A Review of Some Fabricated Principles of the Deniers of the Punishment of the Grave

In this chapter, some fabricated and contrived principles of the learned author and his predecessors will be reviewed, God willing. Because the learned author has stated these principles on various pages of his 36-page booklet, thereby blackening the pages and wasting time.

First Principle:

Only those Ahadith and reports will be accepted as authentic which conform to the Quran.

The Response with the Help of the Bestower:

The meaning of Fazil Sahib’s principle is that the hadiths and narrations which are not in accordance with the Quran will not be accepted.
This principle is invalid and rejected for the following reasons:
① Neither the Holy Quran nor any authentic hadith mentions this principle that the hadith which is in accordance with the Quran should be accepted and the one which is not in accordance with the Quran should be rejected.
Usually, this narration is presented as evidence for this principle.

ما اتاكم عنى فاعرضوه على كتاب الله وان خالف كتاب الله فلم اقله .

“If any hadith comes to you from me, then compare it with the Book of Allah (Quran), and if it contradicts the Book of Allah, then it is not my hadith.”
Regarding this narration, Sheikh al-Hadith Abwanas Muhammad Yahya Gondalvi (may Allah preserve him) writes:
The noble muhaddithin investigated this narration and concluded that this narration is not a hadith but fabricated by certain people. Imam Abdul Rahman bin Mahdi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“This hadith was fabricated by the heretics and Kharijites.”
Imam Yahya bin Ma’in (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“According to the scholars, this hadith of the Prophet is not authentic.”

Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“This hadith was not narrated by any narrator whose narration is established in any minor or major matter of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”

Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“This narration is considered fabricated and different by all scholars of hadith.”

From the opinions of these critical and investigative scholars, it is clear that this narration was not said by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but fabricated by some heretic.
The self-evident proof of this narration being fabricated is its own content. This is why the scholars, when they compared this narration with the Book of Allah, found it fabricated. As Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“The scholars said that we first compare everything with the Book of Allah and rely on it. When we compared this narration with the Book of Allah, we found it contradictory because we did not find in the Book of Allah that you should accept only those hadiths which agree with the Book of Allah. Rather, the Book of Allah commands us to obey the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) absolutely and warns us against opposing him in any condition.”

Imam Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that a group presented this hadith on this subject to the Book of Allah and found it contrary to the Book of Allah because the Book of Allah commands us:

﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا﴾

“And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it.”

Also:

﴿قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ﴾

“Say, if you love Allah, then follow me.”

Furthermore:

﴿مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ﴾

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.”

These verses and many other verses on this subject clarify the legal status of the Prophet’s hadith, that obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is unconditional and absolute, just as obedience to Allah is unconditional and absolute. Reflecting on the last verse makes it clear that conditioning obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is actually conditioning obedience to Allah, because obedience to the Messenger is precisely obedience to Allah.
The fabricators of this narration consistently deny the legislative status of the Prophetic Sunnah. According to them, rulings are not established independently from the Sunnah, nor is it a proof in belief; rather, its validity depends on the Quran. If it agrees with the Quran, it is valid; otherwise, it is rejected.
Although this view is old and was rejected by the noble muhaddithin (may Allah have mercy on them), today this theory is being revived with full force. Especially, modernists and so-called enlightened people are chosen for this, and they are made to believe that any hadith contrary to the Quran, even if its chain is of the highest grade of authenticity, cannot be authentic; and any hadith that agrees with the Quran does not require investigation of its chain, and its authenticity is sufficient by virtue of its agreement with the Quran. Many people are promoting this heretical theory; they take a few hadiths and present them before the youth saying, “Look! This hadith contradicts such and such verse.”
Their style is very attractive and enchanting, which even influences some naive students of religious seminaries. The writer recalls that once Dr. Masooduddin Usmani visited our village Gondlanwala, and I discussed the topic of the trial of the grave with him. I asked:
“Respected Doctor! What is your opinion about Sahih Bukhari?”
He replied: “I accept those hadiths in it which are not contrary to the Holy Quran.”
I responded: “Doctor Sahib! Please point out any one hadith from Sahih Bukhari which contradicts the Holy Quran.” But he remained silent and gave no answer. (والله على ما أقول شهيد)
Denying hadith has been the compulsion of false and misguided sects because it is a major obstacle to their false beliefs. They exploit the generality of the Quran to create doubt, but with the hadith present, their doubts are not very effective because the hadith explains the Quran, which causes their doubts to هباء منثورا vanish.

② Can any authentic hadith be contrary to the Quran? Absolutely not. It is impossible that a hadith is from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and is contrary to the Holy Quran. Also, it is impossible that the one upon whom the Quran was revealed would himself speak against the Quran.
③ What is the benefit of accepting a hadith that agrees with the Quran? The Quran itself is sufficient in return. Why is any hadith needed to support the Quran?
④ Is the principle of the deniers of the punishment of the grave—that they will accept only those hadiths which agree with the Quran—based on any verse of the Quran?
⑤ Can the fabricators of this principle explain which verse of the Quran states that Fajr prayer has two rak’ahs, Dhuhr and Asr have four rak’ahs each, Maghrib has three, and Isha has four, while all Muslims have consensus on these? Also, are the hadiths that mention the number of rak’ahs considered authentic or false by the deniers? If authentic, according to which verse? If false, which verse do they contradict?
⑥ It should also be remembered that being contrary to the Quran and explaining the Quran are two different things. If the Quran says “day” and the hadith says “two afternoons,” this is not contradiction because two afternoons are part of the day. Or if the Quran is silent and the hadith says “two afternoons,” it will not be called contrary to the Quran because contradiction occurs only when one side negates and the other affirms the same thing. For example, if the Quran says there is no punishment in the grave and the hadith says there is punishment in the grave, that would be contradiction. But this is not the case; the Quran nowhere denies the punishment of the grave.
⑦ Remember that the rulings of the Sunnah come in three ways alongside the rulings of the Quran.
● The ruling of the hadith is the same as the ruling of the Quran. For example, the Quran says:

﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ﴾

“And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.”

The hadith states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

دعونى ماتركتكم، إنما هلك من كان قبلكم بسؤالهم واختلافهم على أنبيا عهم، فإذا نهيتكم عن شيء فاجتنبوه، وإذا امرتكم بأمر فاتوا منه ما استطعتم

“As long as I am among you, leave me alone (do not ask unnecessary questions), because the previous nations were destroyed due to their unnecessary questions and disputes in front of the Prophets. So when I forbid you from something, avoid it, and when I command you to do something, do it as much as you can.”

This hadith instructs to make every effort to follow every command of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to avoid whatever he forbids.
The Quran says:

﴿مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ﴾

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.”

The hadith states that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

من أطاعني فقد اطاع الله، ومن عصاني فقد عصى الله

“Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah.”

This hadith also clarifies that obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is in fact obedience to Allah, and disobedience to the Messenger is disobedience to Allah.
● The ruling of the hadith explains and elaborates the rulings of the Quran. For example, the Quran commands:

﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ﴾

“And establish prayer and give zakah.”

The hadiths explain the complete method of prayer, how to perform it, how many rak’ahs, etc., and similarly for zakah, how much to give and when.
The Quran commands:

﴿وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ﴾

“And complete the Hajj and Umrah for Allah.”

How to perform Hajj and Umrah and in which month is known only from the hadith. (قس على ذلك)
● The hadith contains rulings about matters on which the Quran is silent, such as washing the deceased, performing ‘Aqiqah for a child, etc.
Or it declares something forbidden which the Quran is silent about, such as marrying a paternal aunt and niece or a maternal aunt and niece simultaneously.

There are countless such examples where the Quran is silent but the hadith commands or forbids something. However, the deniers of hadith and punishment of the grave call all these contrary to the Quran. It is a pity for their knowledge and thinking.
How can it be said contrary? We have explained earlier that if the Quran is silent on an issue and the hadith gives a ruling or forbids something, it will not be called contrary to the Quran but considered the will of the Quran. That is why the Quran repeatedly commands obedience and following the Messenger.
⑧ How will it be known which hadith is in accordance with the Quran and which is contrary? Who will decide this? Does every person’s intellect have equal capacity? Also, can this principle be applied to the Quran itself? For example, if one verse of the Quran contradicts another, should it also be rejected? For instance, the Quran says about the Prophet (peace be upon him):

﴿إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ﴾

“Indeed, you cannot guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.”

While elsewhere it says:

﴿وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾ ‎

“And indeed, you guide to the straight path.”

Are these two verses not apparently contradictory?
Similarly, in Surah An-Nisa it says:

﴿وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِندِكَ ۚ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۖ فَمَالِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا﴾

“And when good comes to them, they say, ‘This is from Allah’; and if evil befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you.’ Say, ‘All [things] are from Allah.’ So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?”

But the next verse says:

﴿مَّا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ﴾

“Whatever good reaches you, is from Allah, but whatever evil befalls you, is from yourself.”

In Surah Ash-Shura it says:

﴿وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ﴾

“And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much.”

Here it is stated that good is from Allah, while evil is the result of one’s own deeds. Are these parts of the Quran not apparently contradictory?
Similarly, in Surah Al-Hijr it says:

﴿فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ﴾

“By your Lord, We will surely question them all.”

While in Surah Ar-Rahman it says:

﴿فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذَنبِهِ إِنسٌ وَلَا جَانٌّ﴾ ‎

“On that Day, no question will be asked of the jinn and mankind.”

We believe that there is no contradiction in the Quran, so we reconcile such verses through interpretation. Those who believe that there can be no contradiction between the Quran and the words and actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), if they reconcile such verses, what objection can be raised against them?
Nowhere in the Quran is the denial of the punishment of the grave; rather, the Quran confirms the punishment of the grave. See the second chapter of this book.
Finally, we ask Fazil Sahib and all deniers: Why have you not compiled any collection of hadiths that are entirely in accordance with the Quran? Or why has no such collection been published by you in which hadiths contrary to the Quran are gathered?
How good it would have been if you had performed such a feat and done this favor to the Ummah, saying: “Only these hadiths agree with the Quran; only they should be accepted,” or “Beware of these hadiths as they contradict the Quran.” Have you ever done such work, or have you only set up a machine of objections to deceive people?
Can you tell the number of hadiths that agree with the Quran? Or can you tell the number of hadiths that contradict the Quran?

Second Principle:

Hadiths are against reason.

Answer:

① Allah Almighty has given every human being intellect, whether they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, or Communist; everyone has some degree of intellect. And everyone claims that their intellect is superior to all others. Now the question is whose intellect should be trusted? Because not all people’s intellects are the same; each person’s intellect is different. Some understand things quickly, some take time, and some never understand. Moreover, we do not have any device by which we can determine a single intellect and say that only what aligns with that intellect is correct and what contradicts it is wrong. However, there is one intellect that can be used as a measure, and that is the intellect of our Master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Now, whatever is proven by the Hadith of the Prophet cannot be against intellect because the intellect of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is superior to all human intellects. Since the Hadiths are according to the highest intellect, if they do not come to someone’s intellect, then that is not intellect but lack of intellect.

② Human intellect is extremely limited, whereas this universe is unlimited. Therefore, it is beyond the capacity of intellect to comprehend the reality of everything in this universe. The intellect is like the eye, and divine revelation is like the sun. It is necessary for the eye to remain subject to the sun and benefit from its light. It is not permissible for the eye to object to the entire solar system or any of its parts and start finding faults in it because if the eye perceives some parts of the solar system, it does not mean that it can comprehend the entire solar system. Comprehending the entire solar system is beyond the capacity of the eye.

③ Revelation is not subject to intellect; rather, intellect is subject to revelation. When intellect is made subject to revelation, that very intellect becomes the cause of immense faith and certainty in the Creator of the universe. But if this intellect is made independent of revelation and left uncontrolled, then nothing but misguidance and error will be found.

◈ The Scope of Intellect

Mawlana Abdul Rahman Kilani, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
Undoubtedly, reason has been given the right to examine and investigate the principles and fundamentals of religion before accepting or rejecting it, because there is no compulsion in choosing a religion. However, after accepting religion, reason is absolutely not given the right to start tampering with its important and fundamental beliefs and ideologies, which have been received in the form of revelation. Rather, it should now follow the revelation, not as blind faith but as wise insight. Therefore, in our opinion, the functions of reason should be as follows:
● Explanation and interpretation of the mysteries and wisdom behind the principles and rulings stated in the revelation.
● Considering the practical methods of implementing rulings according to the circumstances of the time and removing arising obstacles. For example: if revelation has forbidden interest (usury), then reason’s job should be to propose solutions within the limits of revelation to eliminate it. If reason starts to devise ways to make interest or some forms of it permissible instead of considering it forbidden, then this use of reason cannot be considered correct because it is established that in the presence of clear rulings of the text or the Book and Sunnah, ijtihad, in other words, the use of reason, is absolutely forbidden.
● Proving the superiority of the theories of revelation over the current era’s ideologies and presenting them with evidence. If reason, intimidated by current ideologies, tries to distort the clear meaning of revelation by tampering with it and making irrelevant interpretations, then this act will be considered distortion in religion.
● Proving the superiority and precedence of Islam over distorted religions with arguments and defending against external attacks.
● Investigating and advancing those verses of the self and universe that invite reflection and contemplation, and deriving the desired benefits from them.
These and many other tasks are those in which reason can be employed. That is why Allah Almighty commanded His Prophet to declare:

﴿قُلْ هَٰذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي ۖ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾

“Say, ‘This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him.’”

④ The perception of the life of the grave is beyond the capacity of reason because Allah Almighty has given us the brain and senses only to connect with and operate in the material world, whereas knowledge of the unseen (such as the conditions of the grave) is related to divine revelation, which is beyond materialism. Therefore, reason, which wants to know everything through experience, cannot understand the realities of the unseen. One reason is that the brain and reason are not the whole reality of a human but only a part of the whole. It is impossible for a part to encompass the whole, just as a river cannot fit into a drop. Just as a drop can understand the ocean, similarly, it is difficult for our small reason to understand the unseen. Therefore, it is better to accept the life of the grave as our Creator and Master has informed us through His Messenger, peace be upon him. Wisdom for the drop is to accept the vastness of the ocean.
⑤ It is not strange that the world of Barzakh (intermediate world) is beyond our reason. There are hundreds of things in this universe that a few centuries ago were unimaginable to reason. For example, we could not imagine that a person sitting thousands of miles away could directly communicate with another person, but gradually time proved it possible. Today, we see a person sitting in one corner of the world talking face-to-face with another person in another corner through waves.
⑥ Suppose for a moment that the hadiths about the punishment of the grave are against reason and therefore rejected. Does that mean that anything in the Holy Quran that contradicts reason should also be rejected? Can something established be denied merely because it is beyond the scope of reason?
Reason says that if a person in a state of ablution passes gas or urinates or defecates, he should only wash the part from which these things exit, and there is no need to wash the other parts of ablution. Is this correct? Will prayer be valid then?
Our Sheikh Hafiz Sanaullah Madani, may Allah preserve him, says:
Islam is the divine code of life revealed by Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. It is obligatory upon the children of Adam to accept all its details completely and bear witness to being servants of the Most Merciful with their hearts so that they may attain success in this world and the Hereafter. It is not the task of people to find faults in its Shariah but their important responsibility is to keep sound reason on the right path, and this is only possible if a person fully submits himself to the Book and Sunnah. Deviating from them is a distinctive sign of atheists. Human history testifies that those who tried to understand Shariah relying solely on reason fell into great misguidance. Who is not familiar with the Mu’tazilites? They were the first to try to race the horse of reason, resulting in the denial of many matters, including miracles and wonders, and they outright denied the punishment of the grave and the conditions of Barzakh, even though these matters are proven by authentic texts and cannot be interpreted away or denied.
He further states:
It is agreed upon that speculating about the matters of Barzakh and Hell opens the door to misguidance, which is a dangerous game.

Third Principle:

Be accurate in experience and observation.

Answer:

① The meaning of this objection is also clear that the punishment of the grave or the hadiths related to it are against the world of experience and observations. Remember that speculating about the events of Barzakh based on experiences and observations is outright misguidance and ignorance. It is a denial of the Prophet Muhammad, the speaker of revelation, and a denial of the all-encompassing power of the Creator of the universe. A human being can only observe those things in this world which are related to this world, but things that are related not to this world but to another world (for example, Barzakh, the Hereafter) cannot be understood by anyone. Their reality will be known only when one goes to that world. For example: when a child is in the mother’s womb, if he is told that you are going to a world where there are thousands of miles of high and vast skies, and earth spreading as far as the eye can see, and when you go to that world your height will grow to six or seven feet, and in that world you will face hardships as well as blessings, then at that time all these things will not be understood by him because he has never had any connection with that world; he has only observed the small world where he is living. When he comes to this world, only then will he know the realities of these things.

② If faith is to be based on experience and observation, then you would not have believed in Allah and His Messenger but rather in experience, because if experience were not correct, you would not have accepted it. Also, having faith based on experience and observation and not having faith without them is not faith in the unseen, which Allah has commanded us to have. Just as it is necessary to believe in Paradise and Hell without seeing, without any experience or observation, similarly it is necessary to believe in the life of Barzakh. It is astonishing how some people give more importance to their experiences and observations than to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

③ The property of soil is that whatever is buried in it, it consumes it. The buried thing decomposes whether it is living or non-living. For example: if you bury iron in the soil and check after a few days, you will see that the iron has changed from its original form; it has decomposed, rusted, or completely turned into soil. Similarly, if a pit is dug and a living human or animal is buried in it, leaving only the mouth or some part of the body outside so that it can survive, you will see that within a few days the buried part in the soil will decompose and start to smell. It is clear that soil does not distinguish between living and dead; its property is that whatever is buried in it, it will destroy it. But many times in our observations, it has been seen that although a corpse has been buried in the soil for a long time, the soil neither consumed the body nor allowed it to decompose; rather, astonishingly, the body remained exactly as it was when buried, and instead of a foul smell, a fragrance was coming from the body. There are dozens of such incidents; here are a few:

Incident ① :

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrates that when the time of the Battle of Uhud approached, my father Abdullah called me at night and said that it seems to me that I will be the first martyr among the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and know that besides the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, no one is dearer to me than you. I am in debt, so you must pay off my debt and treat your sisters well. When morning came, my father was the first to be martyred. In the grave, I buried another person with him, but my heart was not at ease leaving him in the grave with someone else like that. So, after six months, I took his body out of the grave. I saw that only the ear had decayed a little, while the rest of the body was just as it had been buried.

Incident ② :

Hazrat Abdul Rahman bin Abi Sa’sa narrates that Amr bin Al-Jamuh and Abdullah bin Amr Ansari Salmi, may Allah be pleased with them, who were martyred in the Battle of Uhud, had their grave washed away by the flow of water because their grave was very close to the water and both were buried in the same grave. When their grave was dug up to remove their bodies and bury them elsewhere, it was seen that their bodies were exactly as they were when they were martyred. It appeared as if they had been martyred just yesterday. One of them had placed his hand on his wound, and when they tried to lift the hand while burying them, the hand remained stuck at the wound site. When their bodies were exhumed, forty-six years had passed since the Battle of Uhud.

Incident ③ :

Renowned Pakistani nuclear scientist Engineer Sultan Bashir Mehmood Sitara-e-Imtiaz writes a similar incident in his book “Qiyamat aur Hayat Baad-ul-Maut”: “Dr. Muhammad Rafiq, a scientist at Pakistan Institute of Science and Technology, who has passed away, told me under oath in 1982 that during the 1980 rains, floodwaters swept away the cemetery of their village. Among the flood’s torrent was the body of an elderly man, which was found preserved as if he had died that very day, even though that pious servant of Allah had died forty to fifty years earlier.”

Incident ④ :

Qari Naeem-ul-Haq Naeem, may Allah have mercy on him, was among the renowned scholars of Ahl al-Hadith. He was extremely simple-natured, noble-hearted, and a practicing scholar. On January 30, 1999, while getting off the train, he tripped on the platform and fell under the train, meeting his Creator. About five months after his death, due to rains, the grave of the respected Qari Sahib settled, and people saw that his shroud and body were completely intact, the eyelashes and beard were in the same condition, and the cotton placed on the wound on his head was also present as it was.

This incident was narrated in Al-I’tisam by the respected Qari Sahib’s beloved daughter Maimoona Naeem, while I asked Hafiz Abdul Waheed, the editor of Al-I’tisam, may Allah preserve him, who was also a special student of Qari Sahib, for further investigation. He also confirmed this incident.

Incident ⑤ :

A cousin of mine, whose name was Hafiz Muhammad Sharif Bhattvi, was a resident of the well-known village “Bhatta Mohabbat” in Okara district. He passed away approximately twenty-five (25) years ago. He was a school teacher, extremely simple-natured, of noble character, and a Tahajjud (night prayer) observer. He was ill for a long time and eventually died due to that illness. About two (2) years after his death (probably in 1982), his grave sank for some reason. When his brothers learned about it and went to fix the grave, they were astonished upon seeing it. Despite the passage of two years, his shroud was completely white, without any stains or spots, and his body was perfectly intact. It seemed as if he had just been buried. When the elder brother tried to hold his head and turn his face to the other side, a few beard hairs came off upon touching the face, yet the face turned easily to the other side as if turning the face of a sleeping person, who turns effortlessly. This incident was told to me by my mother, maternal aunt, and her sons.

“Futuhat” in Ahl-e-Hadith states that after the burial of Hafiz Abdul Qadir Rupdri, for some time, heavenly fragrances emanated from his grave. The general public and authentic scholars conducted various chemical tests on the soil of his grave, and ultimately all acknowledged that this fragrance was superior to worldly scents and was a heavenly fragrance.

There are many such incidents that prove that the torment of the grave is a reality. For details, see “Ahwal al-Qubur” by Ibn Rajab, “Sharh al-Sudur” by Al-Suyuti, and “Al-Tadhkira” by Imam Qurtubi.

A Common Objection:

The Holy Quran mentions four states of human beings, two deaths, and two lives.

Answer:

① The deniers of the punishment of the grave have a very famous objection that there are two deaths: one is the period before coming into this world, and the other is the death that will come after this life. Similarly, there are two lives: one that we are living now and the other of the Hereafter. For this, they usually present the verse ﴿ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ ‎. ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ.﴾ “Then indeed, you all will surely die, then on the Day of Resurrection, you will surely be raised.”

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It should be remembered that in this and other similar verses, the resurrection on the Day of Judgment refers to general life, not a special life. That is, all past and future humans will be resurrected and gathered in the field of resurrection.

It is true that the Holy Quran does not mention such a general life for all people between death and resurrection, nor does any Muslim believe that there will be such a general life before the Day of Judgment. But this does not mean at all that there is no special life before that. Several examples of this special life exist in the Holy Quran. For example:

Example ①:

﴿وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ. فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ.﴾

“And when you killed a person and then disputed about it, and Allah was to reveal what you concealed. We said, ‘Strike the slain body with a piece of it (the cow), and he will come to life.’ Thus Allah shows you His signs that you may reason.”

Example ②:

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ اللَّهُ مُوتُوا ثُمَّ أَحْيَاهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ﴾

“Have you considered the ones who left their homes in fear of death, while they were thousands in number? Allah said to them, ‘Die,’ so they died on the spot. Then Allah revived them. Indeed, Allah is Most Gracious to the people, but most people are not grateful.”

Example ③:

﴿أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾

“Or [consider] the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, ‘How will Allah bring this to life after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him and said, ‘How long have you remained [dead]?’ He said, ‘I have remained a day or part of a day.’ He said, ‘Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and thus We make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] – how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh.’ And when it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah is over all things competent.'”

Example ④:

﴿وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ ‎۔ ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ۔﴾ ‎

“And [remember] when you said, ‘O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah outright’; so the thunderbolt took you while you were looking on. Then We revived you after your death that perhaps you would be grateful.”

② The Holy Quran mentions two permanent lives. Permanent life is when the soul enters the body properly and controls the entire body; this state occurs either in this worldly life or in the Hereafter. Therefore, there are only two permanent lives: one of this world and the other of the Hereafter. The realm of the grave and Barzakh is different; there, the body and soul are separated. The body suffers punishment underground in the grave, while the soul is afflicted with the torment of Hell. Perhaps for this reason, the realm of Barzakh is called the prelude to the life of the Hereafter.