By Asma bint Shameem
The punishment of the grave is real.
It is proven from the Qur’aan and authentic Sunnah and there’s no doubt about that.
That’s the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah.
PROOFS
1. Evidence from the Qur’aan:
Allaah says:
النار يعرضون عليها غدوا وعشيا ويوم تقوم الساعة أدخلوا آل فرعون أشد العذاب
“The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): ‘Cause Fir‘awn’s people to enter the severest torment!’”
(Surah Ghaafir :46)
Here Allaah is saying that Fir’awn and his followers are being tortured right now as we speak. And they will be tortured more on the Day of Judgment.
That torture that they're exposed to morning and night is the punishment of the grave.
Ibn Mas’ood Radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“The souls of the people of Fir’awn and those of their kind among the kaafirs are shown the Fire morning and evening, and they are told, this is your abode.”
Ibn Katheer said:
“This aayah is the main basis of the Sunni’s belief in the torment of al-barzakh in the grave.”
(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/82)
2. Proofs from the Sunnah:
Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“We went out with the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam to attend the funeral of a man from among the Ansaar.
When we reached the grave, the lahd (niche) had not yet been made, so the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam sat down and we sat around him as if there were birds on our heads.
In his hand was a stick with which he scratched the ground.
Then he raised his head and said: “Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave,” two or three times.
Then he described how the soul is taken and how it is taken up to the heavens then brought back to (the body).
Then he said: “And he hears their footsteps when they leave.
Then it is said to him: ‘O So and so, who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet?” (Abu Dawood - saheeh by al-Albaani)
And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“Were it not that you would not bury one another, I would have asked Allaah to make you hear the torment of the grave that I can hear.”
Then he turned to us and said: “Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the Fire,” and they said, “We seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the Fire.”
He said, “Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave,” and they said, “We seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave.” (Muslim)
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam also used to pray in his salaah:
اللهم إني أعوذ بك من عذاب القبر وأعوذ بك من فتنة المسيح الدجال وأعوذ بك من فتنة المحيا وفتنة الممات اللهم إني أعوذ بك من المأثم والمغرم ".
“Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaab il-qabr, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-mahyaa wa fitnat il-mamaat, Allaahumma ini a’oodhu bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram
“O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge in You from the tribulation of the Dajjaal, I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death, O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from sin and loss).”
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
This proves that the punishment of the grave is real and very much established.
Otherwise why would the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam tell us to seek refuge from it?
And why would he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam seek protection from it every day in his Salah himself?
And there are many more ahaadeeth that prove it’s reality.
3. The grave is the FIRST STATION after death
“When ‘Uthmaan Ibn ‘Affaan radhi Allaahu anhu stood by a grave he would cry until his beard would become wet.
It was said to him, “You remember Paradise and Hell and you do not weep, but you weep because of this?”
He said: “The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: ‘The grave is the first of the stages of the Hereafter; whoever is saved from it, what comes afterwards will be easier for him, but if he is not saved from it, what comes afterwards will be worse for him.’”
And the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“I have never seen any scene but the grave is more frightening than it.” (At-Tirmithi - Hasan by al-Albaani)
4. Once a person is placed in his grave, the two angels in charge of asking will come and question the person and ask him the three dreaded questions.
They will ask him who was his Lord, what was his religion and who was his Prophet.
The answer to these questions is what will determine whether his grave will be a garden of Jannah or a place of torture and torment.
If he was a believer and lived a life of a believer, he will easily be able to answer these questions.
But if he was not a believer or he did not live the life of a believer or was a hypocrite, he will not able to answer these questions.
In a long hadeeth regarding death and what happens after the soul leaves the body, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said regarding the believer:
“So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him,
‘Who is your Lord?’
He says,
‘Allaah.’
They say,
‘What is your religion?’
He says,
‘My religion is Islam.’
They say,
‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’
He says,
‘He is the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.’
They say,
‘What did you do?’
He says,
‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’
Then a voice calls out from heaven,
‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’
Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see.
Then there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says,
‘Receive the glad tidings that will bring you joy this day.’
He says,
‘Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings.’
He says,
‘I am your righteous deeds.’
He says,
‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’
And if the deceased was an evil person who did not live by the commands of Allaah, the punishment will begin. May Allaah protect us.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said regarding such a person:
“Then his soul is returned to his body, and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’
He says,
‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’
They say,
‘What is your religion?’
He says,
‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’
Then a voice calls out from heaven,
‘Prepare for him a bed from Hell and clothe him from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’
Then there comes to him some of its heat and hot winds, and his grave is constricted and compresses him until his ribs interlock.
Then there comes to him a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says,
‘Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised.’
He says,
‘Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil.’
He says,
‘I am your evil deeds.’
He says,
‘O Lord, do not let the Hour come, do not let the Hour come.’”
(Ahmad - saheeh by al-Albaani)
5. The reward or punishment in the grave will be felt MAINLY by the soul.
Although the torment or reward of the grave is felt by both the soul and the body, it is predominantly felt by the soul.
Ibn Taymiyah said:
“The view of the earliest generations of this ummah and its imams is that the torment or blessing (of the grave) happens to the soul of the deceased and his body.
After it departs from the body, the soul continues to be blessed or punished, and it is also connected to the body from time to time, so that the blessing or torment befalls the body as well as the soul.”
6. Will the punishment of the grave be CONTINUOUS?
It depends on the person’s deeds.
If he was not a believer the punishment will be continuous and he will never be relieved of it.
May Allaah protect us.
But if he was a believer yet he was involved in major sins in the dunya then Allaah may punish him in the grave according to the severity of his sins for as long as Allaah deems appropriate.
Once he’s purified, his punishment may end.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“If a person is a kaafir (we seek refuge with Allaah), then there is no way that the delight will ever reach him, and his torment will be continuous.
If a person was a sinner but he was a believer, then his torment in the grave will be commensurate with his sin, and perhaps the punishment for his sin will take less time than the time in al-barzakh between his death and the onset of the Hour, in which case it will cease.”
(al-Sharh al-Mumti’, vol. 3, p. 253)
7. What can save us from the torment of the grave?
a) Tawheed
Allaah says:
“Verily, those who say: ‘Our Lord is Allaah (Alone),’ and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): ‘Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!’”
[Fussilat 41:30]
b) Good deeds
Allaah says:
يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ
“Allaah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter.” (Surah Ibraheem:27)
The ulama explain that the meaning of being steadfast in the Hereafter includes that the believer will be made steadfast in his grave as well.
c) Spending the night guarding the muslim border.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“Ribaat (guarding the front lines of the Muslim army) for one day is better (in reward) than fasting for a full month and praying during its nights; and the one who dies while in that position will have the reward of the deeds he was doing to continue (until The Day of Resurrection) and he will be saved from the punishment of the grave." [Muslim].
d) Dying as a Shaheed
Allaah says:
“Think not of those as dead who are killed in the way of Allaah.
Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision.
They rejoice in what Allaah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve.
They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allaah, and that Allaah will not waste the reward of the believers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:169]
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“The punishment of the grave is something established for everyone who deserves it, whether they died on Jumuʿah, or in Ramadhaan, or at any other time.
Consequently, the Muslims say in the tashahhud of every prayer:
“I seek refuge in Allaah from the punishment of Jahannam, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the trial of the Dajjaal.”
However, the two angels who ask about a person’s religion, Lord, and Prophet, do *not* come to the one who dies struggling in Allaah’s path [i.e. the mujaahid].
This is because the glimmer of the sword over his head is a greater trial and test for him, and it is a greater evidence that he is a believer; otherwise, he would not have exposed his neck to the enemies of Allaah [i.e. he would not have put his life on the line].”
e) Dying by way of chronic illness.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“The one who dies as a result of a stomach ailment will not be punished in his grave.”
(at-Tirmidhi)
This reward will be for those who do not despair and lose hope and patience with their sickness, but rather persevere through it and hope for the reward from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala
f) Dying on night or day of Friday
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“there is no Muslim who dies on the day of Friday or the night of Friday, but Allaah will protect him from the trial (fitnah) of the grave.” (Ahmad - saheeh by al-Albaani)
g) Reciting Surah Mulk
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“There is a chapter in the Quran (Al-Mulk) that has thirty verses; it will intercede for the one who continuously recites it, until he is forgiven.” (an-Nasaa’i and Ibn Maajah- Hasan by al-Albaani)
Do keep in mind: we have to read Surah al-Mulk, recite it REGULARLY’ and APPLY what’s in it in order for us to be saved from the torment of the grave.
e) Making duaa In Salaah, and other times to protect you from the punishment of the grave.
f) Staying away from all major sins.
ibn Al-Qayyim said:
"In general, refraining from what causes punishment in the grave is the best way to avoid being punished.
A person must sit for a while before he goes to bed and hold himself accountable for what he gained during that day and what he lost, then renew his sincere repentance to Allah and sleep after having repented, and when he wakes up, be determined not to commit the same sins again.
He should do this every night; if he dies that night he would die after having repented, and if he wakes up, he would wake up happy because he was given a respite and given a chance to strive hard in good deeds to make up for what he missed out on.
There is nothing better or more beneficial than such a way of going to sleep, especially if he follows this accountability with mentioning Allah and follows the recommendations of Sunnah on how to go to sleep and supplicate until he falls asleep.
The one whom Allah wills good for, He will guide him to doing so.
May Allaah protect us from the punishment of the grave.
And Allaah knows best
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