ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islam: Faith, Practice & History Lesson 20: After Death That which does not die is Allah. We, human beings, will one day eventually leave this world. The setting of the sun each day is a poetical metaphor for our passing away. The sunset is inevitable; similarly, death is a reality which, like it or not, must happen. So we have no control over our death; but what we must think about is the following: What will happen to us after death?

Will we become nothing? Will we merely “end” by death? Or will we “remain”, and if so, what will our “remaining” be like? Those who do not believe in God consider death as the end of human beings, and life is just limited to one or two days. But those who believe in God say that human beings are immortal and that death is just a ladder which will take us through the world purgatory to Resurrection and the everlasting abode in the hereafter.

Purgatory (Barzakh) According to the Qur'ān and many ahadith from the Prophet and the Imams, death is not our end. The human spirit, after death, remains and experiences blessings or torment up to the time of the turmoil of Resurrection. This period from death to Resurrection is called barzakh.

Allah says, “Count not those who were slain in the way of Allah as dead, but rather they are living with their Lord, being sustained and are rejoicing in the bounty which Allah has given them.” (3:169-170) It is clear that if the life after death was not real, the phrase “living with their Lord, being sustained” would be meaningless.

The Questioning in the Grave It can be seen from many ahadith that the spirit has a very special relation with the body in the grave, although the nature of this relationship is not clear. The sixth Imam, Ja`far as-Sadiq (a.s.), said, “Those who deny the questioning of the grave are not from our party (Shi‘ah).” When the dead person is laid in the grave, the angels of the questioning present themselves and ask him about his faith, beliefs and deeds.

If the person has faith and has done good, he joins the believers; if not, he joins the unbelievers and evil-doers. And everyone will pass the period of Barzakh until the Resurrection with their respective group. Shaykh Saduq writes in his Risalah al-I`tiqadat: “In our opinion, the questioning in the grave is a truth, and he who answers rightly will benefit in the grave from comfort and blessings, and the next world from the Garden.