بَابُ إِثْبَاتِ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِAffirmation of the Punishment of the Grave

And the statement of Allah, the Exalted:

"They will say, 'Our Lord, You made us die twice and gave us life twice...'" (Surah Ghafir: 11),

And His statement:

"The Fire, they are exposed to it morning and evening. And on the Day the Hour appears [it will be said], 'Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest punishment.'" (Surah Ghafir: 46),

And His statement:

"Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills." (Surah Ibrahim: 27).

Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "When a Muslim is questioned in the grave, he will testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. That is the meaning of Allah's statement: {Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter} (Surah Ibrahim: 27)."

In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "{Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word...} (Surah Ibrahim: 27): This verse was revealed regarding the punishment of the grave. It will be said to him: 'Who is your Lord?' He will reply: 'My Lord is Allah, and my Prophet is Muhammad.' [Agreed upon]

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"When the servant is placed in his grave, and his companions turn away from him, he hears the sound of their footsteps. Then, two angels come to him and make him sit, and they ask him: 'What did you say about this man (Muhammad)?' As for the believer, he will say: 'I bear witness that he is the servant of Allah and His Messenger.' It will be said to him: 'Look at your place in the Hellfire; Allah has replaced it for you with a place in Paradise.' So he will see both of them.

But as for the hypocrite and the disbeliever, it will be said to him: 'What did you say about this man?' He will say: 'I do not know; I used to say what the people said.' It will be said to him: 'You neither knew nor did you follow.' Then, he will be struck with iron hammers, and he will let out a cry that will be heard by everyone around him except humans and jinn."

[Narrated by Al-Bukhari, and Muslim narrated a similar version).

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"When one of you dies, his place (in the Hereafter) is shown to him morning and evening. If he is among the people of Paradise, then he is shown his place in Paradise. And if he is among the people of Hellfire, then he is shown his place in Hellfire. It will be said to him: 'This is your place until Allah resurrects you to it on the Day of Resurrection.'"

[Agreed upon]

A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that a Jewish woman entered upon her and mentioned the punishment of the grave. A’isha said to her, “May Allah protect you from the punishment of the grave.” Then A’isha asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the punishment of the grave, and he said, “Yes, the punishment of the grave is real.” A’isha said, “After that, I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray without seeking refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave.”

[Agreed upon]

Zaid ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

While the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in a garden of Banu Najjar, riding on his mule, and we were with him, the mule suddenly veered, almost throwing him off. There were six or five graves in front of him. He asked, “Who knows the people of these graves?” A man replied, “I do.” The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, “When did they die?” The man said, “During the time of shirk (polytheism).” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Indeed, this nation will be tested in their graves. Were it not for the fear that you would stop burying your dead, I would have asked Allah to make you hear the punishment of the grave, which I can hear.”

Then he turned to us and said, “Seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of the Hellfire.” They said, “We seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of Hellfire.” He said, “Seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave.” They said, “We seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave.” He said, “Seek refuge with Allah from the trials, both visible and hidden.” They said, “We seek refuge with Allah from the trials, both visible and hidden.” He said, “Seek refuge with Allah from the trial of the Dajjal.” They said, “We seek refuge with Allah from the trial of the Dajjal.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“When the deceased is buried, two angels, black and blue, come to him. One is called Munkar, and the other is called Nakir. They ask him, ‘What did you use to say about this man (Muhammad)?’ He will reply, ‘He is the servant of Allah and His Messenger. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.’ They will say to him, ‘We knew that you used to say this.’ Then his grave will be expanded for him seventy cubits by seventy, and it will be illuminated for him. Then it will be said to him, ‘Sleep.’ He will reply, ‘Let me return to my family so that I may inform them.’ They will say, ‘Sleep like the sleep of a bridegroom who is only awakened by the one dearest to him,’ until Allah resurrects him from his resting place.

But if he is a hypocrite, he will say, ‘I heard people saying something, so I said the same; I do not know.’ They will say to him, ‘We knew you would say this.’ Then it will be said to the earth, ‘Compress him,’ and it will compress him so tightly that his ribs interlock. He will remain in torment there until Allah resurrects him from his resting place.”

[Narrated by Tirmidhi]

It is narrated from Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

When a believer is placed in his grave, two angels come to him, make him sit up, and ask 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 then ask: "Who is this man who was sent among you?" He replies: "He is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." They ask: "How do you know this?" He replies: "I read the Book of Allah, believed in it, and affirmed it."

This is the meaning of Allah’s saying: "Allah keeps firm those who believe with the firm word" (Surah Ibrahim, 14:27).

Then a caller from the heavens proclaims: "My servant has spoken the truth, so spread for him a bed from Paradise, clothe him with garments of Paradise, and open a door for him to Paradise." So its breeze and fragrance reach him, and his grave is expanded as far as his sight can reach.

As for the disbeliever, the Prophet (peace be upon him) described his death and said:

His soul is returned to his body, and two angels come to him, make him sit up, and ask him: "Who is your Lord?" He replies: "Oh! Oh! I do not know." They ask: "What is your religion?" He replies: "Oh! Oh! I do not know." They ask: "Who is this man who was sent among you?" He replies: "Oh! Oh! I do not know."

Then a caller from the heavens proclaims: "He has lied, so spread for him a bed from Hell, clothe him with garments of Hell, and open a door for him to Hell." So its heat and scorching wind reach him.

His grave is compressed until his ribs interlock, and a blind and deaf tormentor is appointed for him, holding an iron hammer which, if struck on a mountain, would reduce it to dust. He strikes him with it, and he lets out a scream that is heard by everything between the east and the west, except for humans and jinn. Then he is turned into dust, and his soul is returned to him.

[Narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud)

It is narrated from `Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that whenever he stood by a grave, he would weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: "You mention Paradise and Hell, but you do not weep, and yet you weep because of this?" He replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'The grave is the first stage of the stages of the Hereafter. Whoever is saved from it, what follows will be easier for him; and whoever is not saved from it, what follows will be more severe.' He also said: 'I have never seen a scene more terrifying than the grave.'" [Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Tirmidhi said: "This is a strange hadith.")

It is narrated from `Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him), when he finished burying the deceased, would stand by the grave and say: "Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for steadfastness for him, for he is now being questioned." [Narrated by Abu Dawud)

It is narrated from Abu Sa`id (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Upon the disbeliever in his grave, ninety-nine dragons will be unleashed, biting and stinging him until the Hour is established. If one of those dragons were to blow upon the earth, it would never produce vegetation." [Narrated by Darimi)

It is narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that they went with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to the grave of Sad ibn Muadh when he passed away. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed for him and placed him in his grave, and when the grave was leveled, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made tasbih (glorified Allah), and we also made tasbih for a long time. Then he said takbir (Allahu Akbar), and we followed him in saying takbir. It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, why did you make tasbih and then say takbir?" He replied: "The grave of this righteous servant of Allah was constricted, but Allah relieved it for him." [Narrated by Ahmad)

It is narrated from Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "This is the one for whom the Throne of Allah trembled, the gates of the heavens were opened for him, and seventy thousand angels witnessed him. He was compressed and then relieved." [Narrated by Nasai)

It is narrated from Asma’ bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood giving a sermon, mentioning the trial of the grave in which a person will be tested. When he mentioned this, the Muslims raised a loud cry. This is how it is narrated by Bukhari. Nasai added: "There was a commotion between me and him, preventing me from understanding the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). When the noise settled, I asked a man close to me: 'What did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say in his final words?' He replied: 'It has been revealed to me that you will be tested in the graves, a trial close to the trial of the Dajjal.'"

It is narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When the dead is placed in the grave, the sun sets before him, and he sits wiping his eyes, saying: 'Let me pray.'" [Narrated by Ibn Majah)

It is narrated from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When the dead is placed in the grave, a righteous man sits in his grave without fear or distress. Then he is asked: 'What were you in?' He replies: 'I was in Islam.' Then he is asked: 'Who is this man?' He says: 'Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who brought clear signs from Allah, and we believed in him.' Then he is asked: 'Did you see Allah?' He replies: 'No one can see Allah.' Then an opening is made before him towards the fire, and he sees it crushing one part of another. It is said to him: 'Look at what Allah has saved you from.' Then an opening is made before him towards Paradise, and he sees its beauty and what is in it. He is told: 'This is your place; you were certain in it, you died upon it, and you will be resurrected upon it, if Allah wills.'

The evil man, however, sits in his grave terrified and distressed. He is asked: 'What were you in?' He replies: 'I do not know.' He is asked: 'Who is this man?' He says: 'I heard people saying something, so I said it.' Then an opening is made before him towards Paradise, and he sees its beauty and what is in it. He is told: 'Look at what Allah has turned away from you.' Then an opening is made before him towards the fire, and he sees it crushing one part of another. He is told: 'This is your place; you were in doubt about it, you died upon it, and you will be resurrected upon it, if Allah wills.'" [Narrated by Ibn Majah)