Is a Deceased Person Who Is Not Buried Also Subjected to the Punishment of the Grave?
Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
Question:
If a deceased person is not buried and is instead devoured by wild animals or scattered by the winds, will such a person still face the punishment of the grave?
✔ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
Yes, even in such cases, the punishment of the grave is possible, because the punishment is primarily inflicted upon the soul, while the body perishes or decomposes.
This matter belongs to the realm of the unseen, therefore it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that the body, in all circumstances, is never subjected to punishment. It is indeed possible that the body is punished even in such forms—whether it disintegrates, turns to ashes, or becomes the prey of wild beasts.
The fundamental point is that a person cannot analogize matters of the Hereafter using worldly conditions.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
