Al-Wa’ili al-Hafiz mentioned in his book Al-Ibanah, through a narration from Malik ibn Mighwal, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said:
“While I was walking around the outskirts of Badr, a man emerged from the ground with a chain around his neck, the end of which was being held by a dark figure. The man said, ‘O servant of Allah, give me water.’
Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘I did not know whether he knew my name or whether he was merely addressing me as people say, “O servant of Allah.”’
The dark figure then said to me, ‘Do not give him water, for he is a disbeliever.’ He then pulled him back and entered the earth with him.
Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘I went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him.’
He said: ‘Did you truly see him? That was the enemy of Allah, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, and this is his punishment until the Day of Resurrection.’”
The Causes of Punishment in the Grave and How the Conditions of the Disobedient Differ According to Their Sins
It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Most of the punishment of the grave is because of urine.”
It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ passed by two graves and said:
“They are indeed being punished, and they are not being punished for something they considered serious. As for one of them, he used to go about spreading malicious gossip, while the other did not protect himself from his urine.”
He then called for a fresh palm branch, split it into two, and planted one piece upon each grave. He then said:
“Perhaps their punishment will be lightened for them so long as the branches do not dry.”
Muslim narrated this report.
In another wording:
“He did not protect himself from urine,”
or:
“from his urine.”
In the version recorded by Abu Dawud:
“He did not cleanse himself from his urine.”
In the narration of Hannad ibn al-Sari:
“He did not ensure that he had completely relieved himself of urine.”
Al-Bukhari narrated:
“They are not being punished for something they considered serious, although it is indeed serious.”
Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi also narrated from Abu Bakrah رضي الله عنه, who said:
“While I was walking with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, accompanied by another man, with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ between us, he came upon two graves.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The occupants of these two graves are being punished in their graves at this very moment. Which of you will bring me a palm branch from that palm tree?’
My companion and I raced toward it, but I reached it first. I broke off a palm branch and brought it to the Prophet ﷺ. He split it into two from the top, placing one half upon one grave and the other half upon the other.
He said: ‘Their punishment will be lightened so long as some moisture remains in them. They are being punished because of backbiting and urine.’”
The author said:
This hadith and the one before it indicate that the lightening of the punishment occurred merely because of the two halves of the palm branch, so long as they remained fresh, with nothing additional attached to them.
Al-Tahawi narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“It was commanded that one of the servants of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, be punished in his grave with one hundred lashes. He continued asking Allah and supplicating to Him until they were reduced to one. His grave was then filled with fire because of that single lash.
When the punishment was lifted from him and he regained consciousness, he said: ‘Why did you lash me?’
It was said: ‘You performed a prayer without purification, and you passed by an oppressed person but did not help him.’”
Al-Bayhaqi narrated from al-Rabi‘ ibn Anas, from Abu al-‘Aliyah, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, from the Prophet ﷺ, concerning the verse:
“Glory be to Him Who took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram…”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“A mount was brought to me and I was carried upon it. Each stride reached as far as its sight could reach. I travelled, and Jibril travelled with me.
We came upon a people who sowed every day and harvested every day. Whenever they harvested, the crop returned as it had been.
I said: ‘O Jibril, who are these?’
He said: ‘These are those who migrated in the cause of Allah. Their good deeds are multiplied seven hundredfold.’”
Allah says:
“Whatever you spend of anything, He will replace it, and He is the best of providers.”
The Prophet ﷺ continued:
“We then came upon a people whose heads were being crushed with rocks. Whenever they were crushed, they returned as they had been, and nothing of that punishment was ever relaxed for them.
I said: ‘O Jibril, who are these?’
He said: ‘These are those whose heads became too heavy for the prayer.’
We then came upon a people who had patches covering their fronts and patches covering their backs. They grazed as cattle graze, consuming dari‘, zaqqum, and the heated stones and rocks of Hell.
I said: ‘Who are these, O Jibril?’
He said: ‘These are those who did not pay the obligatory charity due upon their wealth. Allah did not wrong them, and Allah is never unjust to His servants.’
We then came upon a people before whom there was properly cooked meat in one pot and foul meat in another. They ate from the foul meat and left the wholesome cooked meat.
I said: ‘O Jibril, who are these?’
He said: ‘This is a man who had a lawful and wholesome wife, yet he went to a corrupt woman and spent the night with her until morning.’
We then came upon a piece of timber lying across the road. Nothing passed by it except that it was broken by it.
I said: ‘What is this, O Jibril?’
He said: ‘Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: “And do not sit upon every path, threatening others.”’
We then passed by a man who had gathered an enormous bundle that he was unable to carry, yet he wanted to add more to it.
I said: ‘O Jibril, what is this?’
He said: ‘This is a man from your Ummah who bears a trust that he is unable to fulfil, yet he continues adding more trusts to it.’
We then came upon a people whose lips were being cut with scissors of iron. Whenever they were cut, they returned as they had been, and nothing of that punishment was ever relaxed for them.
I said: ‘O Jibril, who are these?’
He said: ‘These are the preachers of tribulation.’
We then came upon a small stone from which a huge bull emerged. The bull then tried to return through the opening from which it had emerged, but it could not.
I said: ‘What is this, O Jibril?’
He said: ‘This is a man who speaks a word and then regrets it. He wishes to take it back, but he cannot.’”
Seeking Refuge from the Punishment and Trial of the Grave
‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon me while a Jewish woman was with me. She was saying, ‘You will be tested in your graves.’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became alarmed and said: ‘It is only the Jews who are tested.’
‘A’ishah said: ‘Several nights passed, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do you know that it has been revealed to me that you will be tested in your graves?”’
‘A’ishah said: ‘Thereafter, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ seeking refuge from the punishment of the grave.’”
Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to supplicate:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave, from the punishment of the Fire, from the trials of life and death, and from the trial of the False Messiah.”
The hadiths concerning this meaning are extremely numerous and have been transmitted by trustworthy and reliable scholars.
Animals Hear the Punishment of the Grave
Zayd ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه narrated:
“While the Prophet ﷺ was in an orchard belonging to Banu al-Najjar, mounted upon a mule, and we were with him, the mule suddenly veered and almost threw him.
There were six, five, or four graves there. This was how al-Hariri would narrate it.
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Who knows the occupants of these graves?’
A man said: ‘I do.’
He asked: ‘When did these people die?’
He replied: ‘They died during the period of polytheism.’
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘This Ummah will be tested in its graves. Were it not that you might stop burying one another, I would ask Allah to allow you to hear some of the punishment of the grave that I can hear.’”
‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها also narrated:
“Two elderly Jewish women from Madinah entered upon me and said: ‘The people of the graves are punished in their graves.’
I rejected what they said and did not wish to believe them.
They then left, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered.
I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, two elderly Jewish women from Madinah came to me and claimed that the occupants of the graves are punished in their graves.’
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘They have spoken the truth. They are indeed punished with a punishment that the animals can hear.’
‘A’ishah said: ‘Thereafter, I never saw him perform a prayer without seeking refuge from the punishment of the grave.’”
Al-Bukhari also narrated it.
Explanation
Our scholars said:
The mule veered because it heard the voices of those being punished.
Those among the jinn and mankind who possess understanding do not hear it because of the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Were it not that you might stop burying one another…”
Allah, Glorified be He, has concealed it from us so that people may continue burying one another, according to His divine wisdom and subtle mercy.
Were people to hear it, fear would overcome them to such an extent that they would be unable to approach a grave to bury the dead. The living person might even perish upon hearing it, for human faculties in this world are too weak to endure hearing anything of the punishment of Allah.
Do you not see that when people hear a devastating thunderclap or experience a terrifying earthquake, many of them perish?
Yet what comparison is there between the sound of thunder and the scream of one who is struck by the angels with iron hammers, a scream heard by everything nearby?
The Prophet ﷺ said concerning the deceased:
“Were a human being to hear it, he would fall unconscious.”
What, then, of the one upon whom disgrace and punishment descend, when torment and calamity intensify?
We ask Allah, through His grace, for safety, forgiveness, pardon and mercy.
The Deceased Hears What Is Said
It is narrated from Anas ibn Malik that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه spoke about the people of Badr and said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ showed us the places where the people of Badr would fall on the following day, saying: ‘This will be the place where so-and-so will fall tomorrow, Allah willing.’
‘Umar said: ‘By the One Who sent him with the truth as a Prophet, they did not miss the places the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had marked out.’
They were then placed one upon another in a well.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to them and said:
‘O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, have you found what Allah and His Messenger promised you to be true? I have found what my Lord promised me to be true.’
‘Umar said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how can you speak to bodies that have no souls within them?’
He replied: ‘You do not hear what I am saying any better than they do, except that they are unable to respond to me.’”
It is also narrated from Anas رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left the slain of Badr for three days. He then stood over them and called out:
“O Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, O Umayyah ibn Khalaf, O ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, O Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, have you not found what your Lord promised you to be true? I have found what my Lord promised me to be true.”
When ‘Umar heard the words of the Prophet ﷺ, he said:
“O Messenger of Allah, how can they hear, and how could they answer, when their bodies have decayed?”
He replied:
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you do not hear what I am saying any better than they do, but they are unable to answer.”
He then commanded that they be dragged and cast into the well of Badr.
This is also established by the evidence already mentioned, including the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
“He hears the sound of their sandals,”
as well as the established fact that the two angels question the deceased in his grave and that he answers them, along with other matters that cannot be denied.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentioned in Al-Tamhid and Al-Istidhkar, through a narration from Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“No one passes by the grave of his believing brother whom he knew in this world and greets him with salam except that he recognises him and returns his greeting.”
Conclusion
Authentic reports from the Prophet ﷺ concerning the punishment of the grave have been established in general. There is therefore no valid objection to them and no evidence that contradicts them.
It has also been established in the reports already mentioned that the disbeliever is tested in his grave, questioned, humiliated and punished.
Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Haqq said:
Know that the punishment of the grave is not restricted to disbelievers, nor is it limited to hypocrites. Rather, a group of believers may also share in it, each according to the condition of his deeds and according to the sins and errors for which he became deserving of punishment.
