Refuting Doubts about the Punishment of the Grave and the Meaning of “Marqad” in the Qur’ān

Denial of the Punishment of the Grave, the Meaning of “Marqad,” and Response to Ḥadīth Objections
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – ʿAqāʾid ka Bayān, Vol. 1, p. 65

**1. The Verse “مَنْ بَعَثَنَا مِنْ مَرْقَدِنَا” and the Punishment of the Grave​

• The verse in Sūrah Yāsīn — ﴿قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَنْ بَعَثَنَا مِنْ مَرْقَدِنَا﴾ — does not negate the punishment of the grave.
• The claim that “marqad” (resting place) refers only to a place of comfort is linguistically, Sharʿan, and hadīth-wise unfounded.
• Marqad means grave, and in relation to the terrors of the Day of Resurrection, the grave may be called a “temporary resting place” without implying the absence of punishment.

2. Ḥadīth of the Punishment and Reward in the Grave​

• Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and other authentic collections record multiple narrations affirming ʿadhāb al-qabr (punishment) and thawāb al-qabr (reward).
• These narrations do not contradict the Qur’ān.
• Accepting these authentic narrations is obligatory; rejecting them without valid reason amounts to rejecting established Sunnah.

3. The Reality of the Rūḥ (Soul)​

• The Qur’ān says: ﴿قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي﴾ — “Say: The soul is from the command of my Lord.” [al-Isrāʾ: 85]
• The claim that “the soul has no form or existence because it is only Allah’s command” is incorrect.
• The verse does not say “innamā al-rūḥ amr rabbī” (the soul is only Allah’s command); rather, it says min amr rabbī (from the command of my Lord), which indicates origin, not denial of its reality.

4. Alleged Ḥadīth about the Apostasy of Companions​

• There is no authentic ḥadīth stating that major Companions (kibār ṣaḥābah) became apostates after the Prophet ﷺ’s death.
• The principle “any ḥadīth that contradicts the Qur’ān must be rejected” is not a blanket rule without evidence; in fact, the Qur’ān nowhere instructs the wholesale rejection of a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth.
• Ḥadīths about the punishment of the grave are not in conflict with any Qur’ānic verse.

Conclusion​

❖ The concept of ʿadhāb al-qabr is established in both Qur’ān and Sunnah.
❖ The term marqad does not negate the possibility of punishment in the grave.
❖ Misinterpreting verses about the rūḥ and using that to reject established beliefs is baseless.
❖ There is no authentic narration that accuses the major Companions of apostasy.