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 |  Subject: Do Souls of the Dead Return Back to this World? Part 2  Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:45 am | |
| Do Souls of the Dead Return Back to this World? Part 2  Compiled by
Shawana A Aziz
From As-Sunnah Bimonthly
Islamic Newsletter
(b) The Disbelieving Soul: The Angels take the disbelieving soul up to
the Heaven and do not bring it pass a company of Angels without their saying:
"Who is this wicked soul?" to which they reply: "So and so, the son of so and
so." Using the worst names that he was called in the world. When he is brought
to the lowest Heaven, request is made for the gate to be opened for him, but
it is not opened for him. Allah, who is most Great and Glorious, then says:
"Record his Book in Sijjin (the lowest place) and his soul is thrown down to
Earth."
Questioning in the Grave (a) The
Believing Soul: The Soul is temporary restored in the body. Two Angels
come to it and ask: "Who
is your Lord?" He
replies: "My Lord is Allah." They ask: "What is your religion?" He replies: "My religion is Islam." They ask:
"Who is this man who was sent among you?" and He will reply: " He is the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)." They ask: "What was the
source of your knowledge?" He replies: "I have read Allah's Book, believed in
it and declared it to be true." Then one cry is heard from the Heaven: "My
servant has spoken the truth..."
(b) The Disbelieving Soul: Angels approach the disbelieving soul for
questioning, but he can barely answer their questions by saying: 'Alas! I do
not know…'
The Abode and Companion (a) The
Believing Soul: Some of the joys of Paradise and its fragrance come to him
and his grave is made spacious for him as far as an eye can see. A man with a
beautiful face, beautiful garments and sweet odor comes to the righteous slave
and says: "Rejoice in what pleases you, for this is your day which you have
been promised." He asks: "Who are you?" He replies: "I am your good deeds." He
then says: "My Lord, bring the Last Hour; my Lord bring the Last Hour, so I
may return to my people and my property."
(b) The Disbelieving Soul: Some of the Hell's heat and hot air comes to
him, his grave is made narrow for him such that his ribs interpenetrate into
each other. A man with an ugly face, ugly garments and an offensive odor comes
to him and says: "Be grieved with what displeases you, for this is your day
which you have been promised." He asks: "Who are you? For your face is most
ugly and brings evil." He replies: "I am your wicked deeds." He then says: "My
Lord, do not bring the Last Hour." From the above we know how the soul is taken out of the human body upon
death and presented before Allah. If the soul is righteous, it enjoys the
bounties of Allah and if it is wicked, it suffers the torment of the grave,
which is very severe and none can escape its anguish and suffering. The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "This Ummah will be
tried in its grave. If it were not for the fear that you might not bury your
dead, I would pray to Allah to make you hear what I hear." [Saheeh Muslim] Uthman Ibn Affan
(radhiallahu anhu) used to cry until he wet his beard, if he was to stand on a
grave. He was told: 'You mention the Heaven and the Hell-Fire and you don't
cry, but when you mention the grave, you burst in tears!' He said: 'I heard
the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) saying: "The grave is the
first stage of the Hereafter, whoever passes it will be at ease afterwards,
and if he does not succeed in it, he will be in worst of conditions." I also
heard him saying: "Never have I seen a sight more horrifying than that of
grave."
To the living, the grave is simply an empty, dark hole in the ground, but to
the dead it is a window into either Paradise or Hell, where he faces the
realities of the Hereafter all by himself. The grave is a place of solitude,
and there is no greater isolation than this! What can be a bigger isolation
for someone, than being separated from parents, family, and relatives? One
leaves back all his possession and wealth and is put in the grave, under
gravel and sand? Nothing accompanies the dead in his grave except his deeds,
Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Three things follow a
dead man, two of which will return and one will remain with him. His people,
his property and his deeds follow him but his people and property return,
while his deeds remain with him." [Saheeh al-Bukharee (8/ 521)]
At this time, if one's deeds are good and righteous, they become for him a
good company. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "(After
the questioning) a man with a beautiful face, beautiful garments and sweet
odor comes to the righteous slave and says: "Rejoice in what pleases you, for
this is your day which you have been promised." He asks: "Who are you? For
your face is perfectly beautiful and brings good." He replies: "I am your good
deeds." He then says: "My Lord, bring the Last Hour; my Lord bring the Last
Hour, so I may return to my people and my property." Regarding the evildoer,
he (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "… a man with an ugly face, ugly
garments and an offensive odor comes to him and says: "Be grieved with what
displeases you, for this is your day which you have been promised." He asks:
"Who are you? For your face is most ugly and brings evil." He replies: "I am
your wicked deeds." He then says: "My Lord, do not bring the Last Hour." [Saheeh
al-Jami as-Sageer, 1/1676]
All this and the Hereafter has still not commenced for us. So, let this be a
reminder for all to prepare for death by doing good deeds in accordance to the
Qur'aan and the Sunnah, even if it means to give a trifle in charity. Allah's
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Protect yourself from the
Hellfire, even by a part of a date (that is given in charity)." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]
After clarifying the good and evil in this world, Allah, the Exalted, has
given every man a free will to choose between them. It is up to the
individual, whether he takes enough good deeds to accompany him in his grave,
or he chooses to carry the burden of evil deeds. This choice of evil and good
is only valid as long as one is alive. As death approaches, all deeds come to
an end and the person becomes weak and helpless; so helpless that after death
he is in need of the living to give him ghusl, shroud him, place him in his
grave and make Du'aa for his forgiveness. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) said: "When the coffin is ready (for its burial) and people lift it
on their shoulders, then if the deceased is a righteous person he says, 'Take
me ahead,' if he is not a righteous one, then he says, 'Woe to it (me)! Where
are you taking it (me)!' And his voice is audible to everything except human
beings; if they heard it they would fall down unconscious." [Bukharee (2/
462)]
After knowing the realities of death, how helpless and weak man becomes after
death, and how he faces the realities of the Hereafter and witnesses the great
Power of Allah… Can a Muslim, who believes that Allah alone has the Power to
benefit and harm, accept that a dead man's soul can come back to this world
and help the living? Or after witnessing the Power of Allah the dead would
dare to scare the living, harm them, possess them or demand offerings from
them, etc…etc…?
Barzakh forbids any Return Allah and His
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) have clearly defined to us journey of
the soul after death and the abode of both, the disbelieving souls and the
righteous souls. This period between the death and the Hereafter is known as 'Barzakh'.
Linguistically, 'Barzakh' means a veil, barrier or partition between two
things. Ibn Abbas (radhiallahu
anhu) defines Barzakh as a Hijab (a partition of veil). Al-Qurtubi,
in his exposition states:
'The Barzakh is a barrier between two things. It is
the stage between this world and the other world - from the time of death
until the time Resurrection. Thus, whoever dies enters the Barzakh" [See al-Qurtubi's
Tafseer, vol.12, p.150] Once the soul enters the realm of Barzakh, there is no
return for it back into the world as is clearly known from the Qur'aan and the
Ahaadeeth of Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). Allah says regarding the evil soul:
"…when death comes to one of them (who
joins partners with Allah), he says: "O My Lord! Send me back to life. In
order that I may do good deeds in the things that I neglected. By no means! It
is but a word he says. And before him is a Barzakh until the day they are
raised up." [Soorah al-Mu'minoon (23): 99-100] | |
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