Preferably a knowledgeable Muslim

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:sl:

I have a few questions about the afterlife, which is bewildering to me for sometime based on different kinds of readings...

1-When people die, are they aware of other dead people?
2-Are they aware that they are dead, and are they aware of the living?
3- Are dead people aware of jinn, and do jinn die?...

I have had several dreams where I was visited by dead members of my extended family and the dreams are very specific, very descript and happen!

Also is the barzakh inside the grave itself or some other place where the soul travels.. in other words is the grave the barzakh or is the grave a mere sarcophagus for the body with the soul traveling else where to the barzakh? is the barzakh a solitary place? or are the dead with one another?

any insight in an engaging manner would be appreciated..



:w:
 
:sl:

They are good questions give me a week or so and I will bring you an answer inshAllah.

I am sorry to hear that you do not have any scholars over in your location yes! lol
 
:sl:

Jazaka Allah khyran.. I'll wait for your replies..

There is a scholar in my area, my bro's best friend and a graduate of Al-Azhar with post grad studies at yale-- however, he has been very sick lately and in need of a transplant to save his life (I have written about him here before asking for members to offer him their du3a) I don't want to burden the poor man with questions when he is in such bad shape.. May Allah swt bless him and grant him recovery..

:w:
 
i think these might* not require scholarly answers

''Are they aware that they are dead?''

''and do jinn die?...''


* allah knows best
 
:sl:

I have a few questions about the afterlife, which is bewildering to me for sometime based on different kinds of readings...

:wasalamex


1-When people die, are they aware of other dead people?

According to IslamQA, there's a fatwa that dead people can visit other dead people.

I have been wondering for some time now about the condition of the grave. I wanted to know if dead people actually visit or see or feel each other whilst in the grave.


Praise be to Allaah. Yes, it is proven that the souls of the believers meet and visit one another.

There follow some of the ahaadeeth which indicate that, as well as some of the fatwas of the scholars on this matter.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the believer is dying, the angels of mercy come to him with white silk and say: ‘Come out content and with the pleasure of Allaah upon you to the mercy of Allaah, fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ So it comes out like the best fragrance of musk. They pass him from one to another until they bring him to the gate of heaven, where they say: ‘How good is this fragrance that has come to you from the earth!’ Then the souls of the believers come to him and they rejoice more over him than any one of you rejoices when his absent loved one comes to him. They ask him: ‘What happened to So and so, what happened to So and so?’ They say: ‘Let him be, for he was in the hardship of the world. When he says, ‘Did he not come here?’ They say: ‘He was taken to the pit (of Hell).’ When the kaafir is dying, the angers of punishment come to him with sackcloth and say: ‘Come out discontent and subject to divine wrath to the punishment of Allaah. So it comes out like the foulest stench of a corpse. They bring him to the gates of the earth, where they say: ‘How foul is this stench!’ Then they bring him to the souls of the kuffaar.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 1833; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2758.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: Does his soul meet with the souls of his family and relatives? According to the hadeeth narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari and others of the salaf, and narrated by Abu Haatim in al-Saheeh from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “When his soul is taken up it is met by the souls who ask him about the living and they say to one another: ‘Let him rest.’ And they say: ‘What happened to So and so?’ And he says: ‘He did a righteous deed.’ They say: ‘What happened to So and so?’ and he says: ‘Has he not come to you?’ They say: ‘No.’ They say: ‘He was taken to the Pit (of Hell).’”
And because the deeds of the living are shown to the dead, Abu’l-Darda’ used to say: “O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from doing any deed that would shame me before ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Rawaahah.” This is how they meet when he comes and they ask him questions and they answer him.

With regard to where they settle, that depends on their status before Allaah. For the one who is among those who are close to Allaah (al-muqarrabeen – cf. al-Waaqi’ah 56:88), his status will be higher than those of the Right Hand (cf. al-Waaqi’ah 56:90). The one who is higher may descend to the one who is lower but the one who is lower cannot ascend to the one who is higher, thus they will gather when Allaah wills as they used to gather in this world, despite their differences in status, and they will visit one another.

That will happen whether their places in which they are buried in this world are far apart or close together. Souls may meet even though their places of burial are far apart, or they may be separated even though their places of burial are close together. A believer may be buried beside a kaafir, but the soul of the former will be in Paradise whilst the soul of the latter is in Hell. Two men may be sitting or sleeping in the same place, but the heart of one is blessed and the heart of the other is tormented, and there is no connection between the two souls. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Souls are troops collected together and those who got along with each other (in the heaven from whence they come) would have an affinity with one another (in this world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in heaven) would also be divergent (in the world).” Narrated by Muslim, 2638; Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 24/368.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:
The second issue is whether the souls of the dead meet one another, visit one another and talk to one another.

This is a good question. The answer is that souls are of two types: those that are punished and those that are blessed. Those that are punished are too preoccupied with the torment that they are facing to visit and meet one another, but the souls that are blessed are free and are not detained, so they meet one another, visit one another and talk about what they used to do in this world and what happened to the people of this world. So each soul will be with its friends who did similar good deeds. The soul of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is with the highest companions. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whoso obey Allaah and the Messenger (Muhammad), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allaah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddeeqoon (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As‑Siddeeq), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!”
[al-Nisa’ 4:69]

This togetherness is confirmed in this world, in al-Barzakh and in the abode of reward (Paradise), and “A man will be with those whom he loves” in these three realms… Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“(It will be said to the pious — believers of Islamic Monotheism): ‘O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!
28. ‘Come back to your Lord,— well‑pleased (yourself) and well‑pleasing (unto Him)!
29. ‘Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves,
30. ‘And enter you My Paradise!’”
[al-Fajr 89:27-30]

i.e., enter among them and be one of them. This is said to the soul at the time of death… And Allaah has told us that the martyrs are: “are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:169]; they “rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:170] and “They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allaah” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:171]. This indicates that they will meet one another in three ways: (1) they are with their Lord and are given provision, and if they are alive then they meet one another; (2) they rejoice at the arrival of their brothers and their meeting with them; and (3) the word yastabshiroon (translated as “rejoice”) implies that they pass the good news to one another. Al-Rooh, p. 17, 18.

There are ahaadeeth which state that the dead visit one another and we are commanded to make their shrouds beautiful because of that, but none of these ahaadeeth are saheeh. For example, the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever takes the responsibility of preparing his brother for burial, let him make his shroud beautiful, for they visit one another in them.” Shu’ab al-Eemaan, 7/10.
Its isnaad includes Salam ibn Ibraaheem al-Warraaq whom Ibn Mu’een and al-Dhahabi classed as a liar, as did others.
And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A


http://islamqa.com/en/ref/20820

2-Are they aware that they are dead, and are they aware of the living?

They would be aware that they are dead because the angels would ask them the 3 questions on the first night of their death, Who is your Rabb [Lord], who is your Prophet, and What is your religion?

The true believer would answer these questions and live in ease and reward, but the disbelievers and hypocrites would not know the true answers.


3- Are dead people aware of jinn, and do jinn die?...

[Surah Anbiya 21:34] We never decreed immortality for anyone before you [O Muhammad]; should you die, are they immortal?



Also is the barzakh inside the grave itself or some other place where the soul travels.. in other words is the grave the barzakh or is the grave a mere sarcophagus for the body with the soul traveling else where to the barzakh? is the barzakh a solitary place? or are the dead with one another?

Some ahadith suggest the person is in their grave with a window open to see their destination of Hell or Paradise.

Other texts suggest the person is in Paradise with their soul, but after Judgment Day people enter in their final destination with their bodies too.



Allah knows best.
 
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wa3lykoum aslaam wr wb akhi

Jazaka Allah khyran and what a relief to know, firstly it reconciles well with many of my dreams but at the same time, takes away from the thought that there is this eternal loneliness that befalls the soul while awaiting resurrection, although to be honest, I am not quite sure if the dead have a concept of 'time'

also, I am not quite sure that I understand this:
3- Are dead people aware of jinn, and do jinn die?... [Surah Anbiya 21:34] We never decreed immortality for anyone before you [O Muhammad]; should you die, are they immortal?


pls forgive that I am new to these matters, but does that mean..
does that mean that immortality wasn't granted the ummahs before ummat Mohammed (P) or does it mean that humans are the only immortals? in other words do Jinn die and have the same fate as us, or are they in a completely separate realm where our laws physical and non-physical simply don't apply to them...

I have a strange 'Jinn'? story which was handed down from my grandmother.. that shortly after my grandfather died, she got very sick, and she had seven children, the youngest who was 2 years of age at the time, and the oldest male of fifteen. My uncle really had no idea how to help her and they had no money, so he went in the wee hours of the night to an old town in Egypt and kept roaming looking for any open shop or herb place 'A'atareen' as they called them, but there were none open and no one on the streets, until he met with a very strange looking man who was so white, with white hair and long white beard and really dark eyes, he stopped him and asked him 'son what are you looking for' so my uncle told him the story of my grandmother's illness, and the man told him that he has the cure, reached into his jilbab and gave him some herbs and told him how to steep them.

When my uncle came home, he made the drink for my grandmother and she fell asleep, and the next day she was feeling so much better. When they asked him where he got this from, he told them, that the man who gave him these herbs just didn't seem of this world.. and so I wondering if they can be like us in terms of life and death and righteousness. etc...


:w:
 
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I have a strange 'Jinn'? story which was handed down from my grandmother.. that shortly after my grandfather died, she got very sick, and she had seven children, the youngest who was 2 years of age at the time, and the oldest male of fifteen. My uncle really had no idea how to help her and they had no money, so he went to an old town in Egypt and kept roaming looking for any open shop or herbs 'A'atareen' as they called them, but there was no one, until he met with a very strange looking man who was so white, with white hair and long white beard and really dark eyes, he stopped him and asked him 'son what are you looking for' so my uncle told him the story of my grandmother's illness, and the man told him that he has the cure, reached into his jilbab and gave him some herbs and told him how to steep them.

When my uncle came home, he made the drink for my grandmother and she fell asleep, and the next day she was feeling so much. When they asked him where he got this from, he told them, that the man who gave him these herbs just didn't seem of this world.. and so I wondering if they can be like us in terms of life and death and righteousness. etc..

SubhanAllah. That is really interesting.


There is a scholar in my area, my bro's best friend and a graduate of Al-Azhar with post grad studies at yale-- however, he has been very sick lately and in need of a transplant to save his life (I have written about him here before asking for members to offer him their du3a) I don't want to burden the poor man with questions when he is in such bad shape.. May Allah swt bless him and grant him recovery..

Ameen.
 
sorry I wrote it in a hurry and didn't pay attention to details.. I have tried to edit it a little so it makes better sense insha'Allah..

:w:
 
:sl:

I have a strange 'Jinn'? story which was handed down from my grandmother....
SubHaanAllah! It could be an angel too. There are stories related in Ahadith too, of angels helping/giving glad tidings to humans. There is one story of an angel sitting in the path of a person visiting his Muslim brother just for the sake of Allah, and giving him the glad tidings of Paradise.
 
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SubHaanAllah! It could be an angel too. There are stories related in Ahadith too, of angels helping/giving glad tidings to humans. There is one story of an angel sitting in the path of a person visiting his Muslim brother just for the sake of Allah, and giving him the glad tidings of Paradise.


:sl:

yes it could have been you know, that is why I put a question mark next to 'jinn' that story gave me goose pimples.. but Allah swt took care of her and she raised amazing children, for a poor widow she did very well. May Allah swt grant her ra7ma and paradise' high meed!
I love my grandmother very much, I miss her terribly.. I have dreams of her often..

one night, I was feeling really sick, and I really didn't think I was going to make it because it was such an effort to breathe, anyhow I slept the night and had a dream about her (that is how I knew that she must have known you know) that I wasn't well-- and she sat across from me in the old house, and kept ushering for me to go outside, well when I went outside there was my whole extended family and it was beautiful.. So I took it to mean that I didn't belong with the dead (just yet)

so I wrote about that dream when I woke up to always remember it, though I don't think I could forget it (it was one of many)

Impression!

I didn't want to let her know
The secrets of the dead
The reason we write poetry
It is in their glances of knowing
That which they don't want us to know
So we sit across from each other in silence
over white plates and she points to the
Platform and I went
we posed for pictures
The ocean behind us wild
And dark like a storm
Though perfect in every way
It was just an impression


__________________________

There is a whole other realm out there beyond our logic or comprehension, and I think the closest we get to it, is in some of our dreams..

:w:
 
:sl:

yes it could have been you know, that is why I put a question mark next to 'jinn' that story gave me goose pimples.. but Allah swt took care of her and she raised amazing children, for a poor widow she did very well. May Allah swt grant her ra7ma and paradise' high meed!
I love my grandmother very much, I miss her terribly.. I have dreams of her often..

one night, I was feeling really sick, and I really didn't think I was going to make it because it was such an effort to breathe, anyhow I slept the night and had a dream about her (that is how I knew that she must have known you know) that I wasn't well-- and she sat across from me in the old house, and kept ushering for me to go outside, well when I went outside there was my whole extended family and it was beautiful.. So I took it to mean that I didn't belong with the dead (just yet)

so I wrote about that dream when I woke up to always remember it, though I don't think I could forget it (it was one of many)

Impression!

I didn't want to let her know
The secrets of the dead
The reason we write poetry
It is in their glances of knowing
That which they don't want us to know
So we sit across from each other in silence
over white plates and she points to the
Platform and I went
we posed for pictures
The ocean behind us wild
And dark like a storm
Though perfect in every way
It was just an impression


__________________________

There is a whole other realm out there beyond our logic or comprehension, and I think the closest we get to it, is in some of our dreams..

:w:


Wow, it must have been really strengthening for your faith if your dreams came true repeatedly. Especially in the modern age of experimental proofs.

I had a very close experience. I saw my friend in a dream but with a different name. We were exploring some new lands or something like that, cant remember the details. Then that day what woke me up? A call from that friend :D and hes like on the other side of the world and there was a 0.00000001% possibility of him calling me, especially the day I was having a dream. :p
 
It does, except I always rationalize my dreams as a working of my subconscious mind, but my sub-conscious couldn't make these things up because they just come out of nowhere ..


And Allah swt knows best

:w:
 
It does, except I always rationalize my dreams as a working of my subconscious mind, but my sub-conscious couldn't make these things up because they just come out of nowhere ..


And Allah swt knows best

:w:

True but that would be Freudian analysis right? If dreams are just a product of sub-conscious mind without any relationship the All Knowing, why did they come true? On the other hand, we also have dreams that DO NOT come true but Islam accepts that and calls them to be from Shaytaan.
 
:sl:

If I had wanted I would have had a go on answering the questions myself but I know these type of questions, they might look easy on the surface but they are usually very deep (just like the iceberg that sank the titanic) that is why I prefered refering this to a scholar.

In Islaam we basically have three types of dreams, evil dreams or nightmares and these are from Shaytaan.

Then there are good true dreams and they are from Allah. And finally a great portion of our dreams are just idle thoughts we have had throughout our day.
 
Jazaka Allah khyran

It won't allow me to download it without parting with some info. or logging in...
Is there a way I can download it without signing up for some service?

:w:
 
found the answer to one question so far in the book:


Udhma on the authority of Qataada.’ Regardless of
whether or not this hadith is authentic, the verse above is
clear that the jinn have intercourse and that satisfies us as
proof.
Some people allege that the jinn do not eat, drink or have
sex, but that claim is false as we have shown in our clear
proofs from the Quran and the sunnah.
Some scholars are of the opinion that there are different
types of jinn and some of them do eat or drink while
others do not. Wahb ibn Munabih said, “The jinn are of
different kinds. One is a pure jinn, and that is like a wind
that does
And there
not
IS a
eat or drink, nor does it die or procreate.
class of them that does eat, drink, procreate
and has sex and dies. And those are those female demons
and desert demons and similar others.” This was recorded
by ibn Jarir at
 
:sl:

I have a few questions about the afterlife, which is bewildering to me for sometime based on different kinds of readings...

1-When people die, are they aware of other dead people?
2-Are they aware that they are dead, and are they aware of the living?
3- Are dead people aware of jinn, and do jinn die?...

I have had several dreams where I was visited by dead members of my extended family and the dreams are very specific, very descript and happen!

Also is the barzakh inside the grave itself or some other place where the soul travels.. in other words is the grave the barzakh or is the grave a mere sarcophagus for the body with the soul traveling else where to the barzakh? is the barzakh a solitary place? or are the dead with one another?

any insight in an engaging manner would be appreciated..



:w:

Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, the following will give you a deeper insight into life after death and the stage of Barzakh:

The Journey of the Soul after death

When we die then this part of our journey ends as our death begins.

No one knows where, how and when he or she will die. "Verily, the
knowledge of the hour is with Allah (alone). It is He who sends down
rain, and He who knows what is in the wombs, nor does anyone know
what it is that he will earn on the morrow. Nor does anyone know in
what land he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full knowledge and He
is acquainted (with all things.)" (31:34) Nor does anyone have the
right to take his or her own life. If they do they will
automatically go to Hell. The One who gave life is the only one who
has the right to take life.

When someone begins to die the Angel of Death or Izraeel comes to
take the soul out of the body and puts it in a place called the
Barzakh. "Say: 'The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly)
take your souls. Then shall you be brought back to your Lord."
(32:11) "Wherever you are, Death will find you out, even if you are
in towers built up strong and high! " (4:78)

For those who led a life of evil, the removal of the soul is tough
and difficult. Sometimes, more than one angel has to work together to
beat the face and back of the deceased. But for those who lived a
good life, the soul yearns to meet its Lord and leaves the body with
ease, like a drop of water pouring out. A light like the sun's ray
and a sweet fragrance come out to the soul. Then it ascends amid
rows of angels, but those who are there cannot see or smell this.
The deceased is questioned, punished, beaten, and wails, and cries
out. All this happens while they lie dead and their family is around
them, but they neither hear nor see it. The sleeper dreams and
enjoys their dream or is tormented by it, while someone awake at
their side is not able to perceive what is going on at all.

Allah has given inanimate objects awareness and perception by which
they glorify their Lord. The stones fall down out of fear of Him.
The mountains and trees prostrate. The pebbles, water and plants
glorify Him. All this is going on but we are not aware of it. "There
is nothing which does not glorify His praise but you do not
understand their glorification." (17:44) The Companions heard the
food that was being eaten glorifying Allah. That was because the
Companions had a transparency of heart that does not now exist among
us. All these things are part of our world and yet we are in
complete ignorance of them. It is not too much of an extrapolation
to extend this to our being unaware of the things of the Next World.

After the soul is taken, if it is a pure soul and has relatives in
the Next World who are people of the Garden, they come to meet the
soul with yearning and great joy. They ask it about the condition of
those who are still alive and 'suffering' in this world. The angels
then bear the soul from one heaven to the next until it comes into
the presence of Allah, Then it returns and sees the washing of the
body, its shrouding, and the funeral procession. It says either,
'Take me forward! Take me forward!' or 'Where are you taking me?'
The living, of course, hear none of this. The soul comes back and
stays floating above the body and when the corpse is placed in the
grave, the soul inserts itself between the body and the shroud so
that the questioning can take place.

Whenever someone died, the prophet (saw) would stand for awhile at
the burial site and then say, "Seek forgiveness for your (Muslim)
brother and pray for his steadfastness since he is now being
questioned." [Abu Dawud]

The angels pray for the soul of the believer in the heavens just as
people pray over the body on earth. The soul hears the receding
footfall of the last of the people who followed the funeral and the
earth is levelled over them. The earth or even a rock hollowed out
and sealed over with lead, would not prevent the two angels, Munkar
and Nakir from reaching it.

This is all narrated in the following sound hadith of the prophet
(saw):

"When the believer is about to depart from this world and go forward
into the Next World, angels with faces as bright as the sun descend
from the heavens and sit around him in throngs stretching as far as
the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at his head
and says, "Good soul, come out to forgiveness and pleasure from
Allah!" Then his soul emerges like a drop of water flows from a
water-skin and the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped it,
the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling
of an eye. They take it and place it in a perfumed shroud and
fragrance issues from it like the sweetest scent of musk found on the
face of the earth.'

"Then they bear it upwards and whenever they take it past a company
of angels, they ask, 'Who is this good soul?' and the angels with the
soul reply, 'So-and-so the son of so-and-so,' using the best names by
which people used to call him in this world. They bring him to the
lowest heaven and ask for the gate to be opened for him. It is
opened for him and angels who are near Allah from each of the heavens
accompany him to the subsequent heaven until he reaches to the heaven
where Allah the Great is. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says,
'Register the book of My slave in 'Illiyun and take him back to
earth. I created them from it and I return them to it and I will
bring them forth from it again.'

"His soul is then returned to his body and two angels come to him.
They make him sit up and say to him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies,
'My Lord is Allah.' They ask him, 'What is your religion?' He
replies, 'My religion is Islam.' They ask him, 'Who is this man who
was sent among you?' He replies, 'The Messenger of Allah.' They ask
him, 'How did you come to know these things?.' He replies, 'I read
the Book of Allah, believed it, and declared it to be true.' Then a
Voice from on high declares, 'My slave has spoken the truth, so
spread out carpets from the Garden for him and open a gate of the
Garden for him!'

"Then some of its fragrance and perfume comes to him, his grave is
expanded for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with beautiful
garments and a fragrant scent comes to him and says, 'Rejoice in what
delights you for this is the day which you were promised.' He asks,
'Who are you? Yours is a face which presages good.' He replies, 'I
am your good actions.' Then he says, 'O Lord, let the Last Hour come
soon so that I may rejoin my family and my property!'

"When an unbeliever is about to depart from this world and go forward
into the Next World, angels with black faces descend from the heavens
carrying rough hair-cloth and sit around him in throngs stretching as
far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at his
head and says, 'Foul soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allah!'
Then his soul divides up in his body and it is dragged out like a
skewer is pulled out of wet wool. Then the angel takes hold of it.
When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand
even for the twinkling of an eye. They take it and wrap it in the
rough haircloth and a stench comes out of it like the worst stench of
a corpse on the face of the earth.'

"Then they take it up and whenever they take it past a company of
angels, they ask, 'Who is this foul soul?' and the angels with the
soul reply, 'So-and-so the son of so-and-so,' using the worst names
by which people used to call him in this world. They bring him to
the lowest heaven and ask for the gate to be opened for him. It does
not get opened.'

"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
then recited, 'The gates of heaven will not be opened to them nor
will they enter the Garden until the camel passes through the eye of
the needle.' (7:40) Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic, will say,
'Register his book in Sijjin in the lowest earth.' Then his soul is
flung down. The Prophet then recited, 'Whoever associates anything
with Allah, it is as though he has fallen from heaven and the birds
snatch him away or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far
away.' (22:31)

"Then his soul is returned to his body and two angels come and say to
him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies, 'Alas, alas, I do not know!'
Then a voice calls from on high, 'My slave has lied, so spread out
carpets from the Fire for him and open a gate of the Fire for him!'
then a hot blast from it comes to him, his grave is made so narrow
for him that his ribs are pressed together, and a man with a hideous
face and clothing and a foul odour comes to him and says, 'Grieve on
account of what has brought you disgrace for this is the day which
you were promised.' He asks, 'Who are you? Yours is a face which
presages evil.' He replies, 'I am your bad actions.' Then he says, 'O
Lord, do not let the Last Hour come!'"

This life in the grave or Interspace is the next part of our
journey. An 'interspace' is something that separates two things:
heaven and earth, this world and the Next World or the period between
death and resurrection. The bliss or punishment of the Interpsace is
not the same as that of the Herafter, but rather something that
happens between the two worlds.

In death, the body remains in the ground while the soul is in the
interspace or Barzakh between the two worlds. However, the two are
still connected and so the bliss or punishment happens to both of
them. When Allah desires bliss or punishment for the soul, He
connects it to the body. This is dependent on the will of Allah and
dependent on a person's own actions. The soul is diffused in more
than one place at the same time. The proof of this is that the
prophet (saw) saw Musa (as) on the night of the Night Journey
standing in prayer in his grave and he also saw him in the sixth and
seventh heavens.

During this life in the grave part of our journey the souls are
divided into two groups: one group is punished and the other group is
in bliss. Usually when we think of the 'grave', it is a word that
inspires fear. We are pained, but not aware of the delight it can
contain. Indeed, the bliss of the Grave is better than any delight
that this world can offer.

The liberated souls of those who are in bliss visit each other and
discuss what happened in the world they have left and the people of
that world. Allah says, "Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they
are with those whom Allah has blessed, the prophets, the sincere, the
martyrs and the righteous. Very excellent companions they are!"
(4:69)


As the hadiths narrate, if the soul was a believing one, a door onto
the fire is opened and the soul is shown it's place in the Fire had
they disobeyed Allah. Then that door is locked and another door onto
the Garden is opened and they are shown their place there. This door
will remain open until the Day of Rising. Some of the sweetness and
fragrance of the Garden reaches them and their grave is made
spacious. The believer sleeps in peace just as if they were in one
of the meadows of the Garden. Their narrow grave expands and
stretches for the soul as far as the eye can see.


This spaciousness, light and greenery in which the believer remains
from the time of his death until the Day of Rising is not the same as
we know in our world. If a living person were to open a grave, they
would not find any expanse, light or greenness there. They would not
find an open door through which they could see the Garden. They do
not see bliss or torment. It is only the dead person who is aware of
these things and sees them. Allah, through His wisdom, has the power
to veil this from the living. The proof that this is so is shown by
the fact that there are other creatures like the Jinn who live with
us on the earth. They converse in raised voices among us but we do
not see or hear them. There were angels who fought with the
believers (at Badr) and struck down the unbelievers and shouted at
them, but the Muslims did not see or hear them. Jibril came to the
prophet (saw) in the midst of the people and they did not see or hear
them.

If however the soul was a disbelieving one, a door to the Garden is
opened for the unbeliever and they are told to look at what their
place would have been in the Garden had they obeyed Allah. Then it
is locked and another door is opened and they are told to look at
their place in the fire. It stays open and the blast of hot air from
it continues to reach them until the Day of Rising. The earth
presses in on them and they are crushed to the point that their ribs
split apart.

If a righteous person were to be buried in a fiery furnace, their
portion of bliss would still reach their soul and body and Allah
would make the fire cool and peaceful for them. For the wrongdoer,
the cool air becomes fire and hot wind. The elements and the matter
of the universe obey their Lord, Originator and Creator. None of them
are able to do anything except what He wills and everything obeys His
will in humble submission to His decree.

This part of our journey in our graves is still mostly unknown
territory. Outwardly the grave is stillness and quiet while inwardly
it contains secrets and terrors which an ordinary person cannot
percieve. It is a strange fact that animals are able to hear the
punishment in the grave while human beings as a general rule cannot.
The prophet (saw) said, "They are punished and the animals hear it."

Various forms of punishment rain down on a person in the grave
according to the type of wrong actions they committed. There are
hadiths of the prophet (saw) about the Night Journey which contain
descriptions of the many types of punishment he saw in the interspace
between the two worlds.

There are those who are driven like cattle and forced to eat herbage
more bitter than aloes and the bitter fruit of Zaqqum and driven on
to the hot stones of Jahannam because they did not purify their
property by paying Zakat.

There are those who have to eat foul putrid meat because they
fornicated. Some of them have bellies as big as houses and whenever
one of them gets up, they are knocked down and say, "O Allah, do not
let the Hour come!" They are in the path of the people of Pharaoh who
come and trample them while they can do nothing but scream. These are
people who devoured usury.

Some of them are screaming with their mouths gaping open while they
devour hot coals which come out of their anuses. These are people
who consumed the property of orphans.

Some of them cut pieces from their own sides and eat their own
flesh. They are the slanderers and those about whom the prophet
(saw) said, "We saw people cutting flesh from their sides and eating
it. It was said, "As you used to consume the flesh of your brother!"
I asked, "Who are they?" and I was told, "Those of your community who
slandered." Some of them have brass nails with which they scratch
their faces and chests. They are those who were backbiters and
maligned peoples honour.

Part of the hadith of the Night Journey is as follows: "Some people
were cracking open their heads with a stone. Every time they did
this, their heads were restored to what they were like in the first
place. This went on and on without stopping. I said, "Jibril, who
are they?" Jibril replied, "They are the people who turned away from
the prayer."

All of this shows that the Punishment of the Grave is true beyond any
doubt.

"Race to forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden whose breadth is
like the breadth of the Heaven and the Earth" (57:21)

The intelligent are those who protect themselves against the evil of
this punishment before it is too late. They know with certainty that
sooner or later this day will come and maybe without any warning.
When it does, they will leave behind everything and move to another
world. Only there will they feel regret, but regret then will not
do them any good. In that place, only good actions will be of any
use. They alone will be useful currency on that Critical day. Only
with them will a person be able to purchase a magnificent mansion in
the Garden with all the luxuries and blessings it contains, an
everlasting mansion, not one which will disappear as things do in
this world. The intelligent person is the one who acts for this world
as if they were going to live forever and acts for the Next World as
if they were going to die tomorrow.

The Grave is an embrace from which neither believer or unbeliever can
escape. Our souls stay in the Barzakh and visit the grave regularly
for rewards or punishments. Afterwards, our journey continues and
the believer is relieved of its pressure while the unebliever remains
in punishment.

The next part of our journey includes the rebirth from what is left
of our bodies, the seed and its embryo, called Ajaf of the sacrum.
This method of rebirth of human beings is as simple as the rebirth of
a plant from its own seeds. Plants carry seeds that have their
genetic traits embedded on chromosomes. The genes on the chromosomes
carry everything needed to bring the plant back to its shape, height,
variety, chemical composition and other characteristics. In the same
way, the embryos of human beings germinate and the new life will
start on the Day of Rising.

Allah instructs Angel Israfeel to blow the horn twice. The first is
to ready every seed for germination. Water of Life is then poured
upon these seeds in their graves. The soul comes back from the
barzakh to join its biological entity at this time. The second blow
of the trumpet helps those seeds to germinate and produce every
person back to normal. They come out of their graves in a state of
shock, naked without any clothes or shoes.

"The trumpet will be sounded when all that are in the heavens and in
the earth will swoon except such as will please Allah (to exempt).
Then will a second one be sounded, when, behold, they will be
standing and looking on!" (39:68) "The trumpet shall be sounded,
when behold! From the sepulchres (men and women) will rush forth to
their Lord! They will say: 'Ah! Woe unto us! Who had raised us up
from out beds of repose?' (A voice will say: ) 'This is what Allah,
Most Gracious had promised, and true was the word of the messengers!"
(36:51-52)

Everyone will be raised up with the same identification features down
to our very fingerprints. "Does man think that We cannot assemble
his bones? Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order the
very tips of his fingers." (75:3-4)

After our rebirth our journey continues as each of us is taken to a
place of Assembly. "On that day We shall leave them to surge life
waves on one another. The trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect
them all together. (18:99) All will be waiting for the Court of
Allah, the Court of Justice to decide for them. The Day of Assembly
is a day of fear, agony and anxiety. It is a day when each of us
will be worried about what will happen to us personally. "At length,
when there comes the Deafening Noise--that day shall a man flee from
his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his
wife and his children. Each one of them, that Day, will have enough
concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others."
(80:33-37)

With the heat of sun, sweating, and presence of too many people next
to one another, the situation will be very scary and chaotic. "O
mankind! Fear your Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (of
Judgement) will be a thing terrible! The Day you shall see it, every
mother giving suck shall forget her suckling babe, and every pregnant
female shall drop her load (unformed). You shall see mankind as in a
drunken riot, yet not drunk; but dreadful will be the Chastisement of
Allah." (22:1-2)

On this day seven groups of people will be protected by Allah, these
are mentioned in Hadith: "Seven types of people will be under the
shelter of mercy on the Day when there will be no shade other than
that of Allah's mercy: 1) a just imam, 2) a young person who kept
busy in Allah's worship, 3) a person whose heart is attached to the
masjid, 4)two people who loved each other for Allah's sake, gathered
for His sake and parted, remembering Him, 5) a man who was invited by
a beautiful and charming woman but declined her offer, saying "I fear
Allah"; 6) a person who gave charity so secretly that their left hand
did not know what was given by the right hand , and 7) a person who
remembered Allah privately, so that their eyes brimmed with tears."
[Bukhari, Muslim]

Each person shall then be grouped behind his or her leader, prophet,
messenger, mentor, celebrity, etc. All will be put in lines waiting
for the Court of Allah to take place and our journey to continue. "On
the day We shall call together all human beings with their
(respective) Imams" (17:71)

Judgement Day will be our next stop. This is the day when Allah
personally will judge everyone directly with absolute justice. Abu
Hurayrah related that the prophet (saw) said: "Every servant of Allah
will remain standing before Allah on the Day of Judgement until he
has answered five questions about five things: His life--how he spent
it; his knowledge--how much he acted upon it; his wealth--how he
acquired it and how he spent it; and his body (and health)--how he
used it." [Muslim]

Each person will then receive their book that contains each and every
thing they have done from the time of birth till death. This book
includes activites, appearance and intention. Such a book could be
similar to videotape which records all these three paramaters. It is
not unfathomable to think about this in a time in which we have
CDRoms whose glinting thin surface contains encyclopedias full of
information.

"Then he who is given his Record in his right hand, soon will his
account be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his
people, rejoicing!" (84:7-9) "And he that will be given his Record in
his left hand will say: "Ah! Would that my record had not been given
to me!" (69:25) Their faces will be in gloom and they will be
distressed with fear and anxiety. They will wish and beg to start
their life all over again on the earth

Allah will also select a third group of people: "And those Foremost
(in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These will be those
Nearest to Allah. In Gardens of bliss: a number of people from those
of old, and a few from those of later times. (They will be) on
Thrones encrusted (with gold and precious stones), reclining on them,
facing each other." (56:10-16)

This is where we near the end of our journey. We shall enter the
everlasting domain, which comprises of the Garden and the Fire.
There is no trip after it for it is the Domain of Eternity.

We shall pass over Hellfire, some of us remaining while others
continue on. "Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy
Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. But We shall save those
who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein,
(humbled) to their knees." (19:71-72)

The prophet (saw) said: "The mildest punishment to be inflicted upon
a person in Hell is that he will be made to wear a pair of sandals
made of fire which will be so hot that they will make his brain boil
like things boil on a stove. He will imagine that no one is
undergoing a punishment more severe although his punishment, in
reality, will be the mildest in Hell." [Bukhari, Muslim]

Others who are not qualified to enter Paradise or Hell may be taken
to a waiting station called Al- A'raf, to wait until forgiveness is
given to them through the Mercy of Allah.

Others will finally end their journey with their life in Paradise.
It is the last destination and hope of every person to arrive here.
It is reserved for believers who submitted themselves to Allah and
followed His teachings. They are the ones whose loyalty and obedience
were to Allah. Paradise has all the beauties of life to enjoy
without ever being tired. It is a life of excitement, peace and
happiness. The prophet (saw) said: "Allah, the Almighty, says, 'I
have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eyes have ever
seen, no ears have ever heard and no heart has ever conceieved.'"
[Bukhari, Muslim]

This Life After is called the Real and the True Life. The Quran
explicitly refers to the Life After as the True Life while the life
in this world is a superficial one. "What is the life of this world
but amusement and play? But verily the Home of the Hereafter -- that
is Life indeed, if they but knew." (29:64)

After completing this journey vicariously here, we should rethink our
lives and our deeds as we do them today. We can hide from each
other, and ourselves but we cannot hide from Allah. It won't be long
before we are pushed along to the next part of our journey. Time
passes quickly and is precious. Everything we do now affects our
journey at a later stage. Everything is recorded; our deeds,
appearances and even hidden intentions. As travelers, we can prepare
and change to make our journey and especially our final stop a better
one. Perhaps even one small deed or choice we make can save us if we
keep conscious.

Among the dreams of the early Muslims is one related by Yazid b
Nu'ama who said, "A girl died in the al-Jarib plague. Her father met
her in a dream after her death and asked her to tell him about the
Next World. She replied, 'My father, this is a big subject you have
raised. We know but cannot act. You can act but do not know. By
Allah, one or two acts of glorification and one or two rakats of the
prayer in the book of my actions are preferable to me than the world
and all it contains.'"

The prophet (saw) related in a true dream he had:

" He saw one of the muslims. The Angel of Death came to take his
soul but his correct behavior towards his parents came and drove the
Angel of Death away from him.'

" He saw another of the muslims surrounded by shaytans. Then his
remembrance of Allah came and made the shaytans fly from him.'

"Then he saw a thrid muslim surrounded by the angels of punishment.
His prayer came and rescued him from their hands.'

"The tongue of a fourth muslim was lolling out from thirst and
whenever he approached a pool of water, he was stopped and driven
away. Then his fasting of Ramadan came and gave him water to drink.'

" He saw another man and the prophets sitting in circles. Everytime
the muslim approached one of the circles, he was stopped and driven
away. His ghusl for janaba came, took hold of his hand, and sat him
down in the circle.'

"Another muslim had darkness in front of him, behind him, on his
right, on his left and above him. He was completely lost in it.
Then his hajj and umra came and led him out of the darkness into the
light.'

"Another muslim was being pursued by flames and sparks of fire. His
sadaqa formed a veil between him and the fire and shaded his head.'

"Another muslim was speaking to a group of believers who would not
speak to him. His upholding of kinship came and told the group of
believers that he had maintained ties of kinship and ordered them to
speak to him. Then the believers spoke to him and shook hands with
him.'

"Another muslim was surrounded by the Zabaniyya (angels of Jahannam).
His commanding the right and forbidding the wrong came and rescued
him from them and put him among the angels of mercy.'

"Another muslim was kneeling with a veil between him and Allah. His
good character came, took his hand and Allah let him enter His
presence.'

"Another muslim had received his book in his left hand. His fear of
Allah came and took his book and placed it in his right hand.'

"The scales of another muslim were light in the balance. Those of his
children who had died young came and made the scales level.'

"Another muslim was standing on the brink of Jahannam. His hope in
Allah came and rescued him from it, and he withdrew from it.'

"Another muslim had fallen into the fire. The tears that he had wept
out of fear from Allah came and rescued him from it.'

"Another muslim was standing on the Sirat trembling like a leaf in a
strong wind. His good opinion of Allah came and his terror was
allayed and he was able to go on.'

"Another muslim was crawling on the Sirat, sometimes creeping, and
sometimes just clinging on. His prayer came and put him on his feet
and rescued him.'

"Another muslim reached the gates of the Garden but they were locked
against him. His testimony that there is no god but Allah came and
opened the gates for him and let him into the garden."


Let us pray that we are among those who work to have an easy trip and
have as the end to their journey, the final abode of Paradise. O
Allah, We seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave. O
Allah, help us to live and die as Muslims and help us to understand
the true object of this life. O Allah, grant us good in this life
and good in the life to come, and save us from the torment of the
Hellfire.


"We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord!
To You is the journey's end." (2:285)
Ameen.


"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is save
far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the
object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and
chattels of deception" (3:185)


Sources: "The Soul's Journey after Death" by Layla Mabrouk
"Death and Dying" by Dr. Ahmad Sakr
"The World of the Angels" by Sh. Abdul Hamid Kishk
"A Treasury of Ahadith" by Dr. Mazhar U. Kazi
Quran Al-Kareem trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali


Please watch these brilliant clips about the souls journey after death:

Angel of Death!!! - Sheikh Ahmed Ali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUzRJXlB2uA

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - The Journey of the Soul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAwHEXE3-n0


Islam - Punishment of the Grave by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWb-hYIm2WE

Death and the Grave by Murtaza Khan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r2nzJVecqo
 
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