Some definitions

Many words are used in the Qu’ran and hadith for the day of judgement and the things related with it. Some of them are explained here:-

1. Al-Akherah: The next (world); the life-here-after. Its opposites are’ al-ula’ (the first word) and’ ad-duniya’ (the nearer world) both of which refer to this world in witch we presently live.
2. Quiyamat: Resurrection. ‘Yaumul – quimayat: the day of resurrection.
3. Yaumud-deen: The day of judgement.
4. Yaumul-hisab: The day of reckoning.
5. As-sa’ah: The hour; the time of reckoning.
6. Yaumul-fasl: The day of separation (between good and evil); the day of judgement.
7. Al-haqquah: The thing (or day) that verifies (the truth of what men doubted about)
8. Yamul-baath: The day of renaissance (coming to life again).
9. Al-hashr: The emigration; the gathering.
10. An-nashr: The raising (the death of life).

All these name and words point to one or more aspects of the Islamic belief that life in this world is not an end in itself; that there is a life-hereafter; that all human being will be resurrected one day, and brought together to account for their beliefs and deeds; that it will be a day witch will separate good from evil and all will be rewarded or punished according to their belief and deeds.

The Belief in the Life Hereafter: The Most Ancient Belief

The beliefs in the unity of Allah and in the Day of Judgement are the foundations of True Faith. All prophets, right from Hadhrat Adam (a.s) to the last Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w), inculcated these beliefs in their peoples.

The proof of life hereafter can be found in the books of Anthropology and archaeology. Scientists have discovered that almost all pre-historic societies and communities firmly believed that man, after his death in this world, lives another world. And today even the most primitive tribes staunchly believe in the life-hereafter. In the ancient tombs throughout the world archaeologist do find household effects and even grains stocked and stacked ‘for use by the dead man in his next life.’

The original American Indians reached American between 26,000 and 13,000 years ago, “wearing skin and moccasins, with domesticated dogs, a belief in the after-life (and respect for the dead; (Reader’s digest, February, 1974).

This belief spanning the whole world, and reaching back to the very down of humanity, proves that Hadhrat Adam (a.s.) had indeed taught this truth to all children, and this teaching was preserved by all his descendants throughout the ages, though the passage of time and ignorance might have twisted the details in many cases.

The belief in reward and punishment is based upon reason

All the religions of the word, inspite of their differences, are agreed that a man does not always get, in this world, the rewards and \ or punishments of his good and/or evil deeds.

The creator has laid down some rules and lows for physical aspects of the world. And those laws never change. Whenever you mix two parts of hydrogen with one part of oxygen, you are sure to get water as a result. If you plant wheat, at harvest time, and not paddy.

And the same creator has decreed some rules and low for the spiritual aspect of this world. If you were unjust to others, finally you would bring harm to yourself. If you showed mercy to others, in the end you would benefit from it yourself.

But, strangely enough, these spiritual laws, unlike the physical laws, do not always hold their ground. More after than not, we see tyrants spending their lives in comfort and luxury, while their victims live in agony and die in ignominy.

If the promulgator of both sets of lows is the one and same god, why this difference? While taking of physical laws, we are always sure that two make four. But in the sphere of the spiritual laws, we are never sure of the result. Why?

This puzzle has only one solution. Reason says that the spiritual and moral laws must be foolproof, like the physical laws. A good action must bring good result; and an evil must result in evil. And if that anticipated result does not become a reality in this life, then it must come out, as expected, in the next life.

Thus, the belief, that man must get full reward and \ or punishment of his good and/or evil actions after his death, is based upon reason. Any sensible person could find out this truth by himself, even if no body were to guide him towards this conclusion.

But the same sensible person cannot find out by himself when, where and in which from that rewards or punishment would be meted out. This rewarding or punishing is the prerogative of the creator, and entirely depends upon his discretion. Therefore the details this justice can not be understood without the guidance of the prophets. We must accept these truths, as described by the holy prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) and mould our actions accordingly, if we want to get eternal bliss and save ourselves from everlasting disgrace.

Immediate Assessment of Reward/ Punishment not Possible.

The effects of the good and/ or bad deed of a man do not necessarily end with his death. A man establishes a seat of learning. He dies, but the school remains; and hundreds of thousand people benefit from it after the death of the founder. A man, or group of men invent hydrogen bomb. And with the invention thousands of innocent people may be killed long after the death of inventors. Common sense says that the former should be rewarded for making it possible for so many people to get knowledge. And the reward of teaching ten persons cannot be the same as that of teaching ten millions. Likewise, the people who created the means of killing thousands of people in one instant must share the responsibility of that massacre, though the victims might have been killed long after the death of the inventors. And the sin of killing ten millions persons cannot be the same as that of killing one person.

So, it is evident that the good or bad act of a person does not end with his death. The accounts must remain open so long as there are people to follow and imitate him. Therefore, it is simply not possible to judge a man immediately after his death.

Reason guides us that judgements cannot be passed until the accounts of the deeds of each and every individual are closed finally. Only then the true picture of his deeds may emerge clearly.

And this is what Islam believes. According to this belief, a day will come when everybody will die; and then all of them will be resurrected by Allah; their beliefs and deeds will be judged by Allah; and all of them will be rewarded (or Punished) accordingly.

This belief of Quiyamat has one advantage, which is lacking in the theory of transmigration of Souls. Even if we forget all the defects of the theory of transmigration, then at its best it has the ability of showing only one aspect of the attributes of Allah, and that is Justice. It cannot show the Mercy of Allah. On the other hand, in Quiyamat there will be as much. Chance of showing mercy as that of Justice there, also, will be opportunities of forgiveness and reconciliation, because all the parties concerned will be present at one place. Also, there will be chances of intercession by the prophets, Imams and other virtuous servants of Allah.

All these advantages are conspicious by their absence in rival theories.

Death and after is Death of the Soul.

What is death? Does a man become ‘nothing’ after death? Is death the end of the soul as well as the body?

In the eyes of those who believe that life is just an evolution of matter, death is The End; nothing remains, there is no life-hereafter.

In the eyes of those who believe that God does not create the soul and matter, death is just a means of re-emerging in a new from either better or lesser than the previous one.

For the former, the life is an end in itself. A man who has such a belief, must always strive to get as much enjoyment from this life as possible. Every possible material comfort must be acquired, even if other people get hurt in this process. This materialistic point of view does not leave any room for any compassion, charity, mercy or altruistic feelings like self-denial, or giving others preferences over oneself. After all, this is the only life, which he possesses; moreover, he is not supposed to give any account of his actions anywhere after he is dead. So why should he suffer for the sake of others?

Incidentally, one often hears political leader of the communist world exhorting people to practice self-denial, to sacrifice their comfort for the sake of their fellow citizens. But they fail to realize that this self-sacrifice for a “higher cause” does not go hand in hand with materialistic theory of no God, no soul, no life-hereafter”. The utopia which communism envisages will never materialize for the simple reason that this “one and only life” theory leaves no room for anyone to compromise his comforts for the sake of someone else.

The latter theory of coming to life again and again teaches its adherents that the condition, in which he finds himself, is a “result” (reward or punishment) of his actions in his former life. And as such he should accept it with humility and resignation without trying to improve his lot. (If your poverty is the result of your ‘Karma’, what is the use of your trying to remove it? How can you supersede the decree of God?) Such a belief may be good for the ruling classes but not for the oppressed masses of the world.

So, what is death? Let us ask the Divine Guides for the correct answer to this puzzle.

Death is a Transition

These Guides have taught us that death is not the end of life. In the Qur’anic language, Death is not ‘anti-life’.? It is not ‘nothing’. Like ‘life’, Death is Created thing Allah says in the Qur’an:

Translation: “Blessed be He…………. Who has created death and life, so that He might test you which of you is most righteous in action.”

(Ref: Holy Qur’an 67:1-2).

And the Creator of Death and Life has decreed that a soul, once created, will never perish. It will live forever. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “You have not been created to perish; but to remain for ever.”

According to Islamic teachings, death is continuation of life, but in another place. Once we accept this Truth, it stands to reason that those who would be obedient to Allah, Leading virtuous life, would welcome the chance of leaving this transitory world, to live in eternal bliss in the sight of Allah. For such persons, death is a welcome and pleasant stage through which they gladly pass to reach their desired goal.

On the other hand, if his life is spent in transgression of the command of Allah, he wills understandably shrink from the name of death, for such a person, death is the beginning of eternal misery and disgrace. Therefore, he is bound to hate death.

Allah addresses the Holy Prophet in the Qur’an, in these words.

“Say, ‘O ye who follow the Jewish religion! If you say that you are the friends of God above other men, then wish for death if you speak truth? But they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands sent before them; and God well know the unjust.”

(Ref: holy Qur’an, 62:6-7)

these two aspects of death are explained by all of the Masoomeen (peace be on them all); and in the next chapter some traditions are quoted for the benefit of the readers.

Death: Is it Desirable.

The Holy Prophet said: “You have not been created to perish but to remain for ever; only you transfer from one home to another and the soul are strangers on earth and are in the bodies (like) prisoners.”

Hazrat ‘Ali (a.s) in reply to a question about death, stated: “Death is one of the three things happening (to the dying person): Either it is good tidings of eternal bliss, or bad tiding of eternal punishment or there is vague threatening suspense, so that he does not know in which group he will be included.

“So the one who is our lover and obeys us, is the one who gets the good tidings of eternal bliss. And our enemy and adversary gets the news of perpetual punishment. And the one whose position is vague, who does not know what is to be done to him, is that believer who has done injustice to himself (i.e. has committed sins) he does not know what is to happen to him, he gets news in vague words which frighten him: but in the end Allah will not treat him like our enemies, and will take him out of Fire on our intercession. Therefore, do good work, and obey (the commands of God), and do not rely merely on faith and our intercession, and do not treat the punishment of Allah as a small matter, because there will be among the sinner (believers) those who will not get our intercession but after three hundred thousands years.”

Imam Hasan (a.s): (Death is) the greatest happiness which comes to the believers, when they migrate from the house of misery to the eternal bliss; and (it is) the greatest disaster which befalls the unbelievers, when they go from their paradise (i.e. this world) to the Fire which will never be extinguished and will never burn itself out”.

Imam Husain (a.s) on Ashura Day: “Patience, O children of noble (souls), because death is nothing but a bridge which takes you from difficulties and troubles to the vast Paradise and everlasting bliss. So, who among you would dislike to transfer from the prison of the world to the place of the Paradise? But these enemies of yours will go from a palace to a prison and everlasting punishment. Verily my father quoting the Messenger of Allah said that Verily the world is the prison for the believers’ and paradise for the unbelievers.’ And the death is the bridge for these (believers) to their Gardens, and for those (unbelievers) to their Hell. I did not tell lies nor was I told lies.”

“Imam Zaynul-Abedeen (a.s), In reply to question about death said: “It is for the believer like removing a dirty lousy cloth, to like removing heavy shackles and chains; and changing to the finest and best clothes, or finest horses and most lovely abode.

“And for an unbeliever it is like changing fine dresses and cozy abodes for dirtiest and roughest clothes and worst and most unspacious abode and greatest punishment.”

Imam Muhammad Baquir (a.s) was in reply to a question stated (Death) is like sleep that to you every night but this is a sleep which is very long and there is no awakening but on the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Ja’far Sadique (a.s) was requested to explain death. He said: “It is for a believer like fragnant breeze by smelling which he becomes revived, and every trouble and sorrow is removed from him. And for an unbeliever it is like snake-bite and sting of the scorpions, and even worse.”

Then he was told that some people said that death is harder than cutting by saws and shredding by scissors and battering by stones and rotation of the axle of mill stone in the eyes. Imam Said: “It is like this for some of unbelievers and sinners. Don’t you see that some of them undergo these tortures (at the time of death)? So, this is the hardest punishment meted out in this world.”

Then he was asked, “How is it that we find some unbelievers for whom death is very easy; so much so that the (flame of) life is extinguished while he is still talking and laughing and speaking? And also there are believers like this. And there are some unbelievers as well as the believers who suffer tortures of the death-pang?” Imam said: “Whatever ease the believer feels at the time of death, it is his immediate reward and if he suffers at time of death, the it is (for the purpose of ) cleansing him from his sins, so that he would come in the Akherat (next world) clean, pure and unblemished, deserving the eternal reward of Allah without any hurdle between him and that (reward). And whatever ease the unbeliever feels here (at the time of death) it is for the purpose of completing the rewards of his good deeds in this very world, so that he would come in Akherat and there would be nothing in his account except that which would bring him to punishment. And whatever sufferings are undergone by the unbeliever at the time of death, it is beginning of his punishment from Allah, (when his good deeds have already been rewarded). And all this is (done) because Allah is just, and not unjust. (Therefore. He gives the rewards of the good deeds of unbelievers by making their death easy and vice versa).

There are other tradition giving more details, but this much should be enough for the time being.

How Does Death Come?

At the approach of death, when the eyes, ears and tongue cease to function, the person concerned sees (in spiritual vision) three things, which claims to be his friends.

One of them says, “I will remain with you till your death.” That friend is his worldly wealth and assets.

Another says, “I will accompany you till the door of your grave.” And it is his children.

But one friend says, “I am with you forever, in life as well as in death.”

Imam Zaynul-Abedeen (a.s) said: “Allah has said, ‘I do not hesitate in any order, except the death of a believer- he dislike death and I do not like displeasing him- So when time comes for him to die, Allah sends two angels (or, according to other traditions, two flowers) to him: one is called “Muskhiyyah”- one who makes generous and other is called “Munsiyyah”- one who makes him forget. Thus the Muskiyyah makes him generous with his family wealth (he willingly leaves every thing behind) and the Munsiyyah makes him forget all worldly affairs.

Also, Hazrat Ali (a.s) said:

“O Harith of Hamdan, whoever dies sees me, whether he be a believer or a hypocrite”. So far as the believers are concerned, they become happy to see the Imam (a.s) but the hypocrites become sad when they see him.

Anyhow, when Muskhiyyah and Munsiyyah have done their work the Angle of Death (Malak-ul-Maut) arrives and tell him not to worry “By Allah. I am kinder to you than your father. Now, open your eyes and look.” Then spiritual eyes are opened and he sees (in his vision) the faces of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) and Imams (a.s), is informed who they are, and is given the good tidings that he would be their companion. Then he hears a call:

“O thou tranquil soul, return to thy lord, well pleased, well pleasing (to him): enter thou amongst My servants, and enter thou My paradise”.

(Ref: Holy Qur’an, 89:27-30).

At that time, the believer’s only wish is to die as soon as possible so that he may reach that caller.

Thus the believer leaves this world without any sorrow and without any care. And Allah gives him death when he himself desires death above all things, so that he may reach the Messenger of Allah and the Imams (peace be on them all).

But for the hypocrites and the unbelievers the story is completely different.

Barzakh

“Barzakh” literally means ‘barrier’. In the Qur’an, it has been used for the period between death and the Day of Resurrection “And behind them is the Barzakh (barrier) till the Day they will be Resurrected”.

(Ref: Holy Qur’an, 23:100).

Our 6^th Imam (a.s) has said that “We will intercede on your behalf on the Day of Judgement; but by Allah I am worried about you for the period when you would be in Barzakh”.

Imam (a.s) has referred in this Hadith to the fact that the sinning believers will get their punishment during this period, as will be explained later on.

It appears from many traditions that the soul maintains some emotional attachment with the body even after death at least till the body is buried. That is why it is forbidden to roughly handle the dead-body “because it pains the Soul”. When a child gets hurt while playing and let us say, his leg is wounded, the parents feel more pain in their hearts than the child might be feeling in his leg. In the same way, as the soul has been with the body for some time, it gives it pain to see that body mis-handled.

After the questioning in the grave (as well be explained in the next chapter), the soul of a believer is sent of Wadis-Salam (The valley of Peace); and that of an unbeliever to Wadi-Barhut (The valley of Barhut); The Valley of Peace is said to be in Najaf, where the soul of the Believers is remain in peace waiting for the Day of resurrection; and the valley of Barhut is said to be in Yemen, where the souls of hypocrites and unbelievers remain in turmoil afraid of the approaching Day of Resurrection.

The above information is based upon traditions. There is nothing to make us believe that these Ahadith are not to be taken literally if Allah keeps a soul in a place (i.e. a Body) before death, He can keep that very soul in another place after death too. Some modern scholars have tried to interpret these words metaphorically. They say that the Valley of Peace means ‘Peace’ and the Valley of Barhut means ‘Turmoil’; and according to them, the Ahadith means that the soul of the believers remain in peace and those of others remain in turmoil.

During past centuries, Muslim scholars repeatedly tried to interpret so many Ayats and Ahadith metaphorically, just because the literal meanings were not palatable to the taste of their times. Subsequent discoveries showed that it was the literal meaning, which was correct. Therefore, one cannot find any justification for this latest attempt which denies the literal meanings and explanations of these two valleys. The correct view and attitude is to believe what we have been told by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and Imams (a.s) because they are our guides in these matters, and it will not do to insert our own views in between.

Questioning in the Grave

The questioning in the grave is one of the “Zaruriyyat-e-Deen” (Those things which are commonly believed by all Muslims) and if some one rejects this belief he will not remain a Muslim. Sheikh Saduque (a.r) has written:

“And it is our belief that the Questioning in the grave is ‘Haqq’ (Truth Fact); whoever would answer the questions correctly would get comfort and mercy in his grave and the Garden of bliss in the Akherat; and whoever would not answer correctly, for him would be the fare of boiling water in his grave and Hell in the next world.”

According to traditions, after one has been buried and those who had come to bury him go away two angels come into his grave. One is called Munkar the other Nakir. The soul is caused to re-enter the body for questioning. Then the “dead person” is asked: Who is thy Rabb (lord) and Sustainer? Who is thy Prophet? What is thy religion? What is thy Book? What is thy Quibla? Who are thy Imams?

It appears from some traditions that questioning of the grave contains questions about prayers, Zakat, Hajj, Fast and the love of Ahlu’l-Bait (a.s)

If he is a believer and answer correctly, the angels tell him to sleep peacefully; and a door is opened into his grave from the Paradise: he sees his place in the Paradise; then his soul is taken out from the body and is placed in neighbourhood of the 14 Masoomeen (sinless persons) i.e. the prophet, his daughter and the 12 Imams (a.s)

According to some traditions, the names of the angels who come to question a believer are ‘Mubashshir’ and ‘Bashir’ (one who brings good tidings)

The Holy prophet told Hazrat ‘Ali (a.s): “O ‘Ali, verily whose who love you will be glad in three places: at the time of death because you will be there visiting them: and at the questioning in the grave as you will be there teachings them (the correct replies); and at the time of coming before Allah, and you will be there introducing them.”

This hadith and many others, show that Imam (or imams) a.s. Come into the grave also.

If he is not a believer, and does not answer correctly, then the angels punish him with a club, a door is opened from the hell into his grave, thereafter, his soul is transferred to Wadi Barhut.

Here it must be mentioned that this questioning in the grave is only for a perfect believer or a confirmed unbeliever. (Its reason will be explained later on). It is not for common people; nor is it for children, mad persons or those whose religious beliefs (or disbelief’s) were not based on understandings and conviction (he was a Muslim or Christian just because he happened to be born of Muslim or Christian parents).

Also, if ‘Talqueen’ has been recited on the grave, the dead-body is not questioned. Talqueen means ‘To Teach’. In Talqueen, the dead-body is taught the correct answers to the questions which are to be asked. According to Ahadith, if Talqueen is recited, the angels tell each other to return because “the Talqueen is his proof (of faith).”

Question: How can a dead- body hear Talqueen? Talqueen is recited in Arabic Language, how can a non-Arab dead-body under stand it?

Answer: So long as the soul is in this body, it requires ears to hear and eyes to see. But as soon as it is free from the shackles of the body it hears, and sees and feels independently, without needing any of the organs. Therefore we should not be surprised at how a dead-body can hear our sound and Talqueen. So far as understanding the Talqueen in a foreign language is concerned the same principle applies here. While in this body, the soul understands through the mind. But when it becomes free, it understands independently with the help of the brain, it is bound to this or that language. When it understands on its own, it needs no particular language. All languages are equal for it.

Furthermore according to traditions, the language of Akherat is Arabic; and as soon as one dies, he at once understands this language.

Also according to tradition dead body, which carries a stick from the lote-tree on either side, is exempted from punishments and questioning in the grave.

Zurarah (r.a) asked Imam Muhammad Baquir (a.s) why the two green branches (of lote-tree) are put with the dead-body (in the shroud) Imam (a.s) said:

“So long as the branch is green, the dead-body is not punished not is the account of deeds and beliefs taken.” Then he said: “And the punishment starts on the first day, within the first hour as soon as people go back after burying their dead. And it is for this reason that the two branches have been prescribed. (As the punishment and questioning is deferred in the first hour because the branches are green) there will be no punishment or accounting even after they become dry, if Allah so wishes (as the time has passed.)”

The Squeeze in the Grave.

Imam Ja’far Sadique (a.s) has said: “Whoever is subject to the questioning in the grave, is also squeezed by the grave therein; and the one who is exempted from questioning is exempted from the squeezed also.

For some believers this squeeze will be like two friends embracing each other. But for some other believer whose sins had not been washed by the agony of death, this will be severe enough to fracture the ribs.

This squeezing is not dependent upon the corpse being buried in the earth. In the words of Imams (a.s) the lord of the earth is also the lord of the atmosphere. And the corpse would be squeezed, if is deserved it, no matter in what condition or place it happens to be.

Now, we will refer to the funeral of Bibi Fatima Bint Asad during the Prophet’s time.

When Bibi Fatima Binte Asad (the wife of Hazrat Abu Talib and mother of Hazrat Ali (a.s)). Died, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) was very much grieved.

“Verily, the Messenger of Allah gave Kafan (shroud) to Fatima Binte Asad (mother of the leader of the faithful) in his own robe, when the women finished washing her. And he carried her bier on his shoulder, and he remained under her bier till he brought it to her grave.

(The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) “remained under her bier”means that he carried her bier on his shoulder. In East Africa, a peculiar custom has been adopted: the son of the dead person remains “under the bier” literally; instead of carrying the bier or helping others carrying it, he places himself between those who are actually carrying the bier, and inconveniences them.)

“Then the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) put her bier near the grave, and entered the grave and lay in it, then he stood up and took the body on his hands and laid it into the grave. Then he put his face near hers whispering to her for a long time, telling her “your son, your son”. Then he inclined towards the grave and people heard him saying: ‘There is no god, but Allah.’ O Allah, I am giving her to thee in trust’. Then he returned.

The Muslims said: ‘O Messenger of Allah today we have seen you doing such things as you had never done before.’

The Prophet said: “Today I lost the righteousness of Abu Talib: verily, she was so (kind to me) that whatever she had any good thing, she gave it to me, instead of using it for herself or her own children. and I sad once that on the Day of Judgement people would be assembled naked. She said: “Oh, the shame!” Therefore, I assured her that Allah would resurrect her with clothes. And I described the squeeze of the grave, and she said: “Oh, the weakness!” So, I guaranteed to her that Allah would save her from it. It was for this reason that I gave her shroud from my own robe, and I lay down in her grave. And I knelt near her to teach her (the answers of) what she was being asked. And, verily she was asked about her lord, and she said, “Allah is my lord”; and about her asked about her prophet, and she answered, “Muhammad (s.a.w). Then she was asked about her Wali and Imam, and she was perplexed and hesitated a little; so I told her “Your son, your son”. And she replied, “My child is my Imam”. Then the two angels went away and said, “we have no authority upon you, sleep as a bride sleeps (with no worry at all). “Then she died again (i.e. her soul was taken out of her body again.)”

This Hadith shows the love of the Holy prophet towards Abu Talib and Fatima Bint Asad, and their love towards him; it also shows the prestige of the Prophet, that he could exempt Fatima Bint Asad from the common plight of the Day of Judgement and the grave, and shows the benefit (and origin) of Talqueen; proves that the questioning in, and the squeeze of, grave are the facts which were explained and described by the Holy prophet (s.a.w) himself.

Three Groups in Barzakh

The question of reward and punishment in Barzakh is very complicated. Allah decides every thing according to His own plan, which, of course, is based upon mercy and justice- justice for all and mercy for the believers. Obviously, every case is dealt with on its own merit. Therefore, it is very difficult to lay down any hard and fast rule. Still, what appears from the traditions of the masumeen (a.s) may be summed up as Follows:-

Different types of people get different types of treatment after death and before the Day of Resurrection.

First: there are true believers, perfect in their faith and virtuous in their deeds. They lived a blameless life, and if there was some mistake or sin (because ‘to err is human’) their worldly troubles (illness, poverty, death of near and dear ones, troublesome neighbours or tyrant spouse etc.etc) and / or agony at the time of death were sufficient to be counted as its retribution and atonement.

Allah knows that they deserve reward. Still, the Day of Judgement has not arrived, and they cannot be sent to the paradise straight away. By the rule of the law, they should be left without any reward till they are resurrected, but the mercy of Allah decrees that they should not be left in abeyance. Therefore, they are questioned about their beliefs, and on giving correct answers, they enter a state of Bliss, which gives them the satisfaction of knowing that their future is assured: They find pleasure and happiness in their grave, and wait eagerly for the Day of Resurrection.

Second: the confirmed unbelievers and hypocrites, whose lives are devoid of any good deed: Or if there was any good deed, the worldly blessings (health, wealth, good family and friends, prestige and power etc) and / or the ease at the time of death were sufficient rewards.

Allah knows that their place is Jahannam (Hell); but He will not send them there before the Day of Judgement. So, to give them a for taste of their punishment, they are questioned about their beliefs, and when they do not give correct answers, their graves are turned into punishment cells and they wish the Quiyamat would not come at all.

Here it should be mentioned that the rewards or punishment of Barzakh is different from that of Paradise or Hell. The reward or punishment of Barzakh is for the should only. It is for this reason that we do not see anyone being rewarded or punished in the grave. In the traditions of Masumeen (a.s), it has been compared to happy dreams or nightmares. The person who is dreaming is going through all the tortures in the dreams; but the man sitting besides him does not realize what is going on. Likewise the joys of dream are not known to others at all.

But again it is not a strict rule. Some exceptions have been observed whereas the dead-body was found enjoying some rewards, (a heavenly rose put near his nose, for example) or undergoing some torture (a scorpion stinging at the toe, for instance). But these are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Third: the third Group is of those who are neither perfect believers nor confirmed unbelievers. The children, the lunatics, those who because of one reason or another were not in a position to differentiate between the right and the wrong path, those who were so far from Islamic environment that they were not aware of the truth of Islam, those who did not know about Islam but at the same time were not enemies of Islam, those whose religious beliefs were not based upon logical understanding but they just followed what their families were following; even those non-believers who love the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) and his Ahlul-bayt (a.s), without knowing that they were the True Guides sent by Allah: all such people come under this group.

Such people will not be subject to the questioning and squeeze of grave. They will be left in a state like deep slumber; and Allah will decide about them on the Day of Judgement. Till then, there is neither reward nor punishment for them.

After these three main groups, there still remains a group in between, which must be described here to complete the picture. This group is of those believers who had committed so many sins that could not be wiped out by worldly and agony of death. Now , if Allah decides that such a believer should come on the Day of Judgement clean from all blemishes and free from all sins, then He may put him under punishment during the Barzakh period. And it is this punishment which has been referred to in the Hadith of Imam Ja’far Sadique (a.s) which was mentioned earlier:-

“ we will intercede on your behalf on the Day of Judgement; but by Allah< I am worried about you whilst you would be in Barzakh.”

On the other hand, if Allah decides to leave his case in suspense till Quiyamat, then it will fall under 3^rd group.

Anyhow, all these thing depend upon the justice and mercy of Allah. We have not been told enough to know all the details about all the groups.

It is about the first and second groups (as well as the last mentioned believers who will be punished in Barzakh) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “When one dies his Quiyamat starts.” In this sense the Barzakh is called “Quiyamat-e-Sughra” ( the lesser Quiyamat).

The reader is now advised to read the topic Death is it Dream again the traditions given in Death: is it desirable; so that he may understand many references which might have remained a mystery at first.

Day of Judgement first and Second Trumpets

The sound of the Trumpet (Sur, in Arabic) will be the first stage of the Day of Judgement. Allah has mentioned it in many Ayats of the Qur’an. For example:-

“They esteemed not Allah as is His due; and the whole earth shall be in His grip on the Day of Judgement, and heavens rolled up in His right hand (power). Hallowed is he, and Exalted is he, high above all they associate with Him.

“And the Trumpet shall be blown, then shall swoon (i.e. die) whoever is in heavens and whoever is in the earth, except those whom Allah has willed (to keep alive on that occasion). Then (the trumpet) shall be brought up; and (it) shall be judged between them with justice, and they shall be judged between them with justice, and they shall not be wronged.

“And every soul shall be paid in full what it had done; and He know best what they do.

“And those who disbelieved shall be driven unto Hell in Flocks. Until, when they come to it, its doors shall be opened, and its keepers shall say unto them: Did not come unto you apostles from amongst you reciting unto you the signs of your lord and warning you of the meeting of this your day? They shall say: ‘Yes’; but the sentence of punishment is confirmed on the disbelievers.

“it shall be said (unto them): ‘Enter you the gates of Hell, (to abide) therein forever,’ and wretched (is) the abode of the arrogant.

And those who feared their lord shall be conveyed in companies unto the Garden; until when they come to it, and its doors shall be opened and its keepers shall say unto them: ‘Peace be on you! You shall be happy: enter it then to abide forever.’

“And they shall say: ‘All praise is for Allah who made good to us His promise, and he has made us to inherit the earth; we may dwell in the Garden wherever we please; and goodly is recompense of the workers (of good deeds).

“And thou shalt see the angels circling around the ‘Arsh’ (The throne of Absolute authority), celebrating the praise of their lord, and is shall he judged between them with justice, and it shall be said: ‘All praise is of Allah, the Allah the lord of the universe.’

(Ref: Qur’an, 39: 67-75).

These Ayats have been quoted here in full as they give a concise description of the events of Quiyamat from the beginning upto the end. It would help the readers to understand the next chapters where the details will be given.

Anyhow, returning to the topic of ‘Trumpet’: Allah says:

“And they say: ‘When is this promise (going to happen), if you are truthful?’

“They wait not but for a single (terrible) cry which will seize them, while they will be wrangling with each other. Then they shall not be able to make bequest, nor shall they (be able to ) return to their families.

“And the Trumpet will be blown; then lo! They all hasten from the graves unto their lord.

“They shall say: ‘Oh, Woe unto us! Who did raise us from our place of repose?’

“This is what the Beneficent (Allah) had promised, and the apostles did speak the truth.

‘There will be but a single cry, where lo! They shall be brought unto us. So, this day no soul shall be dealt with unjustly ion the least nor shall you be recompensed but that which you were doing.’

(Ref: Holy Qur’an, 36:48-54).

Imam Zainul-Abedeen (a.s) was asked: How much (time will pass) between the two blowings? He said: “As (much as) Allah would please.” Then he was asked: “Then please tell me, O son of the Messenger of Allah, how the trumpet will be blown?

Imam (a.s) said:

“So far as the first blowing is concerned, verily Allah will command angel Israfil, who will come down towards the earth and with him will be Trumpet; and the Trumpet will have one mouth-piece and two tubes; and the space between the two tubes will be like between the sky and earth.

“When the angels will see Israfil descend towards the earth with his Trumpet, they will say: “Verily, Allah has ordered the inhabitants of earth to die, and the inhabitants of heaven to die.”

“Then he will blow into it once; and the voice will come out from that side which is towards the earth and all living beings on the earth will swoon and die; and the voice will come out from that side which is towards the heaven, and all living beings in the heavens will die, except Israfil.

“Then Allah will say to Israfil: “O Israfil die.” And he will die.

“Then they will remain like this as long as Allah would wish. Then Allah will order the heaven and it will reel, and will order the mountains and they will fly. As He said: ‘On the Day when the heaven shall reel a (terrible) reeling, and the mountain shall fly an (awful) flight.

(Ref: Holy Qur’an, 59:9-10).

“And the earth will bechanged with another one, i.e. with an earth upon which no sin would have been committed, open without any mountains and without any plant of grass, as He had revolved it in the first creation. (The changing of the earth is mentioned in the Qur’an Surah14, Ayat 48: “On the Day the earth shall be changed into a different earth, and (so will be) the heavens; and all shall be marshalled forth unto Allah, the One, the Dominant.”)

“And His ‘Arsh’ will return upon the water, as it was in the beginning indepent with His majesty and Power.

“And that time, Allah will create a very loud, voice, which will ring throughout the earth and heaven: ‘Whose is the Kingdom this day?” No one will give any answer (as there will none alive); then He will answer Himself creating a loud voice: (it is) Of Allah, the One the Subdyer

(Holy Qur’an, 40:16);

I subdued all the creatures and gave them death verily, I am Allah, there is no god except I alone there is no partner for me nor any minister; and I made the creatures by my hand (power) and I made them die by my will: and I shall resurrect them by my power.’

“Then Allah will cause the second blowing of the Trumpet; the voice will come out from that side which is towards the heavens, and there will be none among the inhabitants of the heavens but will become alive and will stand as he was before; and will return the bearers of the Arsh and the Garden and Fire will be brought forth, and people will be gathered for reckoning.”

Saying this Imam Zainul-Abedeen (a.s) wept intensely

(Ref: Biharul-Anwar, vol. 3.).

Mentioning some of the events of this tradition, Allah says:

“And when the Trumpet is blown, a single blast; and the earth and the mountains shall be borne away and crushed with a single crushing; on that Day shall happen the Great Event; and the heaven shall cleave as under, so that on that day id shall be mere frail; and the angels shall be on the sides of it; and above them shall bear on that Day ‘Arsh’ of thy lord eight (angels).”

(Ref: Holy Qur’an. 69: 13-17).

A great many Ayats of the Qur’an give us the picture of that time, when the earth and heaven will be crushed and changed into new ones. One who reads the Qur’an with its meaning and with open eyes, can understand it very easily. It is not possible to giver here even one-tenth of those Ayats. Why? Because the topic of Quiyamat is the most0oftern described subject in the Qur’an. Unfortunately, nowadays the Muslims treat it as the least important. They do harm to none except themselves.

Resurrection of the Body.

Resurrection of the body is one of the Cardinal beliefs of Islam: if anyone rejects it, he is not a Muslim at all. It will not be out of place to point out here that people are divided into four groups on this subject:-

1) There are atheists, who do not admit the existence of the Creator, and as a results, do not admit that He would resurrect us after our death.

2) There are those who accept the existence of a Creator, but reject the idea of the resurrection of body. According to them, the reward and punishment mentioned in the Qur’an and Ahadith will be given to the soul only; the body will not be resurrected after death.

3) Those like the Muslims who believe that the Quiyamat will be for the body and soul together.

4) Agnostic, who say that they do not know, and in the nature of things, cannot know anything about soul, or matters concerned with it, They neither admit not reject the existence of the Creator or Day of Judgement.

When we look at the writings and arguments of those who refuse to believe in the resurrection of the bodies, it boils down to only one things: Astonishment. How can the body be resurrected after death when it has already turned into dust?

There is no other argument to PROVE that the CANNOT BE resurrected. There is a sense of bewilderment as to how can it be done.

Allah has commented in numerous Ayats on this type of “argument”. A few Ayats are given here for enlightenment:-

“And if thou wouldst wonderous is their saying: ‘What when we dust would we really then be in a creation renewed? These are they who disbelieve in their lord; they are those round whose necks will be collars (of servitude): They will be companions of the fire; in it shall they abide.”

(Ref: Sura Ar-Ra’d, Ayat 5).

Another group of Ayats:-

“O ye people! Fear your lord; verily the quake of the Hour (of judgement) is a thing terrible.

“The day ye shall see it, every suckling mother shall forget her suckling babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her load, and thou shalt see the people intoxicated, but they will not be drunk; but dreadful will be the wrath of Allah.

“And yet among men there is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious Satan.

“Against him it is decreed that whosoever turns to him for friendship him will be lead astray and will guide him unto the torment of burning fire.

“O ye people! If you be in doubt about the Resurrection then verily We created you from dust, then from sperm, then for a clot, then from a lump of flesh, formed and (sometimes) unformed in order that We may manifest ( our power) to you; and We cause to stay in the womb what We will until an appointed time, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that you is he who is brought back of the feeblest (state of ) old age so that he knows nothing after knowing (much). And you behold the earth dried (dead), but when We send down on it water it is stirred to life and swells up and produces every kind of attractive herbage (in pairs).

“And that the Hour (of Resurrection) is coming, there is no doubt therein; and that Allah will raise up those in the graves.”

(Ref: Holy Qur’an 22:1-7).

In these Ayats, Allah gives two examples to show that Resurrection is not a thing to be wondered at. He reminds mankind that creating a thing is by human thinking, more difficult than reassembling it after all its parts have disintegrated. Therefore, the Creator, who created the man in the first place, can more easily resurrect him after all his body has become dust. (The words “more easily” have been used according to human thinking; so far as the power of Allah is concerned everything is easy for Him in equal degree).

Another example is that of a parched earth which is thought “dead”, coming to life again as soon as Allah sends some rain upon it.

So, there is nothing strange if Allah makes us live again after our death and disintegration.

It should be mentioned here that these arguments are effective against the second group, i.e. those who believe that there is a Creator and still do not believe in the Resurrection of the bodies.

So far as the first group is concerned (those who do not believe in a Creator) they, first of all, should talk about the existence of God; the belief of Quiyamat would come after that.

The Last Verse of the Sura Ya’sin

The Surah ‘Ya-Sin’ is called ‘The heart of the Qur’an. In it Allah has emphasized the unity and Justice of God, Prophethood of previous prophets and the Holy Prophet of Islam, and the Day of Judgement. A few Ayats concerning the ‘Trumpets’ were given in first and second Trumpets. Here the last Ayats are given with short explanation:-

“What does not man see that it is We who created him from sperm? Yet behold! He is open disputant.”

Here Allah reminds man of His limitless power. Had the man been created from various ‘parts’? There would not have been anything to wonder: hard elements would have gone into the creation of bones, soft ones into flesh, and so on. But look! There is only one cell and form that one substance various parts are fashioned, some solid like bone, some soft like flesh, other liquid like blood etc. There is the wonder of wonders, which is called brain. There are eyes, ears, tongue, nose and hundreds of limbs and their parts. This diversity of finished product created from a single cell of sperm is the proof of the wisdom and power of the Creator. And what an irrefutable proof!

Starting from such a humble substance, man reaches such a stage that he becomes an “open disputant”. Here we are reminded of another wonder of creation. Sperm was a body though a small one. Suppose, someone said that, that small body ‘naturally’ developed into a human body. But what about the reason and the wisdom which is found in the human beings? From which ‘body’ did he get his thinking power? Thus, the creation of thinking and expression is a far greater proof of the Creator. The words “open disputant” have been used for two reasons:

(1) Here his dispute about the Day of Resurrection is being mentioned, therefore it was appropriate to remind him of his dispute with his Creator.

(2) The power of speech is never so manifest as when a man is arguing with some one; therefore, to show the climax of his speaking power the words “open disputant” were chosen by Allah. Now, Allah describes man’s dispute with God: -

“And he made comparison for us and forgot his (origin and) creation! Said he: ‘who will make these bones alive, and they are rotten (at that)?

“Say! He will give them life who created them for the first time and He is fully cognizant of all the creation”.

In these Ayats two arguments against the Day of Resurrection have been refuted:

First: Those who do not bring any proof against Resurrection; but only show their bewilderment on this idea. Their ‘argument’ is given in the Ayat. “Who will make these bones alive, and they are rotten?” Allah has strengthened their argument by mentioning the bone, which is a part of body, which has no feeling. Such a ‘lifeless’ thing, and then add to it the fact it is rotten and turned to dust. Now, how can it be resurrected?

Even before giving any reply, Allah shows the shallowness of this ‘argument’ by saying that “And he made a comparison for us”. This sentence points out the fact that the power of Creator should not be compared with power of human beings who are created. It reminds us that all the ‘bewilderment’ is based on the folly of human beings who think that ‘because THEY can not do a thing, therefore, the creator also cannot do it.’

Then, still before mentioning their ‘argument’, Allah reminds them of their first creation in these words “and forgot his creation!” It is the second reply: The creator, who created you in the first place, is powerful enough to make the bones alive second time.

After mentioning their ‘argument’ the same reply is described more clearly: “He will give them life who created them for the first time.” If there is anything to wonder, they should at the first creation, not at the second one.

Now we come to the second ‘argument’ against Resurrection. Some people said that suppose a man was eaten by a cannibal, and then that cannibal was eaten by a lion. The lion after his death was eaten by other animals. Now the part of the first man become the part of the second man, and afterward part of the lion, and the finally ended up as the parts of several other animals. How will that first man be resurrected? If the parts which were eaten by the cannibal are left out, then his body is not resurrected completely. If those parts are removed from the body of the cannibal and returned to the first man, then the body of the cannibal will not be resurrected completely, because these had become a part of his body. And then what will happen to the parts in the bodies of the lion and other animals, because those parts are now scattered everywhere; so the first body cannot be resurrected completely?

Allah replies to them in these words: “And he is fully cognizant of all the creation.” In every body there are some original components and others which are later additions. Allah fully knows which is which. He will return the original components of each and everybody to its rightful place, and will make them alive. So why this astonishment?

After refuting these two so-called ‘arguments, now Allah gives some more examples of His power:

“The same (Creator) who produced for you fire from the green tree, when, lo! You kindle (fire) from it.”

In ancient Arabia, they used a wooden instrument for kindling fire. It was called ‘zinad’. It consisted of two pieces of wood which were rubbed together. And even if green, they produced fire.

Now fire is likened to life. And green wood is generally thought unfit for kindling fire. Keeping in mine these two facts, now repeat the unbelievers’ words: “Who will make these bones alive, and they are rotten at that? Allah reminds them that as HE creates fire in the green tree, likewise he will create life in the rotten bones. How is it that one accepts the creation of the fire from greenery, but doubts about the creation of life in the bones?

After giving these examples from their day to day life, Allah now reminds them of His power in these words:

“What is not He who created the heavens and the earth able to create (again) the like of them? Yes indeed.. And He is the Creator All-knowing.”

The word “Creator” shows His limitless power, and “All knowing” has power enough to resurrect the bodies and knowledge enough to know which part of which person has gone where; and then to collect all original parts to make a body complete.

Finally He says:

“His command, when He intends anything, is only that He says unto it “Be” and it is.”

This Ayat exposes the fallacy of those who think about the power of Allah in terms of human power.

Human beings cannot create anything without its materials, machines, experience and what. Allah creates without any material, if He so wishes. Therefore, you should not wonder how He will resurrect the bodies after they are rotten in the graves.

“So Glory to Him in whose hand is the kingdom of all things and unto Him will all you be brought back.”

He has the kingdom of every thing in his hands; and therefore, you should remain prepared to return to Him. There is no doubt about it.

And lastly a short Hadith of Imam Zaynul-Abedeen (a.s):-

“I am astonished (to see) a proud boastful (person): Yesterday he was a sperm and tomorrow he will be a dead-body! And wonder of the wonders is about that (man) who doubts about (the existence of) Allah while he sees His creation! And wonder of wonders is that (person) who denies death, and he sees people dying everyday and night! And wonder of wonders is about that (person) who denied the second life (i.e.Resurrection) and he sees the first one ! And wonder of wonders is the person who develops the house (which is) to perish, and neglects the everlasting House.”