Standing before the grave of one of Islam’s most distinguished martyrs, Sa’d bin Muaz, who Rasulullah (saw) buried with his own hands, Rasullulah (saw) said:
“This eminent soul for whom the throne (arsh) trembled and the gates of the heavens opened and thousands of angels descended… Even he frets so much in his grave that his bones were almost going to crumble. If anyone were to escape from the torments of the grave and the anguish after death, this would have been possible for Sa’d first! Though, due to the elevated rank he had acquired here, he was swiftly released!”
Let us now consider, if the person isn’t aware and conscious in his grave, could such torments be possible?
It was asked to Rasulullah (saw): “O Rasulullah, which of the believers are more intelligent and more conscious?” He answered:
“Those who remember the reality of death most often and who prepare for the after death most prudently. Indeed, they are the most intelligent and conscious ones.”
In yet another narration, he says: “The most conscious and prudent one is he who subjects his soul to the divine laws and engages in deeds that will benefit him in the hereafter. The impotent one is he who follows his desires then hopes for salvation from Allah!”
Ibn Masud, one of the followers of Rasulullah (saw) says:“I had heard Rasulullah (saw) say ‘the sinners will assuredly be tormented in their graves, in fact even the animals will hear their anguish!’”
Abu Said al Hudri narrates:
I heard Rasulullah say:
“The denier will be tormented by ninety-nine dragons that will sting and bite him until the Day of Judgment. If only one of these dragons were to blow on earth, no green plant would ever live again.”
Ibn Omar (r.a.) narrates:
Rasulullah (saw) said:
“When a person dies, his place, whether it be heaven or hell, will be shown to him every morning and every evening. He will be told, ‘this is your place, until the Day of Judgment, when you will be resurrected, you will be here.’”
Another interesting note is the statement “wal bat’thu ba’dal mawt” in Amantu, which literally means “… and in resurrection after death”, it does not say “resurrection after Doomsday”! Evidently, ba’th, i.e. resurrection, is an event that occurs after tasting death, not after Doomsday!
We live in this world with our physical bodies and the spirit body that we simultaneously produce.
When one tastes of death, the material body will dissolve and the spirit will resurrect and continue to live in the grave until Doomsday.
When Doomsday occurs, that is, the instance that the earth is engulfed in the radioactive heat of the sun…
And finally, our bodies will also be resurrected appropriate to the environment to which they will go.
Will we work with the same mind and perception mechanisms we have here in our graves?
In regards to this, Abdullah bin Omar (r.a.) narrates the following:
When Rasulullah (saw) was talking about Munkir and Nakir, the two angels who will call the person to account in his grave, Hadhrat Omar (r.a.) asked: “Are we going to be conscious in our graves, O Rasulullah?”
“Indeed, exactly as you are today,” Rasulullah (saw) answered.
So, what happens when a person, who is fully aware and conscious, yet whose body has become dysfunctional, is placed the grave?
Let us see how Anas (r.a.) has to say about this:
Rasulullah (saw) said:
“When the person is placed in his grave, he will hear the footsteps of those who buried him moving further and further away. Then the two angels will come and ask him: ‘What do you say about the man Muhammad?’
If the person is a believer he will say ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and Rasul.’ Then they will ask ‘Look at your place in hell, Allah has transformed it into paradise for you.’ From that point on, he will see both his place in hell and the place he will go to in heaven.
If he is a denier or a hypocrite disguised as a Muslim, he will say ‘I do not have a definite opinion, I only know of what others used to say.’ They will say to him ‘You have failed to recognize and know him!’ and then they will hit him with a hammer with such intensity that the whole of creation except man and the jinni will hear his anguish!”
Let us now end this topic with a final hadith:
“The deceased one will be tormented by the lamenting of his relatives and friends.”
There are many more warning of Rasulullah (saw) pertaining to this topic. Those who are interested may consult the appropriate hadith books.
The point is, the person does not die, he merely experiences death!
To experience death is to lose control over one’s material body and to continue living with a sort of holographic wave body, termed spirit.
Therefore, everyone who is buried is fully conscious and aware! And they will exist in this state until Doomsday, after which they will be equipped with new bodies according to the environment and conditions of that time and place.
Such is the life awaiting us on the other side!