What this is saying is thaty'all, let's live.
(28:02):
Let's live.
Let's live the life.
No, seriously.
There's something so immenselypowerful about choosing to live
wisely, and choosing to liveintentionally.
'cause when you liveintentionally you don't have
anything to fear.
Death is not the, that death isnot to be fearful or to be
feared of because if you'rechoosing to be live wisely.
(28:24):
If you're choosing to liveintentionally, if you're
choosing to live in purpose,then all the beautiful things
that are bound to happen to youwill happen to you after you die
because God is Hey, you'vehonored me.
You've done your best withcharacter.
You've done your best withtreating yourself well.
You've done your best withtreating your neighbor well.
You've done your best inhonoring me.
So ultimately the next step isheaven or as as Buddhist believe
(28:47):
is Enlightenment nirvana orLiberation Hinduism.
Or for Ifa, you becoming themost honored ancestor, Or in
other religions, Judaism,Christianity, and Islam.
The idea of the beautiful partof afterlife and being connected
to God and experiencingparadise.
Or eternal life with God.
So y'all in all, let's live.
(29:11):
Let us live in the midst of usexperiencing people who are
dying around us, us continuingto live life.
'cause at some point we're allgonna die.
Is that we live.
Live.
And the hope right now is for usto live with less fear, for us
to live with less fear that isnot in alignment with God.
(29:34):
Yeah, like Before I got on themicrophone, I called one of my
brothers shout out to my brotherAmalu.
And I was like,, I'm so scared.
Like I don't know if I wanna dothis.
Oh my God.
And he was like,, girl, hepoured into me so well, and I
really appreciate like hisaffirming words.
Um, and, And yeah,, I thinkthat's a part of life, like
being able to like acknowledgethat like, Hey, girl.
(29:54):
Like You will have fear and somefears are important to have, but
others is keeping you stuck.
It's keeping you unhappy.
It's actually keeping youdepressed.
It's actually keeping you fromliving the life that you really
want.
It's actually keeping you inregret.
And in this phase of our lives,we don't want that.
We do not wanna exist in fearright now.
(30:16):
We do not wanna exist in regret.
We want to live because of thepeople that we've, that we know
who, who have transitioned forone, they would want us to live.
And then two we wanna continueliving a life.
Oh, and the other part and Iwanna talk a little bit more
about the spirituality and thespiritual world, because as I
mentioned before one of thethings that I've studied and I'm
a part of is religious andspiritual spaces.
(30:38):
And I've seen many of my friendswho spoke about them being
around a loved one who wastransitioning and they were
right next to them.
On their deathbed, they speakabout how light they're
transitioning is between theirbodies dying and their spirits
just ascending, and.
And there's a particularlightness that happens in their
being.
They start smiling more theystart becoming lighter.
(31:01):
It's very there's a oozingfeeling that they that they've
described to me.
And I think that's just sobeautiful.
So I think even in the midst ofus talking about death and us
talking about the transitionalmoments, what the transitional,
what if the transitional momentof between us living and us
dying is actually a smooth one.
It's a easy one.
It's a good one, so why?
(31:21):
Why be scared of death?
And truthfully, if we're tryingto get real deep, I'm like,, th
this, this, this earth stuff is,is not cute.
Earth sometimes could be heavyand not fun.
Um, So if this is, if this islike the, the, this could be the
worst of our, of our being, andafter this it only gets better.
(31:42):
Like, yeah..
Um, I'm being serious.
Uh, But yeah..
But um, I'm praying for you.
All right.
I'm praying for us all.
And if you.
If you need a prayer, if youneed some lightness energy, if
you need whatever it's that youneed, put in the comments.
Or send me a DM on my socialmedia pages, activate God on
YouTube, Instagram, TikTok andthreads.
(32:04):
And my number and my email isassociated with.
It as well.
But I would love to hear alittle bit more about what you
believe about death and whatyour religion, say specifically,
your particular upbringing sayabout what happens when you die.
And I can tell you what Ibelieve personally at this very
moment of my life.
So once again, I mentioned I'mMuslim Nigerian, Muslim, Yoruba
(32:25):
particularly Yoruba, culturally,not Yoruba, religiously, and
what I believe.
At this very moment, I mightchange in two days from now, but
at this very moment I believe inthe idea of heaven and hell.
But I believe that God reallywants the best for us.
And I believe the more good youdo in this world, the more
you'll be able to experienceheaven.
(32:47):
And the more likely you'll getinto the place of heaven.
That's my personal belief.
And then I believe that once youdo get to heaven, you'll be able
to continue to be a source ofguidance to the people who are
living here.
That's what I believe.
I believe that.
I believe that because of Ithink people who transitioned
have the ability to continue toimpact our lives till this day.
(33:10):
Whether or not it is through byit is through their energy.
Whether or not it is throughthem continuing to give us signs
whether or not that is them,literally being a guy, guardian,
angel or guardian.
Angel to us.
Um, I believe that.
I believe that.
Okay.
I usually share a prayer at theend of the episode.
So assume a posture ofreverence.
However way you wanna pray.
(33:36):
Dear God, thank you for yetanother day.
Thank you for allowing us tolive.
Thank you for allowing us tobreathe.
Thank you for allowing us toexperience life.
Thank you for allowing us tounderstand that life is meant to
be lived and death is ultimatelyinevitable.
Please allow us to live a lifethat we can bask in.
And as we do lose people and aswe Also experience our own loss.
(34:00):
God, please give us a easefulheart, an intentional mind, a
light spirit, that allows us toreally go through the grief
stages that we need to gothrough of losing someone, but
also allows us to know that theliving right now is not the end
of it all.
So God, I ask that you continueto protect us, that you continue
to protect our loved ones, thatyou continue to know what's best
(34:21):
for us and allow us to exist inwhat's best for us.
Allow our actions to be inalignment with you.
God, I thank you.
God, we thank you.
We thank you for all thesethings and more.
We thank you for the ways inwhich you continue to protect
us, guide us, love us, andcontinue to show us the way.
Please continue to set us up ona straight path, a path of joy,
(34:41):
a path of love, a path oflightness, a path of living, a
path of purpose, a path ofcontentment.
Thank you, God.
And we ask for all these thingsand more.
'cause you know that we arepeople who desire more.
As we continue to exist ingratitude and contentment.
We ask for all these things andmore.
Thank you.
Ameen, Amen, and Ase…! And onceagain, I would like to thank you
(35:06):
all so much for watching thisepisode.
This episode was a lot for me,to be quite honest, as I
mentioned.
But I'm grateful that I did itbecause life was meant to be
lived and life was meant to belived with minimal fear, with
fears.
But not to be stopped by thefears that are actually
inhibiting us from existing andpurpose.
So once again, thank you forwatching.
And during the next episode, I'mgonna be talking about what does
(35:28):
it look like to be committed?
To be committed to, to becommitted to your purpose, to be
committed to have conviction.
That's what's gonna be next.
Um, yeah,, And I'd love to hearwhat topics you'd like me to
cover.
Because we're gonna be talkingabout for one, life lessons is a
part of activate God, but alsostudying what different
religions say and comparing andcontrasting religion and
(35:49):
spirituality.
So we're gonna do it all.
Once again, thank you.
Thank you.
This was a pleasure.
We must do this more often.
We must.
We must.
Um, And once again, if you havenot already, please be sure to
like,, comment, subscribe,share, and do all the other
(36:10):
stuff.
I think I said it all.
I'd greatly appreciate it.
Well, Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Ciao.
Bye.
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