Egyptian: The Egyptian beliefs in afterlife and practices regarding the dead are immensely complex and difficult to understand. Much is still unknown and scholars still, to this day, formulate new philosophies and theories about the purpose of the enormous burial chambers known as the pyramids, and other concepts. A very recent theory by one English scholar is that the pyramids were actually steps to the stars, so that a pharaoh may climb them and take his god-given place amongst the stars, to shine in the heavens eternally. The Egyptians believed in an underworld inasmuch as souls descend through burial. A great deal of their belief in the afterlife revolved around the pharaoh they worshipped, because the pharaoh himself was considered to be the representative of the gods. Proper & ceremonial burial of the pharaoh would, in turn, secure a place in a pleasing afterlife for each of his followers. The anointing and embalming of every body was a solemn and sacred ritual for the Egyptians, with priests of Anubis (god of the dead) donning a death mask to perform their deathly duties. Many bodies were buried with personal effects and riches cherished in life, so that the souls could take them with them to the afterlife.
Hebrew: The earliest Hebrew beliefs were quite grim; upon death the soul was reduced to naught but a "shade," an insignificant wisp of psychic energy which descended into Sheol, a dreary pit beneath the Earth. The good and the evil both ended up in Sheol in these early beliefs. Eventually that changed, however, with the good being placed in one area of the afterlife and the evil in another, not unlike ancient Greek beliefs. Similarly, Christianity embraced this concept in its topology of heaven, purgatory (now largely removed from Christian teachings), and hell.
Islamic: Similarly to many of the cultures mentioned above, the afterlife of Islam involves a paradise for good-doers and a hellish punishment for evil-doers. After the dead are buried and the mourners have departed, two angels are believed to visit the spirits of the departed for judgement. An interrogation ensues, and if the dead answer all the questions concerning Islam correctly, they proceed to paradise. If the questions are answered incorrectly, they are sent to hell. There is a belief in a day of resurrection for all such souls, when the dead will be made to face God and be judged directly. All actions
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