Before Judgment

Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, informs us in the Noble Qur’an that man departs from worldly life in one of two ways: either surrounded by the angels of mercy giving him the glad tidings of entering Paradise and the happiness awaiting him. Or surrounded by the angels of torture – we seek refuge with Allah from that – hitting him on his face and his back and warning him of the punishment of the burning Fire. At that moment he would only wish that he was never born and he would feel the enormity of the crime he has committed against himself.

But some people

say that Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has specified the way of departing from worldly life to the life of Barzakh within the grave as one of three states.

In Surah Al-Wâqi‘ah Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[And if the deceased was of those brought near to Allah, then [for him is] rest and bounty and a garden of pleasure. And if he was of the companions of the right, then [the angels will say], “Peace for you; [you are] from the companions of the right.” But if he was of the deniers [who were] astray, then [for him is] accommodation of scalding water and burning in Hellfire.] [Al-Wâqi‘ah, 56: 88-94]

The answer is that these glorious Ayat do not reveal the state in which man shall depart from worldly life, because both the ones brought near [to Allah] and the companions of the right will be received by the angels of mercy and be given the glad tidings of entering Paradise, but each has a different degree from the other in Paradise.

The forerunners1 or the ones brought near shall enjoy high degrees and high stations that Allah confers upon them. Also, the companions of the right shall have high degrees but less than them. However, none should think that the forerunners or the ones brought near are only those who lived during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace); who strove and fought with him and that those who will come after them will never reach their degree no matter what they do.

For the Justice of Allah, all praise and glory is to him, never allows to deprive a person who loves Him and sincerely worships Him from the highest degrees.

Therefore, we find the Noble Qur’an telling us that the forerunners or the ones brought near, who are the nearest servants to Allah will be from the first and later time generations (who embraced Islam) but the majority will be from the former generations. And read the Saying of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, which means:

[A [large] company of the former peoples and a few of the later peoples] [Al-Wâqi‘ah, 56: 13-14]

The Justice of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, only accepts that the door should be left wide open before any sincere worshipper of Him; eager to draw near to Him, to reward his servant with the highest degrees in the Hereafter as long as he showed sincerity and feared Him in all his life affairs.

Stating that the majority shall be from the first generations and only a few from the later generations draws the attention to the infinite absolute Knowledge Allah possesses of the state of His creatures. How worldly life with its gloss shall attract people more and more as time moves forward, thus the number of sincere worshippers of Allah, who are eager to please Him, and who strive in His Cause, shall dwindle.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has foretold us many signs that are realized the more Resurrection draws near. All the realized signs show us that turning away from the Law of Allah will aggravate, sin will increase and sincerity within hearts will decrease. People will try to interpret religion in a way that satisfies their desires and their worldly interests. Masjids will be decorated whereas hearts filled with hypocrisy and dissimulation will be ruins…and we shall discuss this in detail.

We now return to the hour of dying, this hour in which man is between life and death. When this hour approaches man knows for certain that he is dying. There is no lying at this hour nor a sense of any possibility of escape.

From what man sees and from what is disclosed to him from the unseen matters at that hour he will know for certain that his end has approached. Seeing the angels around him, whether of mercy or torture, and hearing them.

In this

state his humanity ends, for he no longer has a will power to do any worldly deed.

At this moment also repentance is no longer accepted, because as long as man sees the angels of death and knows for sure that he will die then there is no longer belief in the Unseen but there is a visible certainty of truth. There is no longer belief since the eye now sees. For belief is in what is unseen to us but what the eye sees and witnesses is not belief.

You cannot say to a person sitting with you: “I believe that you are sitting with me?” Because you see him sitting in front of you, this is not considered belief but a witnessed reality.

The faith of Pharaoh and the torment awaiting him on the Day of Resurrection

Pharaoh, for example, only believed when he saw death, as relates the Noble Qur’an through the Ayah saying what means:

[Until, when drowning overtook him, he said, “I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims.”] [Yunus, 10: 90]

Was Pharaoh’s faith and his testimony that Almighty Allah is the Only One God, alone a repentance that Allah accepted? Which wiped all Pharaoh’s sins and made him one of the inhabitants of Paradise? Especially, that directly after this repentance he drowned, which means that he did not live to commit any more sins. The answer is that the Noble Qur’an informed us of what shall happen to Pharaoh through the Saying of Allah, The Most Exalted, which means:

[He will precede his people on the Day of Resurrection and lead them into the Fire; and wretched is the place to which they are led] [Hûd, 11: 98]

Which means that on the Day of Resurrection Pharaoh will be the leader of his people who worshipped him and took him as a god to lead them into the Fire. Thus, when the hour of death approaches repentance neither benefits nor is accepted because man is transferred from the stage of faith in the Unseen to that of certain vision. He now sees for certain the things that Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has informed him about as things pertaining to the Unseen, but he did not believe in Him.

At the hour of death man’s whole life is displayed before him and he knows his fate. Therefore, you see faces shining and others frowning and agitated.

Those who are given the glad tidings of entering Paradise their faces will shine and be happy because they know that they are going to delights far better than what they have lived in. They look forward to what is to come with tranquility, joy and relief.

As to those who see before them torment and Hellfire and know that they are going to mighty evil, their faces darken and are agitated. They search for a way out but they find none. Their souls are seized while in such a state. Convulsion, nervousness and terror clearly appear on their faces.

Nevertheless, we must understand that if there is one of two ways of leaving worldly life: either surrounded by the angels of mercy or torment, this does not mean that there is one degree of taking the souls of all the believers, and one degree of seizing the souls of all disbelievers and hypocrites. For there is varying degrees of delight and varying degrees of torment even at the hour of dying.

Some people wonder whether the dying person is sensible of what is around him? The answer is: “Yes, he is. ” Because there is a difference between the conscious self and bodily sensation, each is a thing completely different from the other.

The body died yet psychic consciousness never dies

The death of the body and the end of bodily sensation does not mean that the psychic consciousness ended. Man will lose at that time the means of choice that he once had and will no longer be free to choose and consequently whatever happens to him will be compulsory. He neither can avoid it, repel it or escape from it.

But at the same time the conscious self is present. It sees but it can do nothing. It watches the tape of its life rolling before it but it cannot speak.

Science has approximated this picture to our minds, for neither the image nor the sound vanishes. Man with his limited knowledge succeeded in recording the sound and image on a tape which he can keep as he likes, displays it before him and recalls what is in it whenever he wishes. Thus, we can watch people moving in front of us though they died a long time ago.

We can watch movies, audibly and visually recording events, which passed many years ago, but still we can see and hear them as if happening now.

We can hear, for example, the Azan2 or the Noble Qur’an recited by the late Sheikh Muhammad Rifa‘t or other famous reciters. All this was made possible by human power, so do we consider it beyond the Power of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, that each one of us has a recorded tape of his worldly life that will be displayed before him in the Hereafter? If we, humans, can now record sound and picture, and hear the speech of the dead recorded to them during their life!

After proving that sound does not vanish, scientists are now trying to bring the sounds of those who lived centuries ago before us. The obstacle that stands in their way is that these sounds are mixed in the air in a way that renders separating them from one another impossible.

If science has succeeded in obtaining a type of films that can produce the picture of the people who were sitting at some place after leaving it by hours…if this is the power of humans how about the Power of Allah, The Almighty?

When human free will ends

That man sees a tape of his life history while dying is not something hard to believe after the scientific revolution that approximated the picture. At the start of death man’s free will ends. He no longer has power of choice. If he wants to move his leg, it will not obey him. If he wants to speak, the tongue will not comply to his wish. If he wants to open his eyes, they will not respond to him. This is because all these things – all the organs of the body – submit to man in worldly life only by the Will of Allah.

The hand is capable to obey its master if he wants to help someone cross the road and is also capable to hit a person, or harm him or kill him.

The tongue is capable to utter the word of belief and is also capable, Allah forbid, to utter the word of disbelief. This is because it is subjected to man’s will in worldly life, during the trial period that Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has set to His servants to recompense them after it either with Paradise or with torment in Hellfire.

Worldly life with whatsoever in it is no more than a period that ends with you coming out of it either bearing your good deeds or your evil deeds, nothing more.

Thus, those who were given from the riches of this world and those who did not have money to buy food become equal; both of them take with them nothing from worldly life except good deeds. At the hour of dying both are equal, both have neither might nor power. Both are at the mercy of their own deeds. Even the strongest and richest people on the earth depart from it taking nothing with them except their deeds.

At that moment Allah and His angels are closer to the dying person than all those surrounding him from sons and relatives. Concerning this, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat. And you are at that time looking on – And Our angels are nearer to him than you, but you do not see –] [Al-Wâqi‘ah, 56: 83-85]

We notice in these glorious Ayat the Saying of Allah, The Most Exalted: [When the soul at death reaches the throat] [56: 83] which means that the soul has not yet left the body completely but it has reached the throat, and this is the last stage in its departure from the body at the hour of dying.

Hence, the account in the aforementioned Ayah is not after taking the soul but during the time of taking it at the hour of dying. At that time, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, and His angels are closer to the dying servant than all the people surrounding him. Closeness and remoteness here is not judged based on distance but based on consciousness.

The dying person feels and hears

The dying person perceives and sees from the Kingdom of Allah what the people surrounding him do not. As if he is now living in that realm and no longer lives with them. As if everything that was hidden from him has become an actual reality. And since it has become an actual, visible reality the time of faith ends.

Concerning this, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[The Day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good through his Faith] [Al-An‘âm, 6: 158]

Man moves from worldly life to the life of Barzakh where he stays until the Day of Resurrection.

As we have already clarified the life of Barzakh has its own laws and the first of these laws is that it timeless. Man has no sense of time in it and he is not subjected to its laws. If those who died since the time of the Prophet Adam (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were resurrected, they would think that they have spent a day or part of a day.

Concerning this, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the Mujrimûn3 will swear that they stayed not but an hour, thus were they ever deluded4. And those who have been bestowed with knowledge and faith will say: “Indeed you have stayed according to the Decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection, so this is the Day of Resurrection, but you knew not.”] [Ar-Rûm, 30: 55-56]

Thus, we learn that when man is transferred from life to death he becomes insensible of the time he has spent within the grave. At the time of resurrection he thinks that he only has spent an hour or a few hours. When the dead person descends to the grave he definitely knows his fate. He is shown his place in Paradise and his place in Hellfire. The inhabitants of Paradise are shown their places both in Paradise and in Hellfire. Similarly, the inhabitants of Hell are shown their places both in Hellfire and in Paradise.

Some people may consider such a statement strange, but there is a great wisdom behind it for Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has created for all His creatures places in Paradise and places in Hellfire. So, if all creatures disobey from the time of the Prophet Adam (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) till the Day of Resurrection they will all enter Hellfire and find their places in it.

And if all the creatures believe and fear Allah from the time of the Prophet Adam (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) till the Day of Resurrection, they will all enter Paradise and find their places in it. For Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has prepared for each of His servants a place in Paradise and another in Hellfire.

Great delights and supreme success

But why does Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, show the inhabitants of Paradise their places in Hellfire, though they are the people of bliss? The answer is that it is an increase in blessing. Because when the people of Paradise only see their places in Paradise they will know the great delights awaiting them, but still they will not know the torment they are saved from. Therefore, seeing their places in Hell shows them the great horror and everlasting torment they are saved from. They feel the great blessing of being rescued from the Fire. Their happiness increases and their gratitude for blessings is doubled while seeing what could have befallen them and Allah, by His Mercy, has saved them from. Thus, they realize the supreme success they have attained.

This is concerning the people of Paradise, but as for the people of Hellfire, the sight of the Fire make them feel the mighty torment awaiting them. But this is not enough. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, wants to increase their sense of torment and fill their hearts with sorrows over the sorrows that already have filled their hearts when they saw Hellfire.

Therefore, Allah shows them their places in Paradise to make them know the greatness of the delights they are deprived from. Thus, regret within hearts intensifies while seeing the torment awaiting them and the delights they are deprived from.

But what will happen on the Day of Resurrection to the places of the people of Hellfire which they will not dwell in? Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, will make the people of Paradise inherit them. He shall give them their own places and over them the places of those whose destination is Hell, Allah forbid.

This way the people of Paradise not only receive their share but also inherit other shares which have been allotted to the servants of Allah who disbelieved, disobeyed, and thus have become from the people of the Fire.

Concerning this, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[And they will be called, “This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do.”] [Al-A‘râf, 7: 43]

And He says:

[And they will say, “Praise to Allah, who has fulfilled for us His promise and made us inherit the earth [so] we may settle in Paradise wherever we will. And excellent is the reward of [righteous] workers.”] [Az-Zumar, 39: 74]

We should notice the use of the word “inherit,” for man only inherits what has been once allotted to another person. If the people of Paradise receive their places then inherit what have been allotted to those who disobeyed and their destination is Hellfire, this is certainly an increase in given delights and blessings.

While in their graves, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, shows the believers their places in Paradise and on the Day of Resurrection He gives them more and make them inherit the whole Paradise.

Insurmountable Torment

People frequently ask us about the torment of the grave: “Is man tortured twice? First in his grave and the other after Judgment? Or does torment only follows Judgment?”

Before answering this question I must say that just to see one’s place in Hellfire and be certain that this is one’s destination is the worst torment, because expecting a calamity and awaiting it is more tormenting that its fulfillment.

For example, if you learned that your son would die in a car accident after a year or two, how would you feel? You would certainly live in hell while awaiting day after another the falling of the accident. Therefore, from the Mercy of Allah towards us is that He hid the future events, so that our lives would not turn into continuous torment while expecting and awaiting the evil that would befall us.

Hiding the future certainly gives us the chance to enjoy life, which could not have been possible if we learned the future and all the events that would take place in it.

Enough of torment for the people of the Fire to see – while in their graves – the Hell they will remain in forever. Whenever they turn to the right or to the left they see the Fire they will be tortured in, and they definitely know that the Decree of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, will surely be executed.

As for direct torture in the grave, torture will come after Judgment. That is after calling people to account on the Day of Resurrection.

When the Noble Qur’an presents the story of Pharaoh and his entrance into the Fire along with those who followed him, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

[The Fire; they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon, and on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): “Make Fir’aun’s (Pharaoh) people enter the severest torment!”] [Ghâfir, 40: 46]

If there was an actual torment in the grave, the people of Pharaoh would have been the first to be tortured and burned in their graves. But exposure to the Fire, morning and evening, would certainly be a torment to them even if they were not yet cast into it. The mere sight of the Fire would make them scream and seek refuge from the horror to come.

To sum up, we have discussed how the humanity of man terminates at the time of his death. End of humanity means that he is moved out of choice to compulsion. He becomes compelled in everything after being free to choose in the life of this world. Man while dying sees his place either in Paradise or Hellfire. Such a sight is either glad tidings that relieves the soul and makes it happy or a warning that disturbs the face and the signs of fear and terror appears on it. In the life of Barzakh there is no time. And people in the graves shall see their places either in Paradise or Hellfire, Allah forbid. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise, or a pit from the pits of Hellfire.”

1 The forerunners in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds.

2 The Muslim summons to prayer, called by the muezzin from a minaret of a Masjid five times a day.

3 Criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.

4 Away from the truth (i.e. they used to tell lies and take false oaths, and turn away from the truth) in the life of this world).