fada_all
Junior Member
Barzakh
It is related by Barai bin ‘Azib that the Apostle of God said [while speaking about the interrogation of the dead and the reward and punishment of the grave] : “When a faithful bondsman of the Lord departs from this world and arrives in the World of Barzakh [i.e., is buried in the grave], angels come to him [and] they make him sit up and ask, ‘Who is your Lord?’ The bondsman replies, ‘Allah is my Lord.’ The angels, thereafter, ask, ‘What is your Faith?’ He replies, ‘Islam is my Faith.’ The angels, then, inquire from him, ‘What do you think of the man who was raised up among you [as the Apostle]?’ ‘He is the truthful Apostle of God,’ the bondsman replies. Upon it, the angels ask, ‘Who told it to you [i.e., how did you come to know about the Apostleship of Mohammad]?’ He replies, ‘I read the Book of Allah [and from it I learnt that Mohammad is the Apostle of God].’ The Prophet, then, remarked that ‘this is the reply of the faithful Believer about which it has been said in the Quran. Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying [i.e., by a correct faith and a correct reply] in the life of the world and in the Hereafter.’ (xiv : 27)
“Afterwards, the Prophet observed, ‘[When the truthful Believer gives the correct replies to the aforementioned questions of the angels], a herald proclaims from the heavens [i.e., it is announced from the heavens on behalf of God]: ‘My bondsman told the right thing and gave the correct answers. So, lay out the carpet of Paradise for him and dress him up in the robe of Paradise and open a door for him in the direction of Paradise.’ Thereupon, the door is opened through which comes the cool and fragrant breeze of Paradise and the Paradise is stretched for him as far as the eye can see [i.e., the curtains are lifted so that he can revel, in full measure, in the wonderful sights of Heaven]’.
“After it, the Prophet told about the death of the Unbeliever [Infidel]. He said, ‘[After his death], the soul is returned to his body and two angels also come to him who make him sit up and ask, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He replies ‘Alas ! I know nothing’. The angels, then inquire from him, ‘What was your Faith?’ He, again, replies ‘Alas ! I know nothing.’ The angels, further, ask, ‘What do you think of the man who was raised up among you [as the Apostle]?’ He, again, says, ‘Alas ! I know nothing.’ After these questions and answers a herald proclaims from the heavens [on behalf of God], ‘He is a liar. [The innocence he professes is false for he was really a denier of the Oneness of God, of His faith – Islam – and of His truthful Apostle]. So lay out for him the carpet of Hell and dress him up in the robe of Hell and open a door for him in the direction of Hell.’ [All this will, then, be done]. [The Prophet went on to say]: ‘The heat of Hell and its leaping flames and scorching wind will reach him incessantly [through the door], and his grave will be made extremely narrow and it will press him so hard that his ribs will move from one side to the other. After it, an angel will be appointed for his punishment who will neither see nor hear anything. He will be carrying a hammer of iron, a stroke of which can reduce a mountain to a heap of ashes. With this hammer the angel will strike him once and he will scream so loudly that all the things that exist between the East and the West except men and djinn will hear it. At this stroke he will turn into dust, and, then, the soul will be put into him again’.”
-Musnad-i-Ahmad and Abu Dawood
(70) It is related by Anas that the Apostle of God said: “When [after death] the bondsman is buried in the grave and his Companions [i.e., those who came with his funeral] depart [but they are still so near that he can hear their footsteps], two angels come to him and make him sit up and, then, ask, ‘What did you say about the man [i.e., about the Holy Prophet]?’ Thus, if the bondsman is a Believer he replies, ‘[I have always testified and even now] I testify that he is the bondsman and the truthful Apostle of God.’ [On hearing it, the angels say], ‘See also the place that was going to be your abode in the Hereafter [if you had not made the affirmation]. Now, instead of it, God has granted to you a place in Paradise [which is this]. See it also [i.e., both the places of Heaven and Hell will be brought before him].’ He will, thus, see them at the same time. Similarly, he who is a Hypocrite or an Infidel is, also, asked [after his death] about the Prophet as to what did he think of him. The Hypocrite or the Infidel replies, ‘I myself do not know anything about him. I only used to repeat what the others said.’ [Upon it], he will be told, ‘You neither knew yourself nor followed the example [of those who believed after knowing]’, and will be beaten with the clubs of iron due to which he will scream so loudly that everything nearby will hear it except men and djinn.”
Commentary.-From the preceding Tradition it appears that the angels will ask three questions from the dead person while in the present saying only one question is mentioned. The reason is that this one question covers the other two and the reply to it denotes the replies to them as well. Thus, in some accounts only one question is stated.
We have emphasised it as an elementary principle already and wish to bring it to the notice of the readers again that the Traditions of the Prophet are not in the nature of written discourses but informal talks, and in the conversation of a teacher or benefactor it is quite natural that, sometimes, a thing is described in full detail, and, sometimes, only a few aspects of it are discussed.
In the above report, as also in a few others, the word ‘grave’ has been used but it does not mean that what has been described in them applied only to those who are buried after death. It is merely for the reason that in Arabia the general practice was to bury the dead and its people knew only of this method of the disposal of dead bodies. Otherwise, the interrogation by the angels takes place with everyone who dies, no matter whether he is buried in the grave or cremated or his dead body is immersed in the river or eaten up by carnivorious birds and animals. As we have seen earlier, all this [the interrogation etc.] happens to the soul, and the body, wherever it may be, is affected only indirectly by it. The example of the dream is quite sufficient to bring home the truth. In it, we also can find a reply to the misgiving that, sometimes, a dead body remains lying before us for three or four days and yet no sound of the questions and answers is heard by anyone. In the dream, too, all sorts of things happen to a man, he talks, eats and drinks but no evidence of it is noticed by those around him
It can, also, be argued that when there is no opening or any other way of entering into a grave, how do the angels reach there? But only the unknowing who imagine the angels to be made of flesh and bones like themselves can raise such a question. The angels do not need an entrance or a doorway for coming into or going out of a place. Just as the rays of sun pass through to them by God, go past the walls of bricks and stones.
(71) It is related by Abdullah bin Omar that the Apostle of God said: “When anyone of you dies, the place that is going to be his [final] dwelling-place is brought before his eyes every morning and evening. If he is among the dwellers of Paradise, the place in the Paradise [that is going to be his is shown to him every morning and evening], and if he is among the dwellers of Hell, the place in the Hell [that is going to be his is shown to him every morning and evening], and it is said to him: ‘This is going to be your permanent abode [and it will be so] when God will raise you up on the Day of Resurrection.’”
-Bukhari and Muslim
Commentary.-It is not possible, in the present world, to form an idea of the rare joy the dwellers of Heaven will experience on seeing their eternal dwelling place and the excessive pain and grief the dwellers of Hell will feel on seeing their permanent abode in the grave.
(72) Osman; the Generous, related to us that [his condition was such that] he used to weep much when [he happened to] stand by the side of a grave, to the extent that his beard became wet with tears. On being asked [how it was] that he did not weep when he remembered Heaven and Hell but cried so bitterly because of the grave, he explained that the Apostle of God used to say: “The grave is the first stage among the stages of the Hereafter. Thus, if a person obtains deliverance from it, the other stages are easier, and if a person fails to obtain deliverance from the stage of the grave, the other stages are more difficult.” The Apostle also used to say: “No sight which I have seen is more dreadful than the sight of the grave"”
-Tirmidhi and Ibn-i-Maja
Commentary.-It tells that whenever Hazrat Osman passed by a grave the words of the Prophet [reproduced above] came to his mind and he began to weep out of fear and anxiety.
(73) Osma, the Generous, related to us that “it was the practice of the Prophet that after he had finished with the burial of a dead body, he would stand by the side of the grave and say: ‘Pray to God for forgiveness for this brother of yours and also that He may keep him steadfast in the replies to the questions for now the interrogation will take place’.”
-Abu Dawood
(74) It is related by Asma bint Abu Bakr that ‘the Apostle of God once delivered a sermon in which he spoke of the trial everyone who dies has to submit himself to. Thus, when he spoke about it, all the Muslims screamed with fear and there was loud lamentation.”
-Bukhari
(75) Zaid bin Sabit narrated that “once while the Apostle of God was passing through a grove owned by the tribe of Banu Najar, seated on his mule, the mule unexpectedly turned its course [and it seemed] that it would throw him down. All of a sudden, five or six graves came into view. The Prophet inquired, ‘Does anyone know who are buried in these graves?’ ‘I do’, replied one of the Companions. ‘When did they die?’ The Prophet asked. The Companion replied, ‘During the days of ignorance.’ The Prophet, thereupon, remarked, ‘They are undergoing punishment in the grave. Were I not afraid that you would not be able to bury your dead, I would have prayed to God to let you, too, hear a part of the chastisement of the grave that I am hearing.’ After saying this, the Prophet turned towards us and observed, ‘Seek the protection of God from the chastisement of Hell.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the chastisement of Hell!’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from the chastisement of the grave.’ We ll said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the chastisement of the grave.’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from every mischief, manifest as well as hidden.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from every mischief, manifest as well as hidden.’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from the [gravest] mischief of Dajjal.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the mischief of Dajjal.’”
-Muslim
Commentary.-From the earlier Traditions we have learnt that God has kept the chastisement of the grave concealed from men and djinn. They do not come to know about it at all, but the other creatures become aware of it to some extent. The above Tradition, also, shows that the punishment which was being inflicted on the persons buried in the grove of Banu Najar was perceived not by the Companions of the Prophet but by the mule on which he was riding. The wisdom of it is plain. If all of us could see or hear what went on in the grave, the doctrine of ‘Faith in the Unseen’ would be rendered meaningless and entire functioning of the universe would be thrown into disorder. When a friend or relative of ours is in distress we find it hard to concentrate on anything. What to speak of any other thing, mothers would not be able to suckle their children if the punishment of the grave was made known or visible to us.
The Tradition, further, tells that the shrieks that were rising from the graves were heard by the Prophet but his Companions could not hear them in the least degree. It was akin to the fact that often the Angel of Revelation brought a Divine revelation to the Prophet in the presence of the Companions but they failed to see or hear him. People who are accustomed to receiving an inspiration from God will have little difficulty in appreciating it but even commoners like us can obtain some idea of it from the example of the dream.
The Prophet’s remark that “were I not afraid that you would not be able to bury your dead, I would have prayed to God to let you also hear a part of the chastisement of the grave that I am hearing” denotes that he feared that if God made known to the Companions [i.e., to the other people] also the nature of the punishment of the grave and they, too, could hear like him the screams of those receiving punishment, they could be seized so terribly with the fear of death that even to arrange for the burial of the dead would not be possible for them. That is why, he was not praying to the Almighty for it.
Lastly, the Prophet has advised the Companions to beg the protection of God which conveys the moral teaching that instead of trying to see or hear the punishment of the grave the Believers should do their utmost to save themselves from it. Protection from the chastisement of the grave, as from every kind of chastisement and calamity, rests, indeed, with God. We should, therefore, always beseech the Lord for refuge against the punishment of the grave, and of Hell, and against all the manifest and hidden calamities, particularly against the greatest of them, that of Dajjal, and strive our level best to keep away from the iniquities that are likely to bring on the grievous Penalty of the Hereafter.
O God! I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of Hell, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the mischiefs, both manifest and hidden, and from the calamity of Dajjal.
It is related by Barai bin ‘Azib that the Apostle of God said [while speaking about the interrogation of the dead and the reward and punishment of the grave] : “When a faithful bondsman of the Lord departs from this world and arrives in the World of Barzakh [i.e., is buried in the grave], angels come to him [and] they make him sit up and ask, ‘Who is your Lord?’ The bondsman replies, ‘Allah is my Lord.’ The angels, thereafter, ask, ‘What is your Faith?’ He replies, ‘Islam is my Faith.’ The angels, then, inquire from him, ‘What do you think of the man who was raised up among you [as the Apostle]?’ ‘He is the truthful Apostle of God,’ the bondsman replies. Upon it, the angels ask, ‘Who told it to you [i.e., how did you come to know about the Apostleship of Mohammad]?’ He replies, ‘I read the Book of Allah [and from it I learnt that Mohammad is the Apostle of God].’ The Prophet, then, remarked that ‘this is the reply of the faithful Believer about which it has been said in the Quran. Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying [i.e., by a correct faith and a correct reply] in the life of the world and in the Hereafter.’ (xiv : 27)
“Afterwards, the Prophet observed, ‘[When the truthful Believer gives the correct replies to the aforementioned questions of the angels], a herald proclaims from the heavens [i.e., it is announced from the heavens on behalf of God]: ‘My bondsman told the right thing and gave the correct answers. So, lay out the carpet of Paradise for him and dress him up in the robe of Paradise and open a door for him in the direction of Paradise.’ Thereupon, the door is opened through which comes the cool and fragrant breeze of Paradise and the Paradise is stretched for him as far as the eye can see [i.e., the curtains are lifted so that he can revel, in full measure, in the wonderful sights of Heaven]’.
“After it, the Prophet told about the death of the Unbeliever [Infidel]. He said, ‘[After his death], the soul is returned to his body and two angels also come to him who make him sit up and ask, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He replies ‘Alas ! I know nothing’. The angels, then inquire from him, ‘What was your Faith?’ He, again, replies ‘Alas ! I know nothing.’ The angels, further, ask, ‘What do you think of the man who was raised up among you [as the Apostle]?’ He, again, says, ‘Alas ! I know nothing.’ After these questions and answers a herald proclaims from the heavens [on behalf of God], ‘He is a liar. [The innocence he professes is false for he was really a denier of the Oneness of God, of His faith – Islam – and of His truthful Apostle]. So lay out for him the carpet of Hell and dress him up in the robe of Hell and open a door for him in the direction of Hell.’ [All this will, then, be done]. [The Prophet went on to say]: ‘The heat of Hell and its leaping flames and scorching wind will reach him incessantly [through the door], and his grave will be made extremely narrow and it will press him so hard that his ribs will move from one side to the other. After it, an angel will be appointed for his punishment who will neither see nor hear anything. He will be carrying a hammer of iron, a stroke of which can reduce a mountain to a heap of ashes. With this hammer the angel will strike him once and he will scream so loudly that all the things that exist between the East and the West except men and djinn will hear it. At this stroke he will turn into dust, and, then, the soul will be put into him again’.”
-Musnad-i-Ahmad and Abu Dawood
(70) It is related by Anas that the Apostle of God said: “When [after death] the bondsman is buried in the grave and his Companions [i.e., those who came with his funeral] depart [but they are still so near that he can hear their footsteps], two angels come to him and make him sit up and, then, ask, ‘What did you say about the man [i.e., about the Holy Prophet]?’ Thus, if the bondsman is a Believer he replies, ‘[I have always testified and even now] I testify that he is the bondsman and the truthful Apostle of God.’ [On hearing it, the angels say], ‘See also the place that was going to be your abode in the Hereafter [if you had not made the affirmation]. Now, instead of it, God has granted to you a place in Paradise [which is this]. See it also [i.e., both the places of Heaven and Hell will be brought before him].’ He will, thus, see them at the same time. Similarly, he who is a Hypocrite or an Infidel is, also, asked [after his death] about the Prophet as to what did he think of him. The Hypocrite or the Infidel replies, ‘I myself do not know anything about him. I only used to repeat what the others said.’ [Upon it], he will be told, ‘You neither knew yourself nor followed the example [of those who believed after knowing]’, and will be beaten with the clubs of iron due to which he will scream so loudly that everything nearby will hear it except men and djinn.”
Commentary.-From the preceding Tradition it appears that the angels will ask three questions from the dead person while in the present saying only one question is mentioned. The reason is that this one question covers the other two and the reply to it denotes the replies to them as well. Thus, in some accounts only one question is stated.
We have emphasised it as an elementary principle already and wish to bring it to the notice of the readers again that the Traditions of the Prophet are not in the nature of written discourses but informal talks, and in the conversation of a teacher or benefactor it is quite natural that, sometimes, a thing is described in full detail, and, sometimes, only a few aspects of it are discussed.
In the above report, as also in a few others, the word ‘grave’ has been used but it does not mean that what has been described in them applied only to those who are buried after death. It is merely for the reason that in Arabia the general practice was to bury the dead and its people knew only of this method of the disposal of dead bodies. Otherwise, the interrogation by the angels takes place with everyone who dies, no matter whether he is buried in the grave or cremated or his dead body is immersed in the river or eaten up by carnivorious birds and animals. As we have seen earlier, all this [the interrogation etc.] happens to the soul, and the body, wherever it may be, is affected only indirectly by it. The example of the dream is quite sufficient to bring home the truth. In it, we also can find a reply to the misgiving that, sometimes, a dead body remains lying before us for three or four days and yet no sound of the questions and answers is heard by anyone. In the dream, too, all sorts of things happen to a man, he talks, eats and drinks but no evidence of it is noticed by those around him
It can, also, be argued that when there is no opening or any other way of entering into a grave, how do the angels reach there? But only the unknowing who imagine the angels to be made of flesh and bones like themselves can raise such a question. The angels do not need an entrance or a doorway for coming into or going out of a place. Just as the rays of sun pass through to them by God, go past the walls of bricks and stones.
(71) It is related by Abdullah bin Omar that the Apostle of God said: “When anyone of you dies, the place that is going to be his [final] dwelling-place is brought before his eyes every morning and evening. If he is among the dwellers of Paradise, the place in the Paradise [that is going to be his is shown to him every morning and evening], and if he is among the dwellers of Hell, the place in the Hell [that is going to be his is shown to him every morning and evening], and it is said to him: ‘This is going to be your permanent abode [and it will be so] when God will raise you up on the Day of Resurrection.’”
-Bukhari and Muslim
Commentary.-It is not possible, in the present world, to form an idea of the rare joy the dwellers of Heaven will experience on seeing their eternal dwelling place and the excessive pain and grief the dwellers of Hell will feel on seeing their permanent abode in the grave.
(72) Osman; the Generous, related to us that [his condition was such that] he used to weep much when [he happened to] stand by the side of a grave, to the extent that his beard became wet with tears. On being asked [how it was] that he did not weep when he remembered Heaven and Hell but cried so bitterly because of the grave, he explained that the Apostle of God used to say: “The grave is the first stage among the stages of the Hereafter. Thus, if a person obtains deliverance from it, the other stages are easier, and if a person fails to obtain deliverance from the stage of the grave, the other stages are more difficult.” The Apostle also used to say: “No sight which I have seen is more dreadful than the sight of the grave"”
-Tirmidhi and Ibn-i-Maja
Commentary.-It tells that whenever Hazrat Osman passed by a grave the words of the Prophet [reproduced above] came to his mind and he began to weep out of fear and anxiety.
(73) Osma, the Generous, related to us that “it was the practice of the Prophet that after he had finished with the burial of a dead body, he would stand by the side of the grave and say: ‘Pray to God for forgiveness for this brother of yours and also that He may keep him steadfast in the replies to the questions for now the interrogation will take place’.”
-Abu Dawood
(74) It is related by Asma bint Abu Bakr that ‘the Apostle of God once delivered a sermon in which he spoke of the trial everyone who dies has to submit himself to. Thus, when he spoke about it, all the Muslims screamed with fear and there was loud lamentation.”
-Bukhari
(75) Zaid bin Sabit narrated that “once while the Apostle of God was passing through a grove owned by the tribe of Banu Najar, seated on his mule, the mule unexpectedly turned its course [and it seemed] that it would throw him down. All of a sudden, five or six graves came into view. The Prophet inquired, ‘Does anyone know who are buried in these graves?’ ‘I do’, replied one of the Companions. ‘When did they die?’ The Prophet asked. The Companion replied, ‘During the days of ignorance.’ The Prophet, thereupon, remarked, ‘They are undergoing punishment in the grave. Were I not afraid that you would not be able to bury your dead, I would have prayed to God to let you, too, hear a part of the chastisement of the grave that I am hearing.’ After saying this, the Prophet turned towards us and observed, ‘Seek the protection of God from the chastisement of Hell.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the chastisement of Hell!’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from the chastisement of the grave.’ We ll said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the chastisement of the grave.’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from every mischief, manifest as well as hidden.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from every mischief, manifest as well as hidden.’ The Prophet, then, said, ‘Seek the protection of God from the [gravest] mischief of Dajjal.’ We all said, ‘We seek the protection of God from the mischief of Dajjal.’”
-Muslim
Commentary.-From the earlier Traditions we have learnt that God has kept the chastisement of the grave concealed from men and djinn. They do not come to know about it at all, but the other creatures become aware of it to some extent. The above Tradition, also, shows that the punishment which was being inflicted on the persons buried in the grove of Banu Najar was perceived not by the Companions of the Prophet but by the mule on which he was riding. The wisdom of it is plain. If all of us could see or hear what went on in the grave, the doctrine of ‘Faith in the Unseen’ would be rendered meaningless and entire functioning of the universe would be thrown into disorder. When a friend or relative of ours is in distress we find it hard to concentrate on anything. What to speak of any other thing, mothers would not be able to suckle their children if the punishment of the grave was made known or visible to us.
The Tradition, further, tells that the shrieks that were rising from the graves were heard by the Prophet but his Companions could not hear them in the least degree. It was akin to the fact that often the Angel of Revelation brought a Divine revelation to the Prophet in the presence of the Companions but they failed to see or hear him. People who are accustomed to receiving an inspiration from God will have little difficulty in appreciating it but even commoners like us can obtain some idea of it from the example of the dream.
The Prophet’s remark that “were I not afraid that you would not be able to bury your dead, I would have prayed to God to let you also hear a part of the chastisement of the grave that I am hearing” denotes that he feared that if God made known to the Companions [i.e., to the other people] also the nature of the punishment of the grave and they, too, could hear like him the screams of those receiving punishment, they could be seized so terribly with the fear of death that even to arrange for the burial of the dead would not be possible for them. That is why, he was not praying to the Almighty for it.
Lastly, the Prophet has advised the Companions to beg the protection of God which conveys the moral teaching that instead of trying to see or hear the punishment of the grave the Believers should do their utmost to save themselves from it. Protection from the chastisement of the grave, as from every kind of chastisement and calamity, rests, indeed, with God. We should, therefore, always beseech the Lord for refuge against the punishment of the grave, and of Hell, and against all the manifest and hidden calamities, particularly against the greatest of them, that of Dajjal, and strive our level best to keep away from the iniquities that are likely to bring on the grievous Penalty of the Hereafter.
O God! I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of Hell, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the mischiefs, both manifest and hidden, and from the calamity of Dajjal.
