the souls journey after death in islam
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11/10/12 The Souls Journey After Death In Islam
1/18www.islamicinformation.net/2008/05/souls-journey-after-death-in-islam.html
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1 9 M A Y 2 0 0 8
The Souls Journey After Death In Islam
By Huma Ahmed
Imagine yourself at the moment of your death.
What thoughts cross your mind? Memories of family and
friends? Panic? Regrets? Remembrance of Allah? What is death?
What happens to us after we die? What is life in the Hereafter
like, this new and strange world after death? Do we lose
consciousness of this life? Where does our soul go? Do we feel
and think the same?
The ineffable feeling of crossing the boundary between this
world and the next cannot be described in words, nor imagined
in the mind, but can be understood only through divine
revealation and inspiration. Let us for the next few moments
seek an understanding of this, death, the only certainty in life.
Sometimes we may not want to know about the processes that
occur after we die because we are afraid or don't want to think
about it. However, this is not the attitude of a Muslim. We
should be foremost in learning and understanding death, so we
can live our lives accordingly. The prophet (saw) said, "Live in
this world as though you are a stranger or a traveler (passing
through it)." [Muslim] We are on a journey and should know
about the whole journey's itinerary, not just one part.
Death is inevitable. It is the one thing that we can be certain
about in life. We are born to die. Every soul shall have a taste
of death no matter who they are. This is confirmed for us many
times in the Quran:
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense." (Quran
3:185)
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by
evil and by good, by way of trial. To Us must you return."
(21:35)
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: In the end to Us shall
you be brought back." (29:57)
Death is not pure annihilation, but rather both the living and
dead are aware, but there is a difference that can't be
compared. Death is merely movement from one world to
another. It can be described as a journey through a wormhole
to a separate dimension of existence.
We begin this journey in our mother's wombs. 120 days after
conception the soul is blown into the fetus. Narrated 'Abdullah
bin Mus'ud: "Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said,
'(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together
in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes
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a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of
flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is
ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his
(i.e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of)
death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion).
Then the soul is breathed into him'"[Bukhari]
We have no choice in who our parents are, our race, color or
nationality. "He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He
pleases. There is no god but He, The Exalted in Might, The
Wise." (3:6) Allah knows all of this before our birth even, but
we still continue our journey to fulfill our destiny.
The next part of our trip begins after we are born. This is the
life of this world, in which we now reside and are familiar with.
We may stay at this station for a few seconds or as long as
100 years or more. Here we grow up and acquire the means to
happiness or misery. We are given the ability to make choices
after the age of puberty and we will later be punished or
rewarded based upon them. Allah gives each of us the natural
Fitrah, knowledge of good and bad as well as
right and wrong. The rest is up to us. As the Quran says, "By
the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it, and its
enlightenment as to its wrong and its right--Truly he succeeds
that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it!" (91:7-10)
In this life, the soul and the body are together except during
sleep when the soul may leave the body and come back in the
morning or Allah may take the soul at that time. "It is Allah that
takes the souls at death; and those that die not (He takes)
during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of
death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He
sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are
Signs for those who reflect."
(39:42) It is indeed something to be pondered; that we die
each night and Allah gives us another chance at life when we
wake up the next day.
We also find continuous biological processes of life and death
during this time. In every cell, organ or system of organs, life
and death is occuring. There are several hundreds of thousands
of enzymatic reactions that take place in the body every
fraction of a second. Some of these biochemical reactions are
used to synthesize living materials while others are either used
to synthesize dead materials or to get rid of living materials.
"You (Allah) bring the Living out
of the Dead, and You bring the Dead out of the Living" (3:27)
This part of our journey ends as our death begins.
No one knows where, how and when he or she will die. "Verily,
the knowledge of the hour is with Allah (alone). It is He who
sends down rain, and He who knows what is in the wombs, nor
does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow.
Nor does anyone know in
what land he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full knowledge and
He is acquainted (with all things.)" (31:34) Nor does anyone
have the right to take his or her own life. If they do they will
automatically go to Hell. The One who gave life is the only one
who has the right to take life.
When someone begins to die the Angel of Death or Izraeel
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comes to take the soul out of the body and puts it in a place
called the Barzakh. "Say: 'The Angel of Death, put in charge of
you, will (duly) take your souls. Then shall you be brought back
to your Lord." (32:11) "Wherever you are, Death will find you
out, even if you are in towers built up strong and high! " (4:78)
For those who led a life of evil, the removal of the soul is tough
and difficult. Sometimes, more than one angel has to work
together to beat the face and back of the deceased. But for
those who lived a good life, the soul yearns to meet its Lord
and leaves the body with ease, like a drop of water pouring
out. A light like the sun's ray and a sweet fragrance come out
to the soul. Then it ascends amid rows of angels, but those
who are there cannot see or smell this. The deceased is
questioned, punished, beaten, and wails, and cries out. All this
happens while they lie dead and their family is around them,
but they neither hear nor see it. The sleeper dreams and
enjoys their dream or is tormented by it, while someone awake
at their side is not able to perceive what is going on at all.
Allah has given inanimate objects awareness and perception by
which they glorify their Lord. The stones fall down out of fear
of Him. The mountains and trees prostrate. The pebbles, water
and plants glorify Him. All this is going on but we are not aware
of it. "There is nothing which does not glorify His praise but you
do not understand their glorification." (17:44) The Companions
heard the food that was being eaten glorifying Allah. That was
because the Companions had a transparency of heart that
does not now exist among us. All these things are part of our
world and yet we are in complete ignorance of them. It is not
too much of an extrapolation to extend this to our being
unaware of the things of the Next World.
After the soul is taken, if it is a pure soul and has relatives in
the Next World who are people of the Garden, they come to
meet the soul with yearning and great joy. They ask it about
the condition of those who are still alive and 'suffering' in this
world. The angels then bear the soul from one heaven to the
next until it comes into the presence of Allah, Then it returns
and sees the washing of the body, its shrouding, and the
funeral procession. It says either, 'Take me forward! Take me
forward!' or 'Where are you taking me?' The living, of course,
hear none of this. The soul comes back and stays floating
above the body and when the corpse is placed in the
grave, the soul inserts itself between the body and the shroud
so that the questioning can take place.
Whenever someone died, the prophet (saw) would stand for
awhile at the burial site and then say, "Seek forgiveness for
your (Muslim) brother and pray for his steadfastness since he is
now being questioned." [Abu Dawud]
The angels pray for the soul of the believer in the heavens just
as people pray over the body on earth. The soul hears the
receding footfall of the last of the people who followed the
funeral and the earth is levelled over them. The earth or even a
rock hollowed out and sealed over with lead, would not prevent
the two angels, Munkar and Nakir from reaching it.
This is all narrated in the following sound hadith of the prophet
(saw): "When the believer is about to depart from this world
and go forward into the Next World, angels with faces as bright
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as the sun descend from the heavens and sit around him in
throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel
of Death comes and sits at his head and says, "Good soul,
come out to forgiveness and pleasure from Allah!" Then his soul
emerges like a drop of water flows from a
water-skin and the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped
it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the
twinkling of an eye. They take it and place it in a perfumed
shroud and fragrance issues from it like the sweetest scent of
musk found on the face of the earth.'
"Then they bear it upwards and whenever they take it past a
company of angels, they ask, 'Who is this good soul?' and the
angels with the soul reply, 'So-and-so the son of so-and-so,'
using the best names by which people used to call him in this
world. They bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the
gate to be opened for him. It is opened for him and angels who
are near Allah from each of the heavens accompany him to the
subsequent heaven until he reaches to the heaven where Allah
the Great is. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says, 'Register the
book of My slave in 'Illiyun and take him back to earth. I
created them from it and I return them to it and I will bring
them forth from it again.'
"His soul is then returned to his body and two angels come to
him. They make him sit up and say to him, 'Who is your Lord?'
He replies, 'My Lord is Allah.' They ask him, 'What is your
religion?' He replies, 'My religion is Islam.' They ask him, 'Who is
this man who was sent among you?' He replies, 'The Messenger
of Allah. Then a Voice from on high declares, 'My slave has
spoken the truth, so spread out carpets from the Garden for
him and open a gate of the Garden for him!'
"Then some of its fragrance and perfume comes to him, his
grave is expanded for him as far as the eye can see, and a man
with beautiful garments and a fragrant scent comes to him and
says, 'Rejoice in what delights you for this is the day which you
were promised.' He asks, 'Who are you? Yours is a face which
presages good.' He replies, 'I am your good actions.' Then he
says, 'O Lord, let the Last Hour come soon so that I may rejoin
my family and my property!'
"When an unbeliever is about to depart from this world and go
forward into the Next World, angels with black faces descend
from the heavens carrying rough hair-cloth and sit around him
in throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel
of Death comes and sits at his
head and says, 'Foul soul, come out to the wrath and anger of
Allah!' Then his soul divides up in his body and it is dragged out
like a skewer is pulled out of wet wool. Then the angel takes
hold of it. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not
leave it in his hand even for the twinkling of an eye. They take
it and wrap it in the rough haircloth and a stench comes out of
it like the worst stench of a corpse on the face of the earth.'
"Then they take it up and whenever they take it past a
company of angels, they ask, 'Who is this foul soul?' and the
angels with the soul reply, 'So-and-so the son of so-and-so,'
using the worst names by which people used to call him in this
world. They bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the
gate to be opened for him. It does not get opened.'
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"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, then recited, 'The gates of heaven will not be opened
to them nor will they enter the Garden until the camel passes
through the eye of the needle.' (7:40) Then Allah the Mighty
and Majestic, will say, 'Register his book in Sijjin in the lowest
earth.' Then his soul is flung down. The Prophet then recited,
'Whoever associates anything with Allah, it is as though he has
fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away or the wind
sweeps him headlong into a place far away.' (22:31)
"Then his soul is returned to his body and two angels come and
say to him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies, 'Alas, alas, I do not
know!' Then a voice calls from on high, 'My slave has lied, so
spread out carpets from the Fire for him and open a gate of the
Fire for him!' then a hot blast from it comes to him, his grave is
made so narrow for him that his ribs are pressed together, and
a man with a hideous face and clothing and a foul odour comes
to him and says, 'Grieve on
account of what has brought you disgrace for this is the day
which you were promised.' He asks, 'Who are you? Yours is a
face which presages evil.' He replies, 'I am your bad actions.'
Then he says, 'O Lord, do not let the Last Hour come!'"
This life in the grave or Interspace is the next part of our
journey. An 'interspace' is something that separates two
things: heaven and earth, this world and the Next World or the
period between death and resurrection. The bliss or punishment
of the Interpsace is not the same as that of the Herafter, but
rather something that happens between the two worlds.
In death, the body remains in the ground while the soul is in
the interspace or Barzakh between the two worlds. However,
the two are still connected and so the bliss or punishment
happens to both of them. When Allah desires bliss or
punishment for the soul, He connects it to the body. This is
dependent on the will of Allah and dependent on a person's
own actions. The soul is diffused in more than one place at the
same time. The proof of this is that the prophet (saw) saw
Musa (as) on the night of the Night Journey standing in prayer
in his grave and he also saw him in the sixth and seventh
heavens.
During this life in the grave part of our journey the souls are
divided into two groups: one group is punished and the other
group is in bliss. Usually when we think of the 'grave', it is a
word that
inspires fear. We are pained, but not aware of the delight it
can contain. Indeed, the bliss of the Grave is better than any
delight that this world can offer.
The liberated souls of those who are in bliss visit each other
and discuss what happened in the world they have left and the
people of that world. Allah says, "Whoever obeys Allah and the
Messenger, they are with those whom Allah has blessed, the
prophets, the sincere, the
martyrs and the righteous. Very excellent companions they
are!" (4:69)
As the hadiths narrate, if the soul was a believing one, a door
onto the fire is opened and the soul is shown it's place in the
Fire had they disobeyed Allah. Then that door is locked and
another door onto the Garden is opened and they are shown
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their place there. This door will remain open until the Day of
Rising. Some of the sweetness and fragrance of the Garden
reaches them and their grave is made spacious. The believer
sleeps in peace just as if they were in one of the meadows of
the Garden. Their narrow grave expands and stretches for the
soul as far as the eye can see.
This spaciousness, light and greenery in which the believer
remains from the time of his death until the Day of Rising is not
the same as we know in our world. If a living person were to
open a grave, they would not find any expanse, light or
greenness there. They would not find an open door through
which they could see the Garden. They do not see bliss or
torment. It is only the dead person who is aware of these
things and sees them. Allah, through His wisdom, has the
power to veil this from the living. The proof that this is so is
shown by the fact that there are other creatures like the Jinn
who live with us on the earth. They converse in raised voices
among us but we do not see or hear them. There were angels
who fought with the believers (at Badr) and struck down the
unbelievers and shouted at them, but the Muslims did not see
or hear them. Jibril came to the prophet (saw) in the midst of
the people and they did not see or hear
them.
If however the soul was a disbelieving one, a door to the
Garden is opened for the unbeliever and they are told to look at
what their place would have been in the Garden had they
obeyed Allah. Then it is locked and another door is opened and
they are told to look at their place in the fire. It stays open
and the blast of hot air from it continues to reach them until
the Day of Rising. The earth presses in on them and they are
crushed to the point that their ribs split apart.
If a righteous person were to be buried in a fiery furnace, their
portion of bliss would still reach their soul and body and Allah
would make the fire cool and peaceful for them. For the
wrongdoer,
the cool air becomes fire and hot wind. The elements and the
matter
of the universe obey their Lord, Originator and Creator. None of
them
are able to do anything except what He wills and everything
obeys His
will in humble submission to His decree.
This part of our journey in our graves is still mostly unknown
territory. Outwardly the grave is stillness and quiet while
inwardly
it contains secrets and terrors which an ordinary person cannot
percieve. It is a strange fact that animals are able to hear the
punishment in the grave while human beings as a general rule
cannot.
The prophet (saw) said, "They are punished and the animals
hear it."
Various forms of punishment rain down on a person in the grave
according to the type of wrong actions they committed. There
are
hadiths of the prophet (saw) about the Night Journey which
contain
descriptions of the many types of punishment he saw in the
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interspace
between the two worlds.
There are those who are driven like cattle and forced to eat
herbage
more bitter than aloes and the bitter fruit of Zaqqum and driven
on
to the hot stones of Jahannam because they did not purify
their
property by paying Zakat.
There are those who have to eat foul putrid meat because
they
fornicated. Some of them have bellies as big as houses and
whenever
one of them gets up, they are knocked down and say, "O Allah,
do not
let the Hour come!" They are in the path of the people of
Pharaoh who
come and trample them while they can do nothing but scream.
These are
people who devoured usury.
Some of them are screaming with their mouths gaping open
while they
devour hot coals which come out of their anuses. These are
people
who consumed the property of orphans.
Some of them cut pieces from their own sides and eat their
own
flesh. They are the slanderers and those about whom the
prophet
(saw) said, "We saw people cutting flesh from their sides and
eating
it. It was said, "As you used to consume the flesh of your
brother!"
I asked, "Who are they?" and I was told, "Those of your
community who
slandered." Some of them have brass nails with which they
scratch
their faces and chests. They are those who were backbiters
and
maligned peoples honour.
Part of the hadith of the Night Journey is as follows: "Some
people
were cracking open their heads with a stone. Every time they
did
this, their heads were restored to what they were like in the
first
place. This went on and on without stopping. I said, "Jibril, who
are they?" Jibril replied, "They are the people who turned away
from
the prayer."
All of this shows that the Punishment of the Grave is true
beyond any
doubt.
"Race to forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden whose
breadth is
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like the breadth of the Heaven and the Earth" (57:21)
The intelligent are those who protect themselves against the
evil of
this punishment before it is too late. They know with certainty
that
sooner or later this day will come and maybe without any
warning.
When it does, they will leave behind everything and move to
another
world. Only there will they feel regret, but regret then will not
do them any good. In that place, only good actions will be of
any
use. They alone will be useful currency on that Critical day.
Only
with them will a person be able to purchase a magnificent
mansion in
the Garden with all the luxuries and blessings it contains, an
everlasting mansion, not one which will disappear as things do
in
this world. The intelligent person is the one who acts for this
world
as if they were going to live forever and acts for the Next
World as
if they were going to die tomorrow.
The Grave is an embrace from which neither believer or
unbeliever can
escape. Our souls stay in the Barzakh and visit the grave
regularly
for rewards or punishments. Afterwards, our journey continues
and
the believer is relieved of its pressure while the unebliever
remains
in punishment.
The next part of our journey includes the rebirth from what is
left
of our bodies, the seed and its embryo, called Ajaf of the
sacrum.
This method of rebirth of human beings is as simple as the
rebirth of
a plant from its own seeds. Plants carry seeds that have their
genetic traits embedded on chromosomes. The genes on the
chromosomes
carry everything needed to bring the plant back to its shape,
height,
variety, chemical composition and other characteristics. In the
same
way, the embryos of human beings germinate and the new life
will
start on the Day of Rising.
Allah instructs Angel Israfeel to blow the horn twice. The first
is
to ready every seed for germination. Water of Life is then
poured
upon these seeds in their graves. The soul comes back from
the
barzakh to join its biological entity at this time. The second
blow
of the trumpet helps those seeds to germinate and produce
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every
person back to normal. They come out of their graves in a
state of
shock, naked without any clothes or shoes.
"The trumpet will be sounded when all that are in the heavens
and in
the earth will swoon except such as will please Allah (to
exempt).
Then will a second one be sounded, when, behold, they will be
standing and looking on!" (39:68) "The trumpet shall be
sounded,
when behold! From the sepulchres (men and women) will rush
forth to
their Lord! They will say: 'Ah! Woe unto us! Who had raised us
up
from out beds of repose?' (A voice will say: ) 'This is what
Allah,
Most Gracious had promised, and true was the word of the
messengers!"
(36:51-52)
Everyone will be raised up with the same identification features
down
to our very fingerprints. "Does man think that We cannot
assemble
his bones? Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order
the
very tips of his fingers." (75:3-4)
After our rebirth our journey continues as each of us is taken
to a
place of Assembly. "On that day We shall leave them to surge
life
waves on one another. The trumpet will be blown, and We shall
collect
them all together. (18:99) All will be waiting for the Court of
Allah, the Court of Justice to decide for them. The Day of
Assembly
is a day of fear, agony and anxiety. It is a day when each of
us
will be worried about what will happen to us personally. "At
length,
when there comes the Deafening Noise--that day shall a man
flee from
his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from
his
wife and his children. Each one of them, that Day, will have
enough
concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others."
(80:33-37)
With the heat of sun, sweating, and presence of too many
people next
to one another, the situation will be very scary and chaotic. "O
mankind! Fear your Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (of
Judgement) will be a thing terrible! The Day you shall see it,
every
mother giving suck shall forget her suckling babe, and every
pregnant
female shall drop her load (unformed). You shall see mankind as
in a
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drunken riot, yet not drunk; but dreadful will be the
Chastisement of
Allah." (22:1-2)
On this day seven groups of people will be protected by Allah,
these
are mentioned in Hadith: "Seven types of people will be under
the
shelter of mercy on the Day when there will be no shade other
than
that of Allah's mercy: 1) a just imam, 2) a young person who
kept
busy in Allah's worship, 3) a person whose heart is attached to
the
masjid, 4)two people who loved each other for Allah's sake,
gathered
for His sake and parted, remembering Him, 5) a man who was
invited by
a beautiful and charming woman but declined her offer, saying
"I fear
Allah"; 6) a person who gave charity so secretly that their left
hand
did not know what was given by the right hand , and 7) a
person who
remembered Allah privately, so that their eyes brimmed with
tears."
[Bukhari, Muslim]
Each person shall then be grouped behind his or her leader,
prophet,
messenger, mentor, celebrity, etc. All will be put in lines waiting
for the Court of Allah to take place and our journey to
continue. "On
the day We shall call together all human beings with their
(respective) Imams" (17:71)
Judgement Day will be our next stop. This is the day when Allah
personally will judge everyone directly with absolute justice.
Abu
Hurayrah related that the prophet (saw) said: "Every servant
of Allah
will remain standing before Allah on the Day of Judgement until
he
has answered five questions about five things: His life--how he
spent
it; his knowledge--how much he acted upon it; his wealth--
how he
acquired it and how he spent it; and his body (and health)--
how he
used it." [Muslim]
Each person will then receive their book that contains each and
every
thing they have done from the time of birth till death. This book
includes activites, appearance and intention. Such a book
could be
similar to videotape which records all these three paramaters.
It is
not unfathomable to think about this in a time in which we
have
CDRoms whose glinting thin surface contains encyclopedias full
of
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information.
"Then he who is given his Record in his right hand, soon will his
account be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his
people, rejoicing!" (84:7-9) "And he that will be given his
Record in
his left hand will say: "Ah! Would that my record had not been
given
to me!" (69:25) Their faces will be in gloom and they will be
distressed with fear and anxiety. They will wish and beg to
start
their life all over again on the earth
Allah will also select a third group of people: "And those
Foremost
(in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These will be
those
Nearest to Allah. In Gardens of bliss: a number of people from
those
of old, and a few from those of later times. (They will be) on
Thrones encrusted (with gold and precious stones), reclining on
them,
facing each other." (56:10-16)
This is where we near the end of our journey. We shall enter
the
everlasting domain, which comprises of the Garden and the
Fire.
There is no trip after it for it is the Domain of Eternity.
We shall pass over Hellfire, some of us remaining while others
continue on. "Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with
thy
Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. But We shall save
those
who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrongdoers
therein,
(humbled) to their knees." (19:71-72)
The prophet (saw) said: "The mildest punishment to be inflicted
upon
a person in Hell is that he will be made to wear a pair of
sandals
made of fire which will be so hot that they will make his brain
boil
like things boil on a stove. He will imagine that no one is
undergoing a punishment more severe although his punishment,
in
reality, will be the mildest in Hell." [Bukhari, Muslim]
Others who are not qualified to enter Paradise or Hell may be
taken
to a waiting station called Al- A'raf, to wait until forgiveness is
given to them through the Mercy of Allah.
Others will finally end their journey with their life in Paradise.
It is the last destination and hope of every person to arrive
here.
It is reserved for believers who submitted themselves to Allah
and
followed His teachings. They are the ones whose loyalty and
obedience
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were to Allah. Paradise has all the beauties of life to enjoy
without ever being tired. It is a life of excitement, peace and
happiness. The prophet (saw) said: "Allah, the Almighty, says,
'I
have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eyes
have ever
seen, no ears have ever heard and no heart has ever
conceieved.'"
[Bukhari, Muslim]
This Life After is called the Real and the True Life. The Quran
explicitly refers to the Life After as the True Life while the life
in this world is a superficial one. "What is the life of this world
but amusement and play? But verily the Home of the Hereafter
-- that
is Life indeed, if they but knew." (29:64)
After completing this journey vicariously here, we should
rethink our
lives and our deeds as we do them today. We can hide from
each
other, and ourselves but we cannot hide from Allah. It won't be
long
before we are pushed along to the next part of our journey.
Time
passes quickly and is precious. Everything we do now affects
our
journey at a later stage. Everything is recorded; our deeds,
appearances and even hidden intentions. As travelers, we can
prepare
and change to make our journey and especially our final stop a
better
one. Perhaps even one small deed or choice we make can save
us if we
keep conscious.
Among the dreams of the early Muslims is one related by Yazid
b
Nu'ama who said, "A girl died in the al-Jarib plague. Her father
met
her in a dream after her death and asked her to tell him about
the
Next World. She replied, 'My father, this is a big subject you
have
raised. We know but cannot act. You can act but do not know.
By
Allah, one or two acts of glorification and one or two rakats of
the
prayer in the book of my actions are preferable to me than the
world
and all it contains.'"
The prophet (saw) related in a true dream he had:
" He saw one of the muslims. The Angel of Death came to take
his
soul but his correct behavior towards his parents came and
drove the
Angel of Death away from him.'
" He saw another of the muslims surrounded by shaytans. Then
his
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remembrance of Allah came and made the shaytans fly from
him.'
"Then he saw a thrid muslim surrounded by the angels of
punishment.
His prayer came and rescued him from their hands.'
"The tongue of a fourth muslim was lolling out from thirst and
whenever he approached a pool of water, he was stopped and
driven
away. Then his fasting of Ramadan came and gave him water
to drink.'
" He saw another man and the prophets sitting in circles.
Everytime
the muslim approached one of the circles, he was stopped and
driven
away. His ghusl for janaba came, took hold of his hand, and sat
him
down in the circle.'
"Another muslim had darkness in front of him, behind him, on his
right, on his left and above him. He was completely lost in it.
Then his hajj and umra came and led him out of the darkness
into the
light.'
"Another muslim was being pursued by flames and sparks of
fire. His
sadaqa formed a veil between him and the fire and shaded his
head.'
"Another muslim was speaking to a group of believers who
would not
speak to him. His upholding of kinship came and told the group
of
believers that he had maintained ties of kinship and ordered
them to
speak to him. Then the believers spoke to him and shook hands
with
him.'
"Another muslim was surrounded by the Zabaniyya (angels of
Jahannam).
His commanding the right and forbidding the wrong came and
rescued
him from them and put him among the angels of mercy.'
"Another muslim was kneeling with a veil between him and
Allah. His
good character came, took his hand and Allah let him enter His
presence.'
"Another muslim had received his book in his left hand. His fear
of
Allah came and took his book and placed it in his right hand.'
"The scales of another muslim were light in the balance. Those
of his
children who had died young came and made the scales level.'
"Another muslim was standing on the brink of Jahannam. His
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hope in
Allah came and rescued him from it, and he withdrew from it.'
"Another muslim had fallen into the fire. The tears that he had
wept
out of fear from Allah came and rescued him from it.'
"Another muslim was standing on the Sirat trembling like a leaf
in a
strong wind. His good opinion of Allah came and his terror was
allayed and he was able to go on.'
"Another muslim was crawling on the Sirat, sometimes creeping,
and
sometimes just clinging on. His prayer came and put him on his
feet
and rescued him.'
"Another muslim reached the gates of the Garden but they
were locked
against him. His testimony that there is no god but Allah came
and
opened the gates for him and let him into the garden."
Let us pray that we are among those who work to have an
easy trip and
have as the end to their journey, the final abode of Paradise. O
Allah, We seek refuge with You from the punishment of the
grave. O
Allah, help us to live and die as Muslims and help us to
understand
the true object of this life. O Allah, grant us good in this life
and good in the life to come, and save us from the torment of
the
Hellfire.
"We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord!
To You is the journey's end." (2:285)
Ameen.
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who
is save
far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained
the
object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and
chattels of deception" (3:185)
Sources: "The Soul's Journey after Death" by Layla Mabrouk
"Death and Dying" by Dr. Ahmad Sakr
"The World of the Angels" by Sh. Abdul Hamid Kishk
"A Treasury of Ahadith" by Dr. Mazhar U. Kazi
Quran Al-Kareem trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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33 comments - Click link below to add yours:
sayed said... 4/1/09 11:53 PM
thanks for the article,i have a quary if allah dicided everything that
would happen to a life, how he gave us the feedom to do the right or
wrong.can u answer.
Anonymous said... 7/2/09 4:08 PM
Mashallah very profound and eye-opening article...Thank you very
much for posting it. May Allah(swt) give you blessings and love for
every muslim/non-muslim who reads it.
Anonymous said... 15/3/09 10:43 PM
My mother returned to Allah last week. It makes you think about how
short life really is and how consumed we become by this temporary
existence.
Was looking for information on the Islamic perspective post death and
what happens (as my understanding is pretty none existent). This
article was very informative and thought provoking. May Allah bless
you for your hard work and reward you accordingly.
Razeen said... 29/3/09 7:39 A M
MAASHA'ALLAH! May ALLAH reward you for this great work. This article
answered so many questions that were inside my mind and i got to
know many things that made me more closer to Islam than ever
before.
Jazakhallahu Khrairah!
Anonymous said... 3/5/09 6:16 A M
May Allah reward you for the great work..may Allah give you janatul
firdows for your great work keep up the good deeds...
Anonymous said... 4/5/09 1:38 PM
Thank you for a very thought provoking article. Howevr, I still have
many questions unanswered.
Anonymous said... 1/6/09 7:10 A M
MASHA ALLAH, this is very good,as you describe the things with happen
with a good soul first that the things happen with a bad soul is excellent
idea offcourse the blessing of Allah is much higher then the punishment
of Allah
Anonymous said... 13/7/09 6:40 PM
Ass-Salaam -Alaikum
Dear all
Firstly i lke to say thanks to ALL team members you all r doing a very
excellent job pls keep it up .MAY ALLAH SHOWERS HIS BLESSING ON
YOU AMEEN..!
your artical was very amazing !. i was always eager now what will
happen to us when we will dei i fwd this mail to manny of friends it was
vry intresting it increse my knowledge thanks a lot .even i want to know
how to ask forgivness from ALLAH on our sin.
ALLAH KARIM
Anonymous said... 23/9/09 8:47 PM
MAY ALLHA REWARD YOU FOR THIS EYE OPENER.
Anonymous said... 26/9/09 7:22 PM
Alhamdulillah, i seek Allah for forgiveness in everything, Allah guide us
to the straight path, the path that you have favoured, save us from the
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punishment of the hellfire, and make us amongst the people of
paradise.. Aameen.
Anonymous said... 10/10/09 2:06 PM
assalamualaikum this looks very real and heart touching this really
helps us to be on right path keep doing the good work!
Hassan said... 23/11/09 3:58 A M
Salaam
great article, very well written, may Allah Subhanathalla bless you for
your kindness to share your knowlegde and understanding with others.
May Allah Subhanathalla forgive us all for the sins we have made and
give us all a place in paradise..
aameen
Anonymous said... 7/5/10 11:24 A M
Assalamoualikum, I have just lost my husband two weeks back and its
very difficult for me. I really want to know what is happening to him.
Your article is really very informative. May Allah bless you.
Anonymous said... 12/5/10 9:16 A M
this has opened my eyes sooo much thank you!!
Anonymous said... 16/5/10 4:32 A M
MashaAllah wow this is a very very good informative article. May Allah
(S.W.T)bless u n ur family :)
Anonymous said... 8/6/10 11:32 A M
Salam may Allah reward you for sharing your knowledge, it has helped
to answer many question which were in my mind in regarding life and
death.
Anonymous said... 13/6/10 10:39 PM
Salaam and mashallah this is a very powerful and moving article. May
Allah SWT bless you Ameen
Anonymous said... 22/6/10 3:11 A M
GOD IS GREAT
Anonymous said... 22/6/10 3:15 A M
Be carefull not to fall in the devils trap. Evil eyes are everywhere even
to the people close to you , if you sense anyform of evil , keep your
positive essence, wwith you, where you can strive to do good for the
one and only God .
Anonymous said... 3/7/10 9:04 PM
IT IS VERY SIMPLE (AS YOU SOW -SO YOU REAP)
FOLLOW THE GUIDELINE OF HOLY KORAN.
BOW DOWN YOUR HEAD EVERY DAY BEFORE THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH
FOR HIS FORGIVENESS,MERCY,GUIDANCE,HELP FOR YOURSELF,YOUR
FAMILY,FRIENDS,RELATIVES,YOUR LOVED ONE,S WHO ARE PRESENT
OR PASSED AWAY.
ALWAYS KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ALLAH AND HIS PROPHETS IN YOUR
HEART AND MIND ESPECIALLY BEFORE YOU FALL SLEEP REMEMBER
THANKS TO ALLAH FOR ALL HIS KINDNESS.
Anonymous said... 13/8/10 1:06 PM
I have just lost my grandmother today.
Her soul was taken on a Friday morning in Ramadhan, and when her
shrouded body was taken away to the mosque for prayers, it gently
rained, Masya Allah.
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Thank you for this article. I wanted to know very much what she is
going through right now, and this was very informative and also jolted
me to be mindful about my own sins.
May Allah bless you, wasalam
Anonymous said... 5/9/10 11:24 A M
Allah is the most merciful and most kind.
There is none like him nore simaliar.
He is most forgiving but lets not forget that he is the one who is the
punisher. As it is one of his 99 names.
Anonymous said... 6/9/10 8:41 A M
seriously awesome!!!!
untutoredMars said... 9/10/10 11:51 PM
"Asslam Alai Kum"
"Thank you for this knowledge life after death like others i was too busy
in this journey of my life but after reading this article i am going to get
prepared and keep myself ready for the journey hereafter. May
Almighty bless you and every living and dead muslims.
Anonymous said... 18/10/10 8:08 A M
May Allah forgive our sins and rest all of us in Paradise.
Reshma Nasreen Choudhury Shah said... 25/10/10 2:59 PM
May Allah Subhanallah bless you for this good work. I had many
questions in my mind about the after-death , and I also have two young
daughters who keep asking me questions about death out of curiosity.
At least now I will be able to Insha Allah give them answers that will
suit their age. More information is always welcome. Assalam alaikum!
Anonymous said... 26/11/10 11:17 PM
ALLAH IS GREAT
Anonymous said... 15/5/11 5:45 A M
Astaghfirullaha rabbi min kull-e zanbiwwatoobu ilaeh
Anonymous said... 27/6/11 8:30 PM
Mashallah, this is an amazing article and has really opened my eyes.
May allah bless you for your work. Allah is the greatest and may we all
do good in life rather than all the negative things that surround us.
arslanjilani said... 2/7/11 4:50 PM
thank u.may Allah bless u with peace
Anonymous said... 3/7/11 2:52 A M
JazakAllah khayran
May Allah make us die as muslims and forgive our sins and help us to
keep away from sins. Ameen. It will be so great if we succeed and die
as muslims. i would love to be carried up to Jannah and be called by all
the good names ive been called in this life and go meet Allah.
Anonymous said... 11/7/11 12:37 A M
Amazing, tears drop from my eyes as the fear and realisation of my
past sins come to mind... This ramadhan my life WILL change as I bow
my head to the All MIGHTY and ask for my past present and future sins
to b forgiven. May Allah bless u for making me a better person
Anonymous said... 12/7/11 1:14 PM
Subhan-Allah...
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