Punishment of the Grave

Punishment of the Grave (Arabic: عذاب القبر ʿAdhāb al-Qabr, also translated torment of the grave) is an Islamic concept of the period following death but prior to the Day of Judgement, when the souls of the unrighteous are punished in the grave. Although many Hadith speak about it, the Qur'an doesn't contains any clear reference to punishment in the graves.

Prevalence of belief

Various early Muslim sects such as the Khawarij and some portions of the Mu'tazili denied the Punishment of the Grave.[1]

Punishment

In Islamic belief the grave constitutes a "third stage" of human existence, with the first two being the womb and then mortal life, and the fourth being eternity in heaven or heaven after Jahannam.

Animals and jinns are able to hear the Punishment of the Grave while human beings cannot.[2]

Some Muslims also believe that the living can intercede for the dead who are undergoing punishment, to at least temporarily halt their suffering.

Muhammad said: "After he has died, the believer only gets the benefit of the following actions and good deeds: knowledge which he has taught and passed on, a righteous son or daughter he leaves behind, a copy of the Quran which he has bequeathed, a mosque he has built, a house he has built for the traveler, a water channel he has dug, or an act of charity which he spent out of his property when he was alive and in good health and which comes to him after his death."[3]

Examples in Sunnah

The Sunnah contains numerous evidences and descriptions of the punishment of the grave. However, many Hadith are considered by some Islamic sects such as the Mu'tazilah to be non-authenticated, due to them having a single-chain of transmission (Ahad Hadith).

See also

Notes

  1. As quoted by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari in al-Maqaalaatul-Islaamiyyeen (p. 430)
  2. The Soul's Journey After Death, An Abridgement of Ibn Al-Qayyim's Kitabar-Ruh, Commentary by Layla Mabrouk. p.21
  3. The Soul's Journey After Death, An Abridgement of Ibn Al-Qayyim's Kitabar-Ruh, Commentary by Layla Mabrouk. p.33
  4. Sahih al-Bukhari Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 78
  5. Related by Sahih Muslim (2/93), Abu Daawood (no. 983), and others from Abu Hurayrah
  6. Muslim, Book 40, Hadith 6860: The Book Pertaining to Paradise, Its Description, Its Bounties and Its Intimates
  7. Bukhari, Book 2, Volume 23, Hadith 422: Funerals
  8. Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 2003: The Book of Prayers

External links

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