Silsilah Sahihah

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the time of death comes for a believer, angels come with a white silk cloth and say: (O soul!) Come out towards the mercy and kindness of Allah, and towards a Lord who is not angry, in such a state that you are pleased and your Lord is pleased with you. When the soul departs, the purest fragrance of musk emanates from it. The angels receive it and pass it to one another until they reach the gates of the sky. The angels of the sky say: What a pleasant fragrance has come from the earth! The angels take this soul to the souls of the believers. They become very happy at its arrival, just as we are happy at the arrival of a traveler. The souls already present ask this soul: How was so-and-so? Tell us about so-and-so? It replies: Leave him, he was engrossed in worldly worries and grief. (And so-and-so died before me, has his soul) not reached you? They say: (No, and the fact that it has not reached here means that) it has reached its destination, 'Hawiyah' (Hell). (In contrast to the believer) when the time of death comes for a disbeliever, the angels of punishment come with a coarse cloth and say: (O soul!) Come out towards the punishment of Allah, in such a state that you are displeased and your Lord is angry with you. Nevertheless, it comes out and the worst stench, like that of a decaying corpse, emanates from it. The angels receive it and take it to the gates of the earth and deliver it to the souls of the disbelievers. (The angels they meet on the way) say: What a terrible stench this is!"

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the agony of death comes upon a believer, he witnesses various realities and then wishes that his soul would depart (so that he may meet Allah Almighty), and Allah Almighty also loves to meet him. The soul of the believer is raised towards the heavens and reaches the souls of the (deceased) believers. They ask him about those whom they knew. When that soul replies that so-and-so is still in the world (i.e., has not yet died), they become happy, and when it replies that (the person you are asking about) has died, they say: He has not been brought to us (which means he has been taken to Hell). The believer is made to sit in his grave and is asked: Who is your Lord? He replies: My Lord is Allah. Then it is said: Who is your Prophet? He replies: My Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he is asked: What is your religion? He replies: My religion is Islam. (After these questions and answers) a door is opened in his grave and it is said to him: Look towards your abode. He looks towards his grave, then it is as if sleep overtakes him. When the agony of death comes upon the enemy of Allah and he witnesses various realities, he does not wish that his soul would depart (so that he may avoid meeting Allah Almighty), and Allah Almighty also dislikes to meet him. When he is made to sit in his grave, he is asked: Who is your Lord? He replies: I do not know. It is said to him: You never knew. Then (in his grave) a door from Hell is opened and he is struck with such a blow that every creature except jinn and mankind hears it. Then it is said to him: Sleep the sleep of «منهوش»." I asked Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): What is meant by «منهوش»? He said: By «منهوش» is meant the person who is bitten and gnawed by insects and snakes." Then his grave is made tight upon him."

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the soul of a (Muslim) servant is taken, the (servants of Allah who passed away earlier) receive him just as people in the world meet a bearer of glad tidings (with happiness). When those servants (wake him up and) want to question him, they say to each other: Let your brother rest, he was afflicted with the anxiety and troubles of the world. Eventually, they ask: What was so-and-so doing? Had he gotten married? When they ask about a person who had died before him and he replies that he had died before me, they say: « انا لله وانا اليه راجعون» (That person has not reached here) This means that he has gone to his abode in Hell. That is an evil abode and an evil place to be raised in. The good deeds of these servants of Allah are presented to them; when they see a good deed, they become happy and say: O Allah! This is Your blessing upon Your servant, so complete it for him. And when they see a bad deed, they say: O Allah! Turn back to Your servant.