Chapter
4: ‘Aalam -e-Barzakh’
The
Domain between Death and Resurrection
There is a domain connecting this
world to the hereafter, which is called ‘Barzakh’. After death and before
Qiyaamat all the humans and Jins have to live therein as per their ranking.
Barzakh is much larger than this earth. The comparison between this Barzakh and
this world is like the womb of the mother compared to the earth. In Barzakh,
some will attain comfort whilst others will face hardships.
Belief: Every person has a fixed lifespan on earth. It can
neither be increased nor decreased. When the amount of time given to a person expires,
Hazrat Izra’eel علیہ السلام
appears and removes his soul. The
person observes the presence of Angels to his left and right, for as far as his
eyes can see. Angels of mercy surround the believers whilst Angels of
punishment stand to the left and right of the unbelievers. At that moment, the
reality of Islam becomes more evident than the brightness of the sun to every
person but declaring Imaan at this instance is not valid because the demand of
Imaan is to bring faith on the unseen, as they are observing everything the
demand of bringing faith in the unseen no longer exists.
Belief: Even after death, the soul is connected to the body of
man. Even though the soul leaves the body, the soul knows and feels everything
that is inflicted on the body, just as it occurs during the worldly life.
Actually it feels and knows everything even more than before. On earth, the
body receives the cold water, cool breeze, good food and all other good things,
but the soul attains comfort through it. Even if the body feels pain etc. the
soul experiences the discomfort caused by it. The soul also has its own
sensations, through which it feels happiness or sadness. The exact same conditions
continue to be experienced in Barzakh.
Belief: After death and according to one’s status (based on
piety), the souls of the believers reside in different places. The souls of
some reside on their graves, whilst some reside near the well of Zamzam, some
reside between the skies and the earths, some reside in the first sky, and some
reside in second sky and so forth, right up to the seventh sky, whilst some
reside even higher than the skies. Some of the souls reside under the Arsh of
Allah in lanterns of light, whilst others reside in Alaa Iliyain (exalted
place) but no matter where the soul may be, it remains connected to its body.
It recognises and observes those who come to its grave. It even hears their
words. The power of seeing by the soul is not only restricted to near the
grave. Its example has been explained in the Hadith as follows: ‘It is like a bird that was caged and has now been set
free.’
The Great Imams have mentioned:
''إِنَّ النُّفُوْسَ
القُدْسِیَّۃَ إِذَا تَجَرَّدَتْ عَنِ الْـعَـلَا ئِقِ الْبَدَنِیَّۃِ اتّصَلَتْ
بِالْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلٰی وَتَرٰی وَتَسْمَعُ الکُلَّ کَالْمُشَاھِدِ .''
‘Verily when the pure souls are
separated from their bodies, they unite with the exalted world above, and (from
there) they see everything and hear everything as if they are present here.’
It is mentioned as follows in the Hadith
Shareef:
(إِذَا مَاتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ
یُخلّٰی سَرْبُہٗ یَسْرَحُ حَیْثُ شآءَ.)
‘When a Muslim passes away, his path is cleared. He may
go anywhere he desires.’
Shah Abdul Aziz Saaheb writes:
''روح را قُرب و بُعد
مکانی یکساں است۔''
‘There is no difference to the soul, whether the place it
wishes to visit is distant or close.’
The accursed souls of the
unbelievers remain at their crematoriums or on their graves, whilst some dwell
in Chaah-e-Barhoot, which is a canal in Yemen. Others remain in the first,
second and third earths, right up to the seventh earth and some even dwell
below this, in a bottomless abyss called ‘Sijjieen’. However, no matter where
they may be, they too recognise those who visit their crematoriums and graves.
They see, hear and know what is being said. Their souls are however not
afforded any freedom, as they are imprisoned.
Belief: To believe that soul enters another body after death, be
it that of another human or animal, which is called ‘Tanasukh’ or ‘Awagawan’,
i.e. re-incarnation, is baseless and kufr.
Belief: Death refers to the separation of the soul from the body.
It does not mean that the soul dies. One who believes that the soul is totally
obliterated is a Bud Madhab (misguided and deviant).
Belief: The deceased is also able to speak, and except for the ordinary
humans and Jins, all the other animals etc. are able to hear him.
Belief: When the deceased is laid to rest in his grave, the grave
squeezes him. If he is a Muslim, the grave gently squeezes him as a mother hugs
her child very snugly with love and affection. If he is a kaafir, the grave
presses him with such force, that his ribs from the right protrude from the
left and the ribs from the left protrude from the right.
Belief: When the people return after burying him, the deceased hears
the sound of their footsteps. Just then, two Angels appear, tearing through the
earth with their teeth. Their appearance is very fierce and dreadful. Their
bodies are black and they have huge blackish blue eyes, which are as huge as
cauldrons, blazing with fire. They have long mattered hair and teeth that are
many hand lengths long, with which they rip open the ground as they come
towards the deceased. One is called ‘Munkir’ and the other is called ‘Nakeer’. They
awaken the deceased by jolting him aggressively, before questioning and
interrogating him in a severely harsh tone.
Their first question to the deceased
is:
(مَنْ رَّبُّکَ؟)
‘Who is Your Rub?’
Their second question to the
deceased is:
(مَا دِیْنُکَ؟)
‘What is your Religion?’
Their third question to the deceased
is:
(مَا کُنْتَ تَقُولُ فِيْ
ھَذَا الرَّجُلِ؟)
‘What did you use
to say about this person?’
If the deceased is a Muslim, he will
reply by saying:
(رَبِّيَ اللہُ.)
‘Allah is my Rub’
His reply to the second question
will be:
(دِیْنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ.)
‘Islam is my Religion’
His reply to the third question will
be:
(ھُوَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صلّی اللہ تعالٰی علیْہ
وَسلَّم.)
‘He is Allah’s Beloved Prophet صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ وسلم ’
The Angels will ask the deceased as
to who informed him of this and he will say:
‘I read the Book of Allah and
believed in it, confirming whatever is in it.’
Other narrations have mentioned that
after receiving the reply to the questions, the Angels will say:
‘We knew that you were going to say
this’
Then a voice will call out from the
sky saying:
‘My servant has spoken the truth.
Prepare for him the bed of Jannat, adorn him in the garb of Jannat and open for
him a door leading to Jannat.’
The cool and fragrant breeze of
paradise will flow into his grave and his grave will be extended for as far as
his eyes can see. It will then be said to him:
‘Sleep like a bridegroom sleeps’
This privilege will be generally
exclusive to the chosen servants of Allah. However, if Allah wills then ordinary
believers can benefit from this as well. Otherwise, the expanding of the grave
will vary for each person, depending on his religious status (i.e. piety). The
grave will be expanded up to 70 hand lengths in length and breadth for some,
whilst others will be given as much space as they wish for, even as far as the
eye can see. Some of the deceased will receive punishment in their graves,
depending on the extent of their wrongs. However, through the intercession of
their ‘Peers’ and ‘Masha’ikh’, i.e. Spiritual Guides and Spiritual
Grandmasters, and through the blessing of the Imams of the Madhab and the
Awliyah Allah, or merely through His Mercy, Almighty Allah will grant them salvation
when He Wills. Some have mentioned that the torment of the grave for a sinful
believer is only until the eve of a Friday. As soon as this night comes, the
punishment is lifted (Allah ta’aala Knows Best). It is indeed evident from the
Hadith that a believer who passes away on the eve of a Friday, or on the
Friday, or during any day or night in Ramadan, will be spared from the
questioning of the ‘Nakeerain’ and the punishment of the grave. It has also
been mentioned that a window leading to Jannat will be opened for a believer.
This is in the sense that, first the window of hell shall be opened unto him
from his left, through which he will experience the intense heat and foul odour
of hell. It will then be closed immediately and the window of Jannat shall be
opened to his right. He will then be told:
‘If you had not been able to answer
the questions correctly,
then that was for you. Now this,
(Paradise) is for you.’
This will be done, so that the
deceased may acknowledge and truly appreciate the Grace of his Lord, reflecting
on how He spared him from severe torment and blessed him with such a great
blessing. The procedure for the Munafiqs (hypocrites) will be entirely opposite
to the above mentioned procedure. First, the window leading to Jannat will be
opened unto him, from which he will experience the fragrant and cool breeze of
Paradise and as he realises its magnificence, it will be immediately closed.
This will be done so that he realises what a great bounty he has been deprived
of, and so that he realises the severe torment that he is about to face, for
disrespecting and saying blasphemous words in the Court of the Prophet صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ وسلم . If the deceased is a hypocrite, he will reply to the
questions of the grave by saying:
(ھَاہْ ھَاہْ لَا أَدْرِي.)
‘Unfortunately, I do not know
anything’
He will then say:
(کُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ النَّاسَ یَقُوْلُوْنَ
شَیْأاً فأقوْلُ.)
‘I used to hear the people proclaim
something and
I too proclaimed the same.’
A voice will then call out, saying,
‘He is a liar. Prepare for him the
bed of fire and dress him in the garb of fire, and open for him a door leading
to Hell’.
He will experience the intensity of
its heat, and two Angels will be assigned to inflict punishment on him. These
Angels will not have the ability to hear or see, and in their hands, they will
have powerful metal rods, which will have the capability of turning a mountain
into dust if the mountain were struck with it. They will continuously beat him
with this rod. Snakes and scorpions will also inflict punishment on him,
constantly biting and stinging him. Even his evil deeds will be transformed
into vicious dogs, wolves and other forms, and these too will inflict
punishment and torment upon him. The good deeds of a person will take pleasant
forms, giving him immense comfort and tranquillity.
Belief: The severe punishment and comforting rewards of the grave
are true (i.e. indisputable fact). Just as it has been mentioned earlier, the
punishment or reward is for both the body and the soul. Even if the body has
been burnt, disintegrated or turned into dust, its original particles shall
still remain in existence. All the pain and comfort will be experienced through
these particles. On the day of Qiyaamat, the physical body will be raised again
through these particles. These are very minute particles which are found in the
spinal column and are known as ‘Ajabuz Zamb’. These particles are so minute,
that they cannot even be seen through a microscope. Neither can they be
destroyed by fire, nor can they be eroded by the earth. These particles are in
reality the basic elements of the physical body. The soul will thus be
re-entered into the original body on the day of Qiyaamat, and not into a new
body. The body of a person does not change merely because of certain changes in
its physical structure, caused by growth or reduction. An example of this is a
child, who is so small at birth, yet the child grows so quickly into an adult.
Another example is that of a strong muscular youth who becomes weak and feeble
due to illness. After recovering from an illness, the same youth becomes lean,
strong and healthy again. After all this, it cannot be said that it is not the
same person. The condition on the day of Qiyaamat is thus very much similar. If
a body has been disintegrated and the bones and flesh have turned to dust, no
matter wherever the particles may be, Almighty Allah will gather all the basic
elements, bringing it back into being from its original particles which do not
disintegrate. This is known as ‘Hashr’ (The Resurrection). Only a misguided
person will reject the punishments and rewards of the grave.
Belief: If the deceased was not buried in a grave then the
questions of the grave will be asked to him wherever he is. That is where he will
receive either reward or punishment. In other words, if a lion ate a person, he
will be questioned in the belly of the lion, and he will receive his reward or
punishment too in the belly of the lion.
Law: The sand does not eat the bodies of the
Prophets; the Awliyah Allah; The Ulama; the Martyrs; that Hafizul Qur’an who
practiced in accordance with the commands of the Qur’an; those devoted in the love
of Allah; one who never disobeyed Allah, and the one who spent his time
engrossed in the recitation of Durood Shareef. Any person who says that the
Nabis ‘are dead and mixed in the sand’ is an accursed, corrupt and misguided
person, deserving the punishment for blasphemy.
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