✦ Is There Reward and Punishment in Barzakh? ✦
Source: Fatāwā Amonpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amonpuri
❖ The Question
Does reward and punishment take place in Barzakh?
❖ The Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
Barzakh refers to the period between death and the Day of Resurrection. In this stage, reward and punishment do occur. This is what is known as ʿadhāb al-qabr (punishment of the grave) or naʿīm al-qabr (bliss of the grave). It is a truth established by consensus (ijmāʿ) of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah. The evidences from Qurʾān, Sunnah, and reports of the Salaf clearly prove it.
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (d. 728H) said:
إثبات الثواب والعقاب فى البرزح ما بين الموت إلى يوم القيامة هذا قول السلف قاطبة وأهل السنة والجماعة
“Affirming reward and punishment in Barzakh, the period between death and the Day of Resurrection, is the unanimous belief of all the Salaf and Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah.”
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 4/262)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله (d. 774H) said:
هذه الآية أصل كبير فى استدلال أهل السنة على عذاب البرزح فى القبور، وهى قوله : ﴿النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا﴾
“This verse is a major proof used by Ahl al-Sunnah to establish the punishment of Barzakh in the graves, namely the statement of Allah: ﴿النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا﴾ — ‘They are exposed to the Fire morning and evening.’”
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, 6/146)
❖ Conclusion
Yes, reward and punishment take place in Barzakh. This is proven by the Qurʾān, Sunnah, consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf. Denial of this reality contradicts the established creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah.
✿ ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب ✿
