How is the concept of Reincarnation treated in Islam?

Question

I wonder if the concept of Reincarnation has been clearly refused in Qur'an/Islam. If so, in which verse/hadith?

Answer 1

Wikipedia defines Reincarnation as:

Reincarnation is the religious or philosophical concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the moral quality of the previous life's actions.

One of the primary beliefs of Islam is the belief in the Hereafter, resurrection, the Paradise and the Hell.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning]:

“Everyone shall taste death. Then unto Us you shall be returned”[ al-‘Ankaboot 29:57 ]

And He says (interpretation of meaning):

“To Him is the return of all of you. The Promise of Allaah is true. It is He Who begins the creation and then will repeat it, that He may reward with justice those who believed and did deeds of righteousness. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of boiling fluids and painful torment because they used to disbelieve” [ Yunus 10:4 ]

He also says [interpretation of the meaning]:

Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting.

And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender)” [ Maryam 19:94-95 ]

And He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Surely, He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection about which there is no doubt” [ al-Nisa’ 4:87 ]

And He says concerning the disbelievers who think they will not be resurrected (interpretation of the meaning):

“The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the Account). Say (O Muhammad): Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did; and that is easy for Allaah” [ al-Taghaabun 64:7 ]

Allah says refuting those who claim reincarnation (interpretation of the meaning):

Do they not see how many of the generations We have destroyed before them Verily, they will not return to them. [ Ya-Sin 36:31 ]

Which means " do you not learn a lesson from those nations whom Allah destroyed before you of those who disbelieved in the Messengers. They came to this world only once, and will not return to it."

There are several hadeeth as well which mention and confirm resurrection. For example:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In man there is a bone which will not be consumed by the earth, and from it he will be regenerated on the Day of Resurrection.” They asked, “What bone is that, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “The tailbone.” (Narrated by Muslim, 5255).

The idea of reincarnation is rejection and denial of resurrection and hereafter and it has been refuted by texts of Islam.

Answer 2

There are verses which contradict Reincarnation other than Barzakh itself which clearly contradicts it (since you're asking for them specifically):

• Al-Mu'minun: [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back(99) That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected(100)

• Ya-sin: And the Horn will be blown; and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten(51) They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?" [The reply will be], "This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the messengers told the truth."(52)It will not be but one blast, and at once they are all brought present before Us(53)

• Al-baqarah: How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned(28)

And a hadith on this matter from Alī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā:

من قال بالتناسخ فهو كافر بالله العظيم مكذب بالجنة والنار...
Someone who believes in Reincarnation is a disbeliever (kafir) and has refuted heaven and hell.

Answer 3

according to this verse there is no reincarnation in Islam

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ ﴿٩٩﴾ لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

[23:99] [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back

[23:100] That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.

also:

كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

[2:28] How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.

Answer 4

Reincarnation is not in accordance with the Qur'an or Sunnah. In Islam we believe in the hereafter, meaning we die in this life and and are brought back to life in the next. The concept of reincarnation is that someone dies and then begins a new life in a new form. Islam rejects this concept, we believe that when we die we go to the Barzakh and we stay there until The Day of Judgement. Furthermore the concept of reincarnation basically means one doesn't die, just begins a new life in a new form/body, but Allah says:

كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ ذَآٮِٕقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ‌ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ

Every soul shall taste of death; then unto Us ye shall be returned.

Surat Al Ankaboot Ayah 57

Answer 5

There is no concept of Re-Incarnation in islam. In islam, there is Re-birth, but only once. And that is that when a person dies, he will be again given life only at the day of judgment and that life will be eternal, never ending. Thre is no birth-death-birth-death.... life cycle in Islam

Answer 6

There is no Reincarnation belief in Islam, but the Reincarnation comes from Islam.

Almost all kind of corrupted and baatil mis-beliefs comes from ancient Islam ummats. After their nabis die, their original Islam beliefs start to corrupt over time, and they finally become mythologies and these kind of mis-beliefs (like Reincarnation).

That is the reason why the mythology and Abrahamic religions look so much alike.