THE DOMAIN BETWEEN DEATH AND RESURRECTION There is a domain connecting this world to the hereafter, which is called ‘Barzakh’. After death and before Qiyaamat all the humans and Jins have to live therein as per their ranking. Barzakh is much larger than this earth. The comparison between this Barzakh and this world is like the womb of the mother compared to the earth. In Barzakh, some will attain comfort whilst others will face hardships. Belief: Every person has a fixed lifespan on earth. It can neither be increased nor decreased. [Munafiqoon 63:10,11] And spend from what We have provided you before death approaches any one of you and he then says, “My Lord! Why did you not give me respite for a little while, so I would have given charity and become of the virtuous?” And Allah will never give respite to any soul when its promise arrives; and Allah is Aware of your deeds. [Nahl 16:61] Were Allah to seize people on account of their injustices, He would not have left anyone walking on the earth, but He gives them respite up to an appointed promise; then when their promise comes they cannot go back one moment nor come forward When the amount of time given to a person expires, Hazrat Izra’eel Alaihisssalam appears and removes his soul. [Sajdah 32:11] Proclaim, “The angel of death, who is appointed over you, causes you to die and then towards your Lord you will return.” The person observes the presence of Angels to his left and right, for as far as his eyes can see. Angels of mercy surround the believers whilst Angels of punishment stand to the left and right of the unbelievers. At that moment, the reality of Islam becomes more evident than the brightness of the sun to every person, but declaring Imaan at this instance is not valid, because the demand of Imaan is to bring faith on the unseen, and now because they are observing everything, the demand of bringing faith in the unseen no longer exists. Belief: Even after death, the soul is connected to the body of man. Even though the soul leaves the body, the soul knows and feels everything that is inflicted on the body, just as it occurs during the worldly life. Actually it feels and knows everything even more than before. On earth, it is the body which receives the cold water, cool breeze, good food and all other good things, but it is the soul which attains comfort through it. Even if the body feels pain etc. the soul experiences the discomfort caused by it. The soul also has its own sensations, through which it feels happiness or sadness. The exact same conditions continue to transpire in Barzakh. Belief: After death and according to one’s status (based on piety), the souls of the believers reside in different places. The souls of some reside on their graves, whilst some reside near the well of Zamzam, some reside between the skies and the earths, some reside in the first sky, and some reside in second sky and so forth, right up to the seventh sky, whilst some reside even higher than the skies. Some of the souls reside under the Arsh of Allah in lanterns of light, whilst others reside in A’la Illiyyeen (exalted place), but no matter where the soul may be, it is continuously connected to its body. It recognizes and observes those who come to its grave. It even hears their words. The power of seeing by the soul is not only restricted to near the grave. Its example has been explained in the Hadith as follows: ‘It is like a bird that was caged and has now been set free.’ The Great Imams have mentioned: ‘Verily when the pure souls are separated from their bodies, they unite with the exalted world above, and (from there) they see everything and hear everything as if they are present here.’ It is mentioned as follows in the Hadith Shareef: ‘When a Muslim passes away, his path is cleared. He may go anywhere he desires.’ (Musannaf Ibn abi Shaibah) The Commentator of The Holy Quran, Shah Abdul Aziz Saaheb writes: ‘There is no difference to the soul, whether the place it wishes to visit is distant or close.’ Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless and greet him) stated: The passing away of a believer from this world is similar to the coming out of a child from its mothers womb, i.e., from a dark and stifled world to an liberated one. (Al Jami us Sagheer, Al Hakeem, Kanzul Ummaal) Therefore, the ulama [scholars of Islam] state: The dunya [this world] has a relation to the barzakh [posthumous life] akin to the relationship between the womb of the mother and this world, and the barzakh has a relationship with the akhira [hereafter] similar to the relationship between the dunya and the barzakh. Now, from this, understand the difference between the sciences and perceptions of the dunya and the barzakh. This requires the same relationship as between the knowledge possessed by the foetuses and that of the people of thisworld. Verily, the soul [ruh] is a bird, the body a cage and knowledge is the formers freedom (from the latter). What is the volatility of the bird in the cage?! Only when it comes out of the opening (of the cage), its vivacity is noticeable. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he stated: Verily! This world is a paradise for the disbeliever and a prison for the believer. When the life departs from a Muslim, his similitude is that of a person who was released from a prison and now roves in the earth and roams therein freely. (Al Jaami ut Thirmizi, Az Zuhd Li Ibni Abid Dunya, Az Zuhd war raqaaiq Li Ibn Mubarak, Tareekh Baghdadi) The accursed souls of the unbelievers remain at their crematoriums or on their graves, whilst some dwell in Chaah-e-Barhoot, which is a canal in Yemen. Others remain in the first, second and third earths, right up to the seventh earth and some even dwell below this, in a bottomless abyss called ‘Sijjieen’. However, no matter where they may be, they too recognize those who visit their crematoriums and graves. They see, hear and know what is being said. Their souls are however not afforded any freedom, as they are imprisoned. Belief: To believe that soul enters another body after death, be it that of another human or animal, which is called ‘Tanasukh’ or ‘Awagawan’ i.e. re-incarnation, is utterly baseless and kufr. Belief: Death refers to the separation of the soul from the body. It does not mean that the soul dies. One who believes that the soul is totally obliterated is a Bud Madhab (misguided and deviant). Source: Bahaar e Shariat
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:51:12 +0000
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