❖ Return of the Soul in the Grave and Questioning by Munkar and Nakīr ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 547
After the questioning by Munkar and Nakīr and the reckoning in the grave, is the soul then removed again from the body?
(Questioner: Waqar ʿAlī, Lahore)
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
✔ The return of the soul in the grave is a barzakhī (intermediary) reality.
✔ It is not similar to worldly life nor does it establish a worldly form of consciousness.
✔ The process of entry or exit of the soul after questioning by Munkar and Nakīr is not fully known to us, and its exact nature remains hidden.
✔ Therefore, it is necessary to avoid speculative assumptions or imaginative reasoning regarding such matters that fall under the unseen (al-ghayb) and for which no explicit detail is found in the Qur’ān or authentic Sunnah.
(Shahādat, December 2003 Edition)
The Barzakh is a realm unlike the physical world. The soul's return for questioning and any subsequent events occur within that unseen dimension, and humans are not in a position to fully comprehend or describe its mechanics. We are to affirm it as part of the unseen realities as taught in revelation—without indulging in unauthorized interpretations or assumptions.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 547
❖ Question:
After the questioning by Munkar and Nakīr and the reckoning in the grave, is the soul then removed again from the body?
(Questioner: Waqar ʿAlī, Lahore)
❖ Response:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
✔ The return of the soul in the grave is a barzakhī (intermediary) reality.
✔ It is not similar to worldly life nor does it establish a worldly form of consciousness.
✔ The process of entry or exit of the soul after questioning by Munkar and Nakīr is not fully known to us, and its exact nature remains hidden.
✔ Therefore, it is necessary to avoid speculative assumptions or imaginative reasoning regarding such matters that fall under the unseen (al-ghayb) and for which no explicit detail is found in the Qur’ān or authentic Sunnah.
(Shahādat, December 2003 Edition)
Conclusion:
The Barzakh is a realm unlike the physical world. The soul's return for questioning and any subsequent events occur within that unseen dimension, and humans are not in a position to fully comprehend or describe its mechanics. We are to affirm it as part of the unseen realities as taught in revelation—without indulging in unauthorized interpretations or assumptions.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
