NOORUS SUDOOR FEE SHARHILQUBOOR

or SHARHUS SUDOOR In this book, many important and admon-ishing events relating to death, grave,BARZAKH and AAKHIRAT have been nar-rated on the basis of true and reliable hadiths.Reading it, veils of darkness will be removedand the soul will brighten up.

Original Arabic writer:

Imam Jalaluddin Sooyuti (Reh)

Urdu translator:

Moulana Muhammed Isa Ilhabadi (Reh)

Concerning Barzakh:

(Hakimul Ummat) Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi(Reh,)

Publisher :Moulana Mufti Ahmad Bemat Sahib

Madani Darut-Tarbiyat, Madani Nagar

At,Karmali, Ravidra, (Panoli,R.S.)

Tal,Ankleshwar. Dist,Bharuch.

Gujarat Pin Code: 394 115

Tel :- 02646 (O) 274243 (H) 274244

Bismillah-Hir-Rahmaan-Nir-Raheem Yaa Rahmaanu Yaa Raheem, Yaa Arhamar Raahimeen

In the present days, human beings have forgottenall about death and after that, punishment in the grave,the Pul-Siraat and aamaals. In the world, injustice isbeing done to orphans, women, weak and poor, whichhas sent the world in great FITNAH that is really atest given by Allah Ta’aala.

Among other services for the sake of Allah Ta’aala,there are righteous and humble people to do the gooddeeds to please Almighty Allah Ta’aala.

Five hundred (500) copies of the Gujarati version,(500) copies of the English version“Noorus Sudoor FeeSharhil Quboor” have been freely distributed by onegenerous family and they have also paid for the ex-penses of the English Translation. Jazaahumul-LaahuTa’aala Fid-Daarayni Khairaa May Allah Ta’aala ac-cept their true efforts and reward them in both theworlds. Aameen

NOORUS SUDOOR FEE SHARHIL QUBOORAuthor: Hazrat Maulana Jalaaluddin Suyooti (R)

IN THE LIGHT OF SAHIH HADITHS:Sakaraat, Talqeen, Malak ul Mawt, Khaatimah

bil Khair, Mourning (weeping) of the sky and theearth, Talking by the grave, Punishment in the grave,Seeing of the visiter by the mayyat/and also recognizinghim, Questioning by Mukar-Nakir, Barzakh and allstories which soften the heart, and decrease love for thematerial world.

Read, make others read. Earn Sawaab-e-Jaariyah (recurring reward) by gifting to poor near and dear ones.

Gujarati Translation was madeAvailable by:Mufti Ahmad Bemat, Karmali, Madani Nagar,

Via: Ravidra, Tal: Ankleshawar, Dist:Bharuch, Pin Code: 394 115

Price: Rs.35/00Translated from Gujarati to English by:Sir Sultan Akhter PatelKhanpur deh, Dist: Bharuch

1 A few words by the author 1-4 2 Introduction 5-6 3 Ch-1 (A long life is better Passed in

remembering GOD) 7-8 4 Ch-2 (It is not allowed to seek death) 8-10 5 Ch-3 (Desiring death to save religion) 10-12 6 Ch-4 (Death is better than life) 12-18 7 Ch-5 (Remembering death and to be ready) 19-24 8 Ch-6 (Fearing Allah and hoping for good) 24-28 9 Ch-7 (Signs of having died with faith) 28-3010 Ch-8 (Death time difficulties) 30-4111 Ch-9 (Recitation at the time of death) 41-4612 Ch-10 (About Malak-ul-mawt) 46-9413 Ch-11 (Talking with spirits) 94-9814 Ch-12 (The mayyat recognizes the living) 98-10215 Ch-13 (The earth and sky weep when a

Muslim dies) 102-10416 Ch-14 (One will be burried where one

was born) 104-10817 Ch-15 (What to recite at the time of burrying

and about Talqeen) 108-11218 Ch-16 (Squeezing of the grave) 112-118

Table Of Contents No. Subject Page

No. Subject Page 19 Ch-17 ( The grave talks with dead) 118-12220 Ch-18 (Chastisement in the grave) 122-13521 Ch-19 (Who won’t be questioned in the grave) 135-14022 Ch-20 (Harshness of the grave) 140-14823 Ch-21 (About punishment in the grave) 148-16724 Ch-22 (Protection from punishment of Qabr) 167-17525 Ch-23 (Dead bodies have mutual love) 175-18426 Ch-24 (The mayyat sees and knows visitors) 184-20227 Ch-25 (About the residents of the spirits) 202-22128 Ch-26 (Deeds of the living shown to the dead) 221-22229 Ch-27 (Prevention from entering Paradise) 222-22430 Ch-28 (Living souls meet dead in dreams) 224-23031 Ch-29 (Seeing the dead in dreams 230-23932 Ch-30 (Bad deeds of living harm the dead) 239-24233 Ch-31 (Things which benefit dead in graves) 242-25834 Ch-32 (Deeds reaching paradise early) 258-25935 Ch-33 (Which time is best for death) 259-26036 Ch-34 (Bodies that rot in graves) 260-26437 About Barzakh 265-28138 Funeral rights of the dead 281-29039 Map of kafan requisites 29140 Cont.. Funearl rights of the dead.... 292-30641 Publications of Madani Darut-Tarbiyat 307

A few words by Moulana Mufti Ahmad Bemat Madani Darut Tarbiyat, Madani Nagar

I begin with the graceful name of Allah Almighty,who granted us the great wealth by making us AshrafulMakhlooqaat (the best creation) and included us in theummah of the seal of Prophets Muhammed (S.A.W.) mak-ing us faithful. Innumerable duroods to MuhammedMustapha (S.A.W.) who suffered every kind of hardship-trouble for the guidance of mankind and showed the pathwhich can make man successful both in this world and inthe life to come after death. Millions of Awliyaa, Ulemaaand Sulahaa (Reh) made their both lives successful by fol-lowing the holy and pious training and eduction of the holyQura’an and Prophet (S.A.W.) because those who are anx-ious to make their life after death prosperous are savedfrom innumerable illnesses like envy, grudge, spite, enmityand ego. Their only aim, while working or talking is Aakhirat(Hereafter). It is in accordance with the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.)’s hadith: This world is the farm land for the here-after.

Man has been sent to this world with the sole pur-pose of working or labouring for the life which is to followdeath. For this purpose he should show the seed of Imaan

(faith) and labour for its growth by fullfilling his or her duty,that is, by perfoming the duties toward both the creator andthe creation (Huqooqullaah and Huqooqulibaad) and bydoing and increasing good deeds. This world is an inn. It istransitory. It is not a permanent abode.

A wise fellow always works for the everlasting resi-dence. He should build a house where he is to live for ever.The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) lived accordingly. Once whenAllah offered to make the mountain of Uhad a mine of goldhe replied in all earnest: O’Lord! I prefer to eat one day andremain hungry on the next day. (Hadith). Once he said:Faqeeri (poverty in wealth) is my pride (Hadith). Once someof his holy companions complained about their hunger andurged for removal of poverty. He said: I am also very hun-gry (and showed two stones on his belly). Once his holywives requested for the provision of relief regarding foodand clothing etc. He became unhappy and vowed not to goto those wives (mothers of the ummah) for a month. Such avow is called EELA in the language of Shariat. Allah re-vealed verses in the Holy Qur’aan in this connection, thesummary whereof is: O’wives of the messenger! If you pre-fer wordly ease and want to be relieved thereafter, I makeyou free. (Holy Qur’aan) When Hazrat Fatemah (R.A)asked for a slave girl for her help, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)prescribed the spiritual tonic of reciting Tahmeed andTakbeer before going to bed. Both Hazrat Fatema andHazrat Ali (R.A) acted accordingly and servants werealotted to other needy persons.

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In short, the Holy prophet (S.A.W.) never preferredthe worldy wealth like palaces, workshops, luxuries, gold/silver ornaments, tasteful food and drink etc. for him or hiswives and children. The Holy prophet (S.A.W.) always re-mained away from worldly pleasures and past his entire lifein an ordinary house using simple food and clothing. He usedto say: An account of every minute of life and of every itemof wealth will have to be submitted after death. Regardingthe state of his Ummah (community) he said: I am not wor-ried about their poverty. What worries me is that they will begiven all riches and wealth of the material world whereby myUmmah will also be destroyed as were destroyed the earlierUmmah’s. (Hadith).

About the present day anxieties of our Ummah, theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) has said that it is not a thing to worryabout because Allah Almighty is the Guarantor of provisionof man. The trial of my Ummah is wealth (Hadith). He gavemuch admonitions for remaining away from such trial. Hesaid: The stomach will be ruined first (Hadith). The light (noor)of Imaan (faith) will become dim due to unlawful eating anddrinking. He said: You will be harmed by smoke if not by fire(Hadith). ((The fire of interest = usury)).

We have heard from todays great Alim, Buzroog,Wali, Qutb, Hazrat Shaikul Hadis Moulana Zakariya Sahib(R.A) that even Khanqaahs have not been spared from thesmoke of interest/usury (Sood). Fatwas (questions) aboutusing the interest money for making washrooms and stairs ofmosques, that is, is it permissible? I replied: Please let theparts of the house of Allah remain clean. - Do not make

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them unclean (naapaak).The Holy prophet (S.A.W)’s forewarning has come

true word to word. Today we see that Muslims have givenup spending on Sadqah and Khairaat because of their greedto live a luxurious life of wealth and power. They have stoppedgiving sacrifice for religious education/training, madressa,shop, factory, post and seat etc. He has totally forgotten thatafter all, death is to come and that we have to face Grave,(Qabr) Barzakh, Pul-Siraat, and accounting of deeds onResurrection Day. Having forgotten all these things, he hasimagined that only wealth and power is everything. Thus hehas ruined and is ruining his faith. The Muslim have almostdrowned in the pond of a poisinous environment. What wasutmost necessary was that he should prepare himself for hisinevitable journey from death to grave upto Qiyaamat andfor giving an account of his words and deeds so that his lovefor the material world may decrease.

Therefore, considering this book as a remedy, I ampresenting it to the community after translating it into Gujarati.If a man reads it carefully thrice, he will get admonition. Hewill be inclined to repent before Allah (Tawbah). He willbegin to worry about his life after death, that is, for buildinghis permanent abode in the Hereafter.

I pray to Almighty Allah to accept this effort and tomake this book a source of their guidance and may he alsogrant this writer the intercession (Shafaat) of the Holy prophet(S.A.W). AAMEEN.

17-11-1417 H.E. 26-3-1997 A.D.

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INTRODUCTIONHazrat Maulana Mohammed Isa Ilahabadi Sahib (R.A) Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem After Hamd and Salaat!

The urdu translator Hazrat Maulana Muhammed IsaSb. (R.A) humbly says that: It is quite obvious to all thattoday both the masses and the elite all are totally engaged intheir worldly (material) affairs. But both the Holy Qur’aanand the Hadith have described many evils which are foundin such drowning in worldly affairs. All have been severelycautioned and asked to refrain from getting involved in thisworld.

The most effective way and remedy of saving our-selves from being too much involved in material engagementsas shown by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), is to keep in mindand remember matters regarding death. That is why he says:Go on remembering the breaker of passions and wishes ofthe heart. It is the rememberance of death. Death kills undueaspirations.

Since long I was thinking of collecting through infor-mation about death and grave, and presenting it in urdu lan-guage on the basis of reliable hadiths, so that it may benefitpeople immensely. They may discard carelessness and beinclined toward the Hereafter. They may inculcate zeal forreturning to the original abode with a wealth of good deedsperformed in this transitory world. When I was ponderingover this matter I came across the arabic book NOOR USSUDOOR FEE SHARHIL QUBOOR written by Imam

Suyooti (R.A.). It contained thoughts similar to mine. There-fore I translated it into urdu giving it the same title. In thisUrdu translation, care has been taken to see that the bookdoes not become very lengthly. Hence instead of mentioningall hadiths on the same point, only one of them has beenwritten. A comparison of various hadiths is also given.

When most of the translation work was done I cameacross another book SABEEL-E-AAKHIRAT compiledby Moulana Ahmad Hussein Mubarakpuri Sb. (R.A). It alsohad many of the hadiths found in SHARHUS- SUDOORand other authentic works. I prayed for the Maulana’swellbeing as it made my work somewhat easy. I postponedthe translation of the other part of SHARHUS -SUDOORbut the job of comparing the hadiths of SABEEL-E-AAKHIRAT with other hadiths had remained, so I did itwherever necessary. I also explained some words which re-quired explanation in brackets. I also added many hadiths ofSHARHUS -SUDOOR, various chapters and put notes atthe end of each chapter. There were also some hadiths hav-ing difference of the subject which I have omitted. I also didnot find it necessary to touch those hadiths which explainedone another by the grace of Allah.

In order to increase the inclination of the readers, Ihave also added some relevant parts of the speech ofMaulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi (R.A) at the end of the book.This has magnified the beauty of the book. May Allah makeit useful for all - AAMEEN.

Ahqar, Mohammed Isa.- Zee Qaadah 1352 H.

CHAPTER ONE A long life is better passed in remebering God

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says: A man said:O’God’s, (Allah’s) Messenger! Who is the best per-son among all? He (S.A.W.) replied: Whose life islong and who does good deeds. That man asked again:Who is the worst fellow among all? He (S.A.W.) re-plied: Whose life is long and he does bad deeds.

Hazrat Jaabir (R.A) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) said: The best person among you is he wholives longer than all and who does good deeds.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says: Two menfrom the tribe of Kuzaa embraced Islam. They went ina jihaad with the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). One of themgot martyred and the other lived for one more year.When the latter also died, Talhaa Bin Ibaidullah (R.A)saw in his dream that paradise (Jannat) has been deco-rated in which the man who had died later entered first.Talha (R.A) says: I felt surprised from what I saw inmy dream (how this happened!). The next morning Iwent to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and asked him:How is it, that the man who died later, entered Jannatbefore the first one. He (S.A.W) replied: Do you notknow that that man had lived for one more year afterthe former was martyred whereby he observed fast ofa month of Ramadhan and offered 6000 obligatory

(farz) prayers (namaz) during the additional year andas many nafil (optional) namaaz also?

Hazrat Talhaah (R.A) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) said: In the sight of Allah Almighty (AllahuTa’alaa) none is more graceful (afzal) than a manwho got a long life and passed it recitingSUBHAANALLAH, LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH,and ALLAHU AKBAR.

Hazrat Saeed bin Zubair (R.A) says: Each andevery day of a Momin (Faithful) is full of profit andworth being thankful for, because he obeys Allah’scommence, offers namaaz and remembers him.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin Ali Ubaidah (R.A) says: Icame to know from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) thatwhen a muslim dies and sees his high rank in Jannat(paradise) he requests Almighty Allah to send himback to the world so that he may continue to reciteSUBHAANALLAH, LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH,and ALLAHU AKBAR.

CHAPTER TWO It is not permissible to seek death because of difficulties

Hazrat Anas (R.A) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said: If anybody falls in trouble he shouldnever desire death and if he is extremely helpless, he

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may only say: O’Allah, keep me alive till the time lifeis good for me, and please give me death when deathis good for me.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says: The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: Noone should ever seek deathnor pray for death because when a man dies, his timefor doing deeds comes to an end. But in the case of aMomin, the longer his life, the more good deeds doeshe perform.

Hazrat Jaabir Bin Abdullah (R.A) says:Rasoolullah (S.A.W.) says: Do not desire death be-cause the bargaining of Aakhirat (Hereafter) is veryhard and the sign of a lucky man is that he gets a longlife whereby he gets a chance for Taubah (repentance). Hazrat Qais (R.A) says: We went to see HazratKhabbab (R.A) when ill. He had stamped seven partsof his body with a burning instrument (as an insecti-cidal remedy prevalent in those days). He said: HadRasoolullah (S.A.W) not prevented seeking of death,I would have prayed for my death.

Hazrat Ummul Fazl (R.A.) says: Hazrat Abbasfell ill. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and Sahaaba (holycompanions) went to see him. Hazrat Abbas expressedhis desire for death. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said:O’Uncle! Do not seek death. If you recover and gettime for doing good deeds in your life, than it is bet-

ter for you. If you are a bad fellow and you get a longerlife, than you repent over your sins, that too is betterfor you, so do not seek death.

CHAPTER THREE Desiring death is permissible if their is a danger to religion

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says: The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: When Qiyaamat (Dooms Dayor the Day of Judgement) will approach, there will ap-pear so many mischiefs and troublesome temptationsthat when a man will pass by a grave he will say: Hownice would it have been if I were in this grave. Hazrat Thawbaan (R.A) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) said: O’Allah, enable me to do good deeds toleave bad deeds and to love the poor people.When youintend to put people to trials, call me up to you so Imay not fall in temptation.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A.) says: Huzoor(S.A.W.) said a (true) Muslim will like to live in theworld. But when Dajjal will appear (near the end of theworld) in the last age, there will be so much troublesand mischeifs and quarrels that a Muslim will find noway except death to protect his Deen (faith) and so hewill prefer death over life and will lose love of life.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says: Huzoor9 10

(S.A.W) said: A time will come soon when true believ-ers (Momins) will prefer death to a drink of cold watermixed with honey. In yet another narration (Rivaayat), itis mentioned: He will prefer death to pure gold.

Hazrat Abu Zarr (R.A) says: There will comea time when seeing anyone’s funeral procession,people will say: How good would it have been if I wasin this coffin!

It is narrated that Hazrat Makhool (R.A) oncefell ill. Abde Rabb went to see him and prayed: MayAlmighty Allah heal you. Hazrat Makhool (R.A) said:Never pray for my health because I would rather diewith those who are good and for whom there is hopefor their forgiveness from God. My death is betterthan living in company of those by whom there is dan-ger of harm to Islamic values .

Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A) says: By Allah! (ByGod!), a soul which leaves a body is, in my opinion,better than my soul. Even the soul which leaves thebody of a bee is also better than my soul. Hearingthis, the Sahaaba were shocked and asked the reasonfor saying so. He replied: I fear the day when I maynot be able to order good deeds and prevent bad ones.There is no benefit in living that kind of life.

Hazrat Abu Ubaidah says: This world callspeople towards troublesome trials and temptation and

the devil (Shaytaan) invites all to bad deeds. Duringsuch times, it is better to proceed to god than to livein this world.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah says: I was going some-where when somebody asked me: Where are you go-ing? I replied: I am going to the market. That man said:If you are sure of returning from the market and ifyou can, please buy my death for me from there.

Hazrat Irbaaz bin Saariyah (R.A) says: I waslonging for death. Once I went to a masjid in Dam-ascus wherein after offering my prayers, I said: O Al-lah! I am very old and my bones have become feeble(so please give me death). At once I saw a young andhandsome boy who was in green clothes. He ap-proached me and said: Why do you pray like this? Iasked: What than should I say? He replied: You maysay: O’ Allah! Give me strengh to do good deeds andlenghthen my life. I asked that fellow who he was. Hereplied: My name is Rataaeel. I remove pain and anxi-ety from the hearts of the faithful (Momins). Then hedisappeared all of a sudden.

CHAPTER FOUR Death is better than life

Ulamaa have said that death does not mean to-tal annialation or destruction. Rather death means the

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dislocation of the connection of soul from the bodywhereby the soul may leave the house of body (theworld) and go to another house (in the Hereafter orAakhiraat). Hazrat Bilal bin Masood and Umar Bin A. Aziz(R.A) say: O’People! You are not created for beingdestroyed. You will only travel from one home to an-other home.

Hazrat Rasoolullah (S.A.W.) said: Death is atraveller’s gift in the case of a believer. Death is like afragrant flower for him (desired thing).

Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) says: The Huzoor (S.A.W)said: Death is like a war booty which one gets free. Dis-obedience is a calamity. Poverty is a rest-giving gift,while wealthiness is punishment. Wisdom is a gift, ig-norance is waywardness. Opresson (tyranny) makes oneashamed. Worship keeps eyes cool. Weeping for fear ofAllah is salvation from hellfire. Laughing is an illness ofthe body and one who has repented truly is like the onewho did not commit a sin.

Hazrat Mahmood Bin Labeed says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: Mankind likes two things verymuch:(1) Life though death is much better for him and(2) Wealthiness though poverty makes accountingeasy.

Hazrat Zar’ah Bin Abdullah says that oncea funeral prosession passed by the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.). He said: This man (who has died) is eitherto get rest for himself or others have got rest be-cause of his departure. The sahaba asked:O’Messenger of Allah! What is the meaning of whatyou have said now? He (S.A.W) replied: A faithfulman, after his death, gets relief from wordly troublesand hardships and gets Allah’s mercy, whereas a badman’s death gives rest to people of a city-village, toanimals, trees, etc. (as he was harming them in theworld). A bad man’s opression-tyranny causes unrestin the world and anarchy in society. The performer ofevil deeds is an enemy of Allah (God). He troublesthe entire creation. It does not rain because of hissinning and provision of all, decreases due to him.

Hazrat Ibne Umar says: This world is paradisefor the deniers (kaafirs) and the polytheists(mushriks). (They are engaged in their worldly de-sires and aspirations). This world is a jail or prisonfor the Faithfuls (Momins). ((They are bound by thelaws of shariat in every matter)). Therefore when thesoul of a Momin leaves his body (at the time ofdeath), it is as if a captive has been freed from thecell. He cleans himself by turning in the dust.

Hazrat Ibne Umar says that the Holy Prophet13 14

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(S.A.W.) told Hazrat Abu Zarr: O Abu Zarr! This worldis a prison for the Momin and the grave is a place ofpeace and tranquility for him and the Jannat (paradise)is his permanent abode. O Abu Zarr! The world is para-dise for a kaafir (disbeliever) ((The kaafir loves ev-erything in this worldly life. He forgets the arrival ofwinter and becomes mad after the spring season)) andthe grave is the place of punishment for him and Hellis his permanent residence.

Hazrat Rabee Bin Khasam says: A believer seesan invisible thing and it is his death which is the bestof all things for which he remains waiting . Maalik binMugaffal (R.A) says: The first thing which will makea faithful man happy (about Hereafter) is death be-cause, at the time of death, he will see Allah’s rewardand Sawaab with his own eyes.

Hazrat Abu-Dardah (R.A) says: “You have beencreated for death and for being finished. You are busybuilding this perishable world’s home and longing forthe same, while you are forgetting your permanentabode (nonperishable things). Remember that the threethings which you dislike are very auspicious (becausethey carry a very valuable promise of sawaab) andthose three things are: (1)- Death (2)- Poverty, and (3)- Illness.

I love illness and poverty more, because

thereby, I remain humble. In the court of Allah, pov-erty makes a man humble which HE likes very much.That is why I like poverty and death. They are myfriend. I may meet my Lord through it. I also loveillness because it gets my sins pardoned.

Hazrat Abdullah Bin Zakariyah says: If Allahgives me an option either to live for a hundred yearsand engage myself in HIS worship or to die today, Iwould choose to die today so that I may meet Allahand his messenger soon and also see his good ser-vants.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) says that Rasoolullah(S.A.W) said: Death is, for a Momin, a means to washoff his sins (Kaffarah). If a Momin is hurt by a thornor suffers more pain, that pain washes off his sins.Then what do you think about the pain of death? Oneof the pain is mere grievious than the pain caused bythree hundred blows of a sword!

Someone asked Hazrat Abu-Dardaa: What doyou wish for a man whom you love? He replied:“Death”. People asked him again: Suppose if he doesnot die as desired by you, then what would you wishfor him after his death subsequent to a long life? Hesaid: I would wish decrease in his wealth and chil-dren. (He may become poor so that he may not for-get Allah).

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Hazrat Abu Malik Ash’ari says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: O’Allah! Make death a desir-able and lovable thing for everyone who believes meas YOUR Messenger. (Good deeds maked death de-sirable and lovable and hence this prayer is for mak-ing the faithful people do good deeds).

Hazrat Safvaan bin Salim (R.A) says: Death is,for every faithful person, a relief from worldlytroubles, though it appears painful and restless.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) says: For a fatithfulperson no happiness is more pleasant than to see Al-lah at the time of death. (this means every Muslimcan see God at the time of his death which removesthe pain of death and he gets ready to give his lifehappily).

Hazrat Abu-Dardaa (R.A) says that Death isgood for every faithful. Similarly it is good for everykaafir also. He who does not believe in my statementcan see the Holy Qur’aan. Allah Almighty saystherein: (WA MAA INDAL-LAAHI KHAIRUN),meaning whatever reward one will get from Allah fordoing good deeds will be better than all the wealth ofthe world. At another place Allah says: (WA LAAYAHSABAN-NALLAZEENA KAFAROO) mean-ing: the kaafir (deniers) should not imagine that what-ever respite do WE give to them is better for them.

(It means it is merely a respite that God gives ease tothe kaafirs in the world and does not make haste inpunishing them for their evil deeds). It is so, so thatthey may become blindly mad after wordly affairs.Then they will be caught all of a sudden and be givenas much harsh punishment as was their ease in theworld. Thus an early death is good also for a denier.

Advantage:- (1)- Of the above quoted hadithssome show that death is better than life. This is animportant matter and also basic. The purpose is thatman should try to do as much good as possible dur-ing life. Thus there is no contradiction in the abovementioned hadiths.

(2)- It should also not be considered a contra-diction that in some hadiths it is said that death shouldnot be desired or asked for. This prohibition is forthe purpose of making man resist from being afraidof wordly troubles and asking for death as it wouldshow that he is not being pleased at the decision ofAllah. The recommendation to desire death is for sav-ing life from worldly evils. Man should cultivate lovefor death and fear the destruction of his religionthrough worldly corruption and in such circumstanceshe may ask for death from Allah.Note:- If there is a danger to religion which mayweaken faith, then it is allowed to pray for death.

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CHAPTER FIVE Remembering death and to be ready for it

Hazrat Ibne Umar (R.A) says: Somebody askedthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W): Which muslim is wise andintelligent? He replied: The one who remembers hisdeath and does deeds which will benefit him after hisdeath and added: Intelligent is one who prepares him-self to be obedient to the commands of the Shariatand who takes an account of his deeds and does deedsbeneficial after death, and the fool is he who obeysthe wishes and whims of his heart and yet hopes to getrewards (sawaab) from Allah.

Hazrat Wazeen bin Ataa (R.A) says: Wheneverthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) saw somebody unmindfulof his death, he would stand by his door and say thrice:O’People! O’Believers! Death will definitely come.Death will bring mercy, rest and plenty for those whoare friends of Allah and who do deeds for the Hereaf-ter. Remember that everything has an end and that theend is death, some will die early and some later.

It is mentioned in another hadith: The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) once passed by a gathering whereinpeople were laughing loudly. He (S.A.W) said: Youshould also remember the thing which ends desires.He replied: The death.

It is said in yet another hadith: People asked:

O’Prophet of Allah! Will anyone be raised in com-pany with the shahids (martyrs)? He replied: Yes,the one who thinks about his death twenty times aday.

Advantage: Ulema have said: Allah Al-mighty will grant three graceful things to the onewho remembers his death more:(1)- Wisdom of repenting soon.(2)- Peace of mind (satisfaction of heart)(3)- Peace in worshipand: To the one who will forget his death willhave three calamities:(1) He will have no wisdom of repenting for hissins. (2) He will not be satisfied by little pro-vision and (3) He will delay his prayers andworship (ibaadat).

Hazrat Ali (R.A.) said: The grave is the boxof deeds which will be known after death. It meansjust as a man puts his hard-earned money in a box,likewise man’s good or bad deeds (done in his life)are being deposited in the box of grave.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) once said: The best kind of Taqwaa (righ-teousness) in the world is to remember death andthe best worship is to be anxious about and to carefor the Hereafter (life after death). The man who

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becomes restless by remembering death and en-gages in good deeds because of that restlessness, willfind that his mental uneasiness has gone even if thereis some bodily restlessness of paradise (Jannat).

Hazrat Ali (R.A.) said: All are asleep now. Theywill wake when death will come. Hazrat Abu Hurairahsaid: The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: Everyone re-pents after death. When the companions asked thereason, that is, repentance for what? The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) said: The one who was doing good deeds willthink why did he not do more good deeds and the onewho was doing evil deeds will repents for not resist-ing from evils.

Hadith:- Hazrat Anas (R.A.) says that the HolyProphet said: Remember your death more and morebecause by so doing your sins are washed away andyour love for the worldly affairs diminish. If youwill remember your death when you are wealthy, thatremembering will remove the intoxication of rich-ness. If you will remeber death when you are poor,that remembering will make you patient while you arepenniless.

Hadith:- H. Abu Hurairah (R.A) says, a mancame to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and requested:O’messenger of Allah! Why do I not love death? Hereplied: Do you have money? That man said: Yes. Then

the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: You should first spendthat money in the path of Allah. A Muslim’s heart re-mains attached to that wealth. When he spends thatwealth in the way of Allah, he also wishes that he him-self should also be finished along with that wealth.

Hadith:- Hazrat Abu-Dardaa (R.A.) says: Theone who will remember death will never envy anyoneand he will also enjoy less.

Hadith:- Hazrat Tariq (R.A.) says the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) told me: Prepare for death before itarrives.

Hadith:- Hazrat Abu Haazim (R.A.) says: Giveup every such work which makes you dislike death.Thereafter you will not fear death at all and you willnot mind when it comes.

Hadith:- Hazrat Sarriy-yah (R.A.) says: Awoman came to Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) and complainedabout the hardness of her heart. Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A.)advised her to remeber death more often as it wouldmake the heart soft.

Hadith:- Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says: TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Visit Qabrastan’s (grave-yards) as it makes you remember your death (makingyou live a responsible life).

Hadith:- Hazrat Anas (R.A) says: The HolyProphet (S.A.W) says: I had prevented you from vis-

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iting graves, but now do go to the graves as it makeshearts soft and eyes tearful. It reminds you of theHereafter (Aakhirat). Do not not talk nonsence things.

Hadith:- Hazrat Abu Zarr (R.A.) says: The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) asked me: Go on, visit the grave-yards it will cure the illness of envy and give you a bigadmonition, and perform the janazah prayer (funeralNamaaz/Salaat), perhaps it will give a feeling of painto your heart. An anxious restless man remains in theshade of Allah and he seeks every good.

Advantage (benifit): No.(1)- The physical painand restlessness is felt by all because of death as issaid by Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) that: All of us experi-ence the uneasiness of death.Yes. there should be nomental restlessness. (The remedy of that mental rest-lessness is continuity of good deeds and avoiding evildeeds. Good deeds have a share in the rememberanceof death. That is why rememberance of death contin-ues to the removal of spiritual and mental restlessnes.The natural anxiety of death is by no means harmful.The Holy Qur’aan and Hadith prove it that (for a righ-teous fellow) Allah himself creates love of HIS sightin the heart of that fellow which removes that naturalrestlessness.

Advantage: No. (2)- This forcefulreccomendation for visiting graves is beneficial be-

cause it gives a lesson (admonition) to do good deedswhich are useful in the Hereafter. Thisreccomendation is for both men and women. Butthere is a prohibition for women to visit the grave-yard because their is a likelihood of trouble due totheir weak-hearted weeping. Presently there is afatwaa prohibiting women from going to theqabrastaan because of a lack of religious knowledgein them.

CHAPTER SIX Fearing Allah and hoping for good

Hazrat Anas (R.A.) says that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) went to a young man who was on his deathbed and asked him: How are you? He replied: I hopefor good from Allah and I am also fearful because ofmy sins. (Hearing this) the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)said: The existence of these two things (hope and fearof Allah) on death bed indicates that Allah will fulfillhis hope and protect him from fear.

Hazrat Hasan Basri (R.A) says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: Allah Almighty says: ‘I willnot make my slave fearful of two things at a time. Iwill make that fellow calm in the Hereafter who willfear ME in his worldly life and I will make him fright-ened in the Hereafter who did not fear ME in the

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world.Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W) said: Allah Almighty says: I am formy servant, as he thinks of me. Now it is up to him tothink about me as he likes. It will be good for him ifhe will think ME good and it will be bad for him if hewill have a bad opinion about ME.

Hazrat Mu’aaz bin Jabal says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: If you like, I may tell you whatAllah Almighty will tell the Faithful on the day of Res-urrection and what will be their reply. The sahaba re-plied: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! Do tell us. The HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: Allah Almighty will say: OFaithful! Did you like to meet ME? They will reply:Yes, O’Allah. Allah will again ask: Why? They will say:We were expecting pardon and reward from YOU. Al-lah will say: Okay, I have pardoned you.

Hazrat Abu Ghaalib (R.A.) has mentioned thishadith in SHU’ABUL-IMAAN: I was in Syria when aman from the tribe of Qais came to me. He had anephew who was very much against him. The uncleused to teach him, admonish him, and even punishhim. But the nephew would not listen to him.Than allof a sudden he fell ill . His uncle was called when thenephew was almost on his death bed. But the unclerefused to attend. At last, I went to call that uncle and

brought him to his nephew. The uncle began to abusehis nephew saying: O’enemy of Allah! Did you not dosuch and such wrong deeds? The nephew replied:O’Uncle! If Allah entrusts me to my mother in thiscondition, what will my mother do to me? The unclereplied: She will lead you to paradise. The nephewsaid: By Allah. Allah Almighty is far more mercifulto me than my mother. Then that youth died. His uncleburied him. While closing the grave with woodenplanks, a brick fell down. The uncle looked into thegrave from that hole and stepped back with a jerk.(Hazrat Abu Ghaalib says:) I asked: What happened?The uncle said: The entire grave is full of light and itis light and light as far as eyes can see.

It is written in SHU’ABUL-IMAAN, by HazratHameed (R.A): My youthful nephew became ill. I in-formed his mother (my sister) who came and beganto weep near his bed. The youth asked: O’uncle! Whymy mother is weeping? I replied: Because of your ill-ness. That youth asked again: Does she not love meby heart? I replied: She has both love and mercy foryou. The nephew said: Allah Almighty is far more kindand merciful than my mother.

When he died and I lowered him in the graveand began to close it with wooden planks, my eyesfell in the grave.I saw that there is a very spacious field.

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I asked my friend: Do you also see what is in the grave?HE replied: I do, yes. This is because of the wordswhich the boy had uttered at the time of death. Whilehaving good opinion about Allah Almighty.

Hadith: Hazrat Jaabir (R.A) says: I had heardthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) say three days before hisdeath: Whoever from you dies, should die with a goodopinion about Allah. (Such good opinion can be hadthrough good deeds. What is meant to be conveyed isthat: Go on doing good deeds constantly to such anextent that at the time of your death, you may thinknothing but good about Allah Almighty.

Hadith:- Hazrat Ibrahim Nakha-ei (R.A.) says:In earlier days, people used to make a dying man re-member his past good deeds so that (the servant) mayform a good opinion about his Lord.

Hadith:- Uqbaa bin Muslim (R.A.) says: Themost desired habit of a servant in the sight of Allah, isthat HIS servant should long to meet HIM.

Hadith:- Hazrat Anas (R.A.) said: The HolyProphet (S.A.W) has said that: Whoever of you diesshould die with a good opinion about his Lord becausehaving a good opinion about Allah is like paying forParadise (whoever thought good about god became aman of paradise (Jannat).

Advantage: One cannot have a good opinion

about God without performing good deeds. To havegood hopes from God without doing good things isno good opinion. It is indeed a deception.

CHAPTER SEVEN Sign of having died with faith

Hazrat Umar bin Hakam (R.A) says: The HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: When Allah befriends a ser-vant HE makes him honey-sweet (grants him a honey-sweet thing which pleases him, that is, he grants himwisdom of doing good deeds). Sahaba (R.A.) asked:How does it happen? The Holy Prophet replied: Hedoes only good things before his death so much sothat his neighbors become pleased with him.

Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) says: That the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: When Allah wants to make aservant lucky he sends an angel to that servant oneyear before his death. That angel improves the think-ing of that man who begins to do good deeds until hedies the death of a righteous man. Then all say: A goodman had expired. Then when the angel of death ap-proaches that fellow, Allah shows that fellow his abodein the Hereafter. That is to say, HE shows him thingsof luxury which God has prepared and readied for thatgood fellow. That angel thinks of drawing out the soulof that good man comfortably. At that moment thatfellow prefers to meet his Lord and Allah also likes

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to meet that man. Than the Malak-al-Mawt (angel ofdeath) draws out his soul. When Allah spoils and de-stroys someone he sends a shaytaan to that fellow oneyear before his death. That shaytaan misleads that man(makes him do bad deeds) and spoils his life so muchso that he dies a bad death and all say: He died a baddeath. When Malak-al-Mawt approaches him, Al-mighty Allah shows that fellow his place in the Here-after (Aakhirat). His soul squeezes due to fear andthat fellow does not like to meet his Lord but the an-gel of death extracts his soul forcibly.

Explaining the above hadith, the author ofKITABUL IFSAH writes: At the call of Malak-al-Mawt, the rooh (spirit or soul) of that fellow comesout as a snake comes out of its hole when a snake-charmer calls it. The manner of the coming out oflife from the bodies of both a muslim and a kaafir isthe same. The only difference being, the rooh (soulor spirit) of the muslim wants to get out voluntarily,like vomit whereas that of the kaafir (disbeliever orfaithless fellow) even after arriving upto mouth, triesto go back in the body.

Hazrat Salmaan Farsi (R.A.) says: He heard theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) saying: If you observe that adying person gets perspiration on his forehead, tearsin his eyes and if his nostrils get widened, it is a sign

of Allah’s mercy on him. But if you observe that thefellow’s voice gets choked up (like that of a youngcamel’s voice) and his color worsens and his mouthemits foam, then it is a sign of Allah’s anger.

Ulemaa have said: There are four reasons for abad death: (1)- showing laziness in prayers (in namaaz),(2)- drinking wine, (3)- not obeying orders of parentsand (4)- to harm a Muslim. O’Allah! Give good senseof doing good works to every Muslim man and women.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) says that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said: When Allah wants to do good to a per-son, HE takes work from him. People asked: Whatkind of work and how? He replied: Allah makes thatperson do good deeds before dying.

Advantage:- Great persons have written thatwe should always thank Allah for our Imaan (Faith)constantly and should offer namaaz prayer with jamaat(congregation). Acting upon these two things makesman die on Faith (Imaan).

CHAPTER EIGHT Death time difficulties

Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A.) says: At the time of hisdeath, the Holy Prophet had kept a vessel full of wa-ter near him. He used to get his hand wet with thatwater and to pass that wet hand over his face repeat-

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edly saying: ‘LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH, the dif-ficulty of death is very hard.’

Hazrat Vohaib-ibnul Vard says: Allah Almightysays “When I want to have mercy on a servant, I makehim ill in the proportion of his sins, put his familymembers in trouble and decrease his provision, so thatin exchange of these hardships, his sins may be washedout. If there remains sins even after that I put that per-son in death time difficulty to such an extent that whenhe comes to me he becomes so clean of sins as if hehad just been delivered by his mother. When I intendto punish someone, I make him healthy in proportionof his good deeds and increase his provision andspread peace and happiness in his home. If any gooddeed remains uncompensated even after that, than Imake death easy for him. Thereafter, no good deedremains with him unrewarded (he has enjoyed his re-ward) which can save him from Hell (this is calledrespite).

Hazrat Zaid bin Aslam (R.A) says: When afaithful man has in his account any sins which he can-not wash out by doing good deeds, the death time dif-ficulty or hardship removes those sins and enables himto enter jannat (paradise). When a kaafir (faithlessman) does a good deed, death is made easy for him sothat he may get the reward of his good in this world.

His abode in the Hereafter is Hell.Hazrat Alqamah (R.A) says: He went to his

nephew who was about to die. There was perspira-tion on his forehead. Hazrat Alqamah smiled where-upon he asked for the reason. He said: I have heardfrom Ibne-Masood (R.A) that the Holy Prophet said:The rooh (soul) of a faithful person gets out via per-spiration and the spirit of a bad fellow goes outthrough his mouth, (like the soul of a donkey). Afatithful fellow is given relief at the time of his deathwhereby his good deeds are compensated.

Hazrat Jaabir bin Abdullah says: Some travel-lers from Bani Israil reached a graveyard. They toldone-another: It is better if we perform two unit (rakat)namaaz (prayer) so that Allah may be pleased and HEmay allow some dead body to meet us and inform usabout death in detail. So they offered namaz andprayed (made a supplication). A man came out of agrave. His color was black and had marks of sajdah(prostations) on his forehead. He asked: What do youwant to know? One hundred (100) years have passedsince I died but till today I have not got relief frommy death time trouble. Please pray so that Allah maymake me unconsious (devoid of feeling).

Hazrat Umar bin Habeeb says: Two personsbelonging to Bani Israil were very good worshippers.

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They had become tired of remaining at one and thesame place of worship for years together. Once thaydecided to go to a graveyard and to continue worshipthere so that someday they may get a chance to meeta dead body who may talk with them. So they contin-ued to worship in that graveyard. One day a dead bodycame out of a grave and said: I died eighty years agobut still I am feeling the death time difficulty.

Hazrat Zah-hak (R.A) says: Someone asked theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) about death time hardship. TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said: There are several troublesin death, the smallest of them is equal to the pain ofbeing wounded by 1000 swords. Hazrat Ka-abulAhbaar (R.A) says: Death time hardships last untillthe Day of Resurrection. Imam Awazai (R) has alsosaid like it. Hazrat Hasan (R.A) says someone asked HazratMoosa (A.S): What is your opinion about death? He re-plied: An iron rod having innumerable thorns on it, waspierced in my body. My every nerve got entangled inthose thorns. Then that rod was dragged out of my bodyvery harshly. At that time I heard a voice from the un-seen: O’Moosa! We have made death easier for you.

There is a narration purporting to convey thatwhen the soul of Hazrat Moosa (A.S.) reached AllahAlmighty, he asked: How did you find the death time

difficulty? It replied: I was feeling like a sparrow whichwas being roasted alive in an oven but which did not die(so that pain may end) nor was it being freed.

Hazrat Anas (R.A.) says: The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) said: Angels surround and hold the dying manfrom all sides. Had it not been so, people would runinto forests due to the death time diffilculty. Simi-larly, Hazrat Fuzail Bin Iyaaz (R.A) says: A man isafraid on an ant bite. How he remains calm at deathtime? Came the reply: Angels hold him back. HazratShahar Bin Hawshab says: Someone asked the HolyProphet (S.A.W) about the death time trouble. Hereplied: The example of an easy death is like a thornybranch being pushed in silken cloth and then drawnout which brings fragments of that cloth with it. Hikayat (story):- Hazrat Isa (A.S.) was enliv-ening the dead by the Command of Allah. A kaafirtold him: You are making only the recently died per-sons alive. Show me if you can enliven those whodied in earlier times long back. Hazrat Isa (A.S.) said:Tell me whom do you want me to make alive. Thedisbeliever said: Make Sam, the son of Prophet Nooh(A.S.) alive. Hazrat Isa (A.S.) offered two rakaatnamaaz near that ancient grave and prayed to Allah.Allah Almighty made Sam alive who came out of hisgrave. Hair on his head and face were white. People

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asked him: In your time nobody’s hair used to becomewhite. How is it that your hair is white? Sam replied:Just now when I was asked to become alive, I fearedthat Qiyamat (Resurrection Day) had arrived. Its frightmade my hair grey. People asked him again: Since howmany years have you died? He replied: I died four thou-sand years ago but the pain of that death time diffi-culty is still felt.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Yasaaf (R.A.) says: Whensigns of death began to appear on the face of Amr BinAas (R.A.) his son said: O my father! You alwayswished that some intelligent man on his death bed maymeet you from whom you could inquire about deathtime hardship. Now you are a wise person and signsof death are seen on your face. So tell me, how doyou feel. The father replied: O my son! I am experi-encing great trouble in breathing. It seems as if I ambreathing through the hole of a needle and as if a thornybranch is being dragged from my body with force.

Hazrat Ibne-Abi Molaikah (R.A) says: HazratUmar (R.A.) asked Ka’bul Ahbar (R.A.) to describethe difficulty of death to him. He said: O’AmirulMominin! It is like a thorny branch of a tree. When itenters a body, its thorns penetrate each and every nerveof the body. Than a very strong man, Malak-ul-Mawt(angelof death) pulls it out forcibly.

Hazrat Shaddad Bin Aus (R.A.) says: For a faith-ful person, death is one of the most frightening thingsof the world. If someone is sawn by a saw or is roastedin an oven or is being cut into peices by scissors itwon’t give more trouble than the death time diffi-culty. If a dead body comes out of its grave and de-scribes that pain to people of the world they wouldfind it hard to live and will forget every ease of sleepand restful happiness.

Hazrat Kaab (R.A) says: The pain of death con-tinues with the dead fellow till Qiyaamat, and for theImandaar (faithful) is the biggest trouble which a faith-ful fellow is to suffer.Incase of a kaafir (disbeliever),the death time trouble is the least painful. A similarrivayat (narration) has been quoted by Wahab BinMunabbah (R.A) also. He also added: Death is thefirst pain for a kaafir and the last for the Muslims.

Hazrat Wasilah Bin Askah (R.A) says that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Remain near a man whossoul is about to part with and make him near LAAILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH and also give him the goodtidings of Jannat, because even wise men and womenalso become frightened at the time of death, andshaytaan keeps worrying near them. By my Lord! Tosee the Malak ul Mawt (angel of death) is more pain-ful than suffering a thousand wounds of swords. Ibne

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Abi Duniya has also narrated like this.Hazrat Anas (R.A) says that the Holy Prophet

(S.A.W) said: When a faithful man is put under pres-sure of death, his limbs salute one-another saying:‘Assalamu-Alaikum’. We from you and you fromus are departing till the Day of Resurrection.

Hazrat Abu Qatadah (R.A) says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: The pain of death felt by a Shaheed(martyr) is only like a bite of an ant or a hand pinch.

Hazrat Muhammed (R.A) says that the one todie after every living being whos dead will be Malakul Mawt (angel of death), Hazrat Izrail (A.S.). Allahwill command: Die, O’Izrail! At that time, Hazrat Izrailwill give out such a shriek that had all the angels andmen on earth been alive, they would die of that shreik.Than Hazrat Izrail will die.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) said: The HolyProphet (S.AW.) said: The soul of a faithful fellow comesout with difficulty of a jerk, while that of the disbelievercomes out as easily as that of a donkey. The secret be-hind this is that a faithful fellow also commits sins sometimes. Therefore he is put to some pain at the time ofdeath so that the pain may wipe out his sins (so this ap-parent anger is by way of mercy). A disbeliever also doessome goos deeds occasionally. So death is made some-what easy for him so that he may get a reward of his

good deeds in this passing life (thus this kindness is re-ally an anger so that he may not get any ease in the ever-lasting Hereafter).

Hadith:- Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) says that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Every faithful fellow willbe given the reward of every (unpleasant) thing somuch so that he will be compensated for even a deathtime hiccup.

Hadith:- Hazrat Alqamah Bin Qais (R.A) saysthat once he visited his cousin on his death bed.Alqamah held the forehead of that fellow which wasfull of perspiration (being pleased) he said: ALLAHUAKBAR! Ibne Masood (R.A) had narrated to me thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: The sign of death ofa faithful fellow is the perspiration on his death andthat the punishment of every sin commited by a faith-ful fellow is being given to him in this life and thatwhat remains unrewarded (unpunished) is convertedinto a death time pain (so that that difficulty may washout his sins).

Hadith:- Hazrat Sufiyaan (R.A) says that for-merly people used to dislike to see perspiration onthe forehead of a dying person. Some Ulemaa havesaid that the said perspiration is because the dyingfellow feels ashamed due to his disobedience of Al-lah Almighty. There is perspiration on his forehead

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because the lower part of his body is already deadand that only the upper-part has some movement oflife: That the feeling of shame affects eyes which arein the upper-part of the body whereas a kaafir is blindto all these matters.

Hadith:- Hazrat Umar Bin A.Aziz (R.A) usedto say: I do not wish that the death time restlessnessshould decrease for me because that is the last hard-ship, which earns sawaab (reward).

Effect:- Somebody asked Hazrat Kaab BinAhbaar (R.A): What is the illness for which there isno remedy? He replied: ‘Death’. Zaid Bin Aslam (R.A)says that death is the illness for which the only rem-edy is Allah’s pleasure (when one knows that Allah ispleased with me than all of his death time pains goaway).

Hadith:- Hazrat Ubaid Bin Umar (R.A) saysthat once I asked Hazrat Ayeshah (R.A) about a sud-den death as to whether we should abhor death? Shesaid: “Why death should it be considered undesirable?When I had asked the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) about it,he had replied: Death is a relief for the faithful. Ofcourse it is a thing of pain and regret for an evil doer.

Advantage:- (1) Ulemaa have written that thesoul of the one who cleanses his teeth (by miswaak)will depart easily and so also of the one who does

good deeds. (2) The sanad (authenticity) of some ofthe above-quoted hadiths about the death time diffi-culty is weak and hence inadequate for the correct-ness of their contents. So also there are ‘Hasan’ (nice)and ‘Saheeh’ (true) ones. Yet there is no word like‘all inclusiveness’ to show that each and every dyingperson experiences pain and difficulty. In the worlddeaths by accidents, lightening, etc. Some are victim-ized in them and some are spared. (Similarly someexperience death time trouble and some do not). Andif it is to be believed as certain then it will be consid-ered as trouble from the physical view point and re-lief from the spiritual point of view. There also aresome hadiths which tell about easy departing of soullike FA TUSALLUHU ROOHUH (his soul wasdrawn out with the ease of drawing out of a hair fromflour). The going away of life easily, depends on love.Constant experience shows us that if somebodypresses the body of his friend with affection, it giveshappiness, but if such pressure is applied by an en-emy with anger it causes pain and discomfort. So thisdifference is from a spiritual view point. Otherwise,the effect on the body is the same by the pressureapplied by either a friend or a foe. Hence the mostimportant thing is to increse the relation of love forGod. Thereafter, even bitter things are felt like the

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sweet ones. For example, the Valis (friends) of Goddo not feel any hardship, even during very difficulttimes. Suppose a king tells people: We will press allof you very forcefully. Thereafter, those who willprove to be guilty, will be sent to jail and we will givefood rank in the court to those who are loyal and obe-dient. Hearing this Firman, the friend of the king willbe happy, feeling that the king will embrace himwarmly and than give him a good place in his Darbareven though his embrace causes him pain. So the onewho will want to achieve this great wealth, will provewith reason that he indeed is the beloved of the king.

Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi (R.A) says:I would write even more specifically, viz, the deathtime trouble is not experienced by all. Rather it is notfelt by many so as to make it a thing of anxiety. Onthe contrary, it is a repeated experience that the souldeparts from most of the parts of a mans body and yethe continues talking easily. So it is not possible tobelieve that that fellow is unable to tell about the painof death (because he is able to talk). So what is true isthat everyone does not experience the said pain. (Myheart says so).

CHAPTER NINEWhat should be recited and made to recite at the

time of death

Hazrat Abu-Dardaa (R.A) says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: If Surah Yaseen is recited nearthe head of the dying person, Allah Almighty makesdeath easy for him.

Hazrat Jaabir Bin Zaid (R.A) says: It is desir-able to recite Surah Ra’d near the dying fellow as itgives relief to him or her and he or she remains rest-ful. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) used to pray like thisnear the dying fellow: O ‘Allah! Forgive this fellowand make his/her place of sleeping cool and broad-ened (widened) his/her grave and give him/her restafter death and join his/her soul with those of goodpeople and keep them and us near one another and donot give them any difficulty. Than the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) used to recite Durood Shareef till that fel-low breathed his/her last. Hazrat Sha’bi hasnarrated that the Ansaris used to recite Surah Baqarahon the death bed of a dying person a little beforedeath.

It is reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)said: Teach LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH to the dy-ing person and added: ’Whose last utterance beforedeath will be LAA- ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH will goto paradise (jannat). He also has said: Teach the childwhen it starts speaking, to say LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH and so also teach to recite these words (LAA

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ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH) to the dying person becausea person who’s first and last word (utterance) in lifewill be LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH will not beasked to account for his sins even he lives for a thou-sand years.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah Bin Awfaa(R.A) that a man approached the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) and submitted: O messenger of Allah! Suchand such boy is experiencing death time difficulty atsuch and such place; that he is being asked to reciteLAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH but he is unable torecite it. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) asked: ‘Was heable to recite it when he was healthy? They replied:Yes, he could. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) exclaimed:Why then he is not able to recite it now? Then he gotup and went to that boy and said: O boy! Say LAAILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH. The boy replied: I cannotrecite it. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) asked: Why so?The boy replied: I have been defying my mother’sorders continuously. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) in-quired whether she was alive. The reply was in theaffirmative. So she was called. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) asked her: Is this boy your son? She said:Yes. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) asked her: Tell me,what will you do if you are told that if you do notforgive this boy and if you will not recommend that

he should be pardoned by Allah then a huge fire willbe stoked and he will be thrown into it? The motherreplied: I will recommend that he be forgiven. Thenthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W) advised her to make Allahthe witness and to say: I am happy with this boy. Themother said: I am pleased with my son and I have for-given his faults. Then the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) toldthat boy: Recite LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH. Hecould recite it at once. Then the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)said: All praise is due to Allah who, because of me,saved this boy from Hell.

It is reported by Hazrat Talhah and HazratUmar (R.A) that: We heard the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)saying: I know a word (Kalimah) which, if read by adying person, his soul will depart the body easily andcomfortably and there will be a light for him on theDay of Resurrection and will remove death time hard-ship and will show a thing which will make him veryhappy. That word is LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH.

Hazrat Abdurrahman Bin Muharebi (R.A) saysthat a man was on his death bed when people askedhim to recite LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAH, but hereplied that he could not recite it. He said: “I used tolive with that community which used to ask me toabuse Hazrat AbuBakr (R.A) and Hazrat Umar (R.A).”

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) saya that the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W) of Allah used to say that the angelsof death went to a man and inspected his body by cut-ting it open. They found that he had not done a singlegood deed. Than they opened his heart which also wasfound without any good deed. Then they observed histongue which was moving and reciting LAA ILAAHAILLAL-LAAH. So Allah Almighty pardoned that fel-low due to the blessing of that Kalimah.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah and Hazrat Abu Saeed(R.A) say that the the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said:Whoever will recite ‘LAA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAAHUWALLAHU AKBAR-WA LA HAWLA WA LAKUWWATA ILLA BILLAHIL ALIYYIL AZEEM’,will never be burnt or devoured by Hellfire.

It is mentioned in another report that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: Why should I not show you theISME AAZAM (the supplication of Hazrat Yunus A.S.).It is LAA ILAAH ILLAA AN TA SUBHA NA KAINNEE KUNTU MINAZ ZAALIMEEN. Whoeverwill read it forty times during his fatal illness and thendies will be given the sawaab (reward) of a shaheed(martyr) and if he did not die but recovered from thatserious illness, he becomes pure and clean of all sins.

It is reported by Hazrat Ali (R.A) that: I haveheard some words from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)which if man recites at the time of death he will enter

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Jannat. Those words are: LAA ILAAHA ILLAL LAAHUL HALEEMUL KAREEM three times and ALHAMDU LILLAHI RABBIL AALAMEEN threetimes and TA BAA RAKAL LAZEE BI YADI HILMULKU WA HUWA ALAA KULLEE SHAYINQADEER.

Hazrat Shaddad Bin Aus (R.A) says that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said: When you visit a dyingperson, close his eyes because the eye sees the soulgoing and tell him good things, that is, pray for thegood of the dead because the angels say AAMEEN onthe supplication (Duaa) of the family members.

A Sahaabi (holy companion of the HolyProphet (S.A.W) says: Recite BISMILLAAH WAALAA MILLATI RASOOLILLAAH while closingthe dying man’s eyes.

CHAPTER TEN About Malak-ul-Mawt and the angles accompanying him

Allah Almighty says: HATTA IZAA JAA A-AHA DA KUMUL MAWTA meaning ‘When deathcomes to someone from you, or angels take him upand they do no injustice.’ Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A)writes while explaining the above verse: In this Aayatthere is a mention of OUR angels, viz the angels ap-

proaching the Malak ul Mawt. And Wahab BinMunabbeh (R.A) says: The angels approaching thedying man and who note his age also drag out his soul.Then they hand it over to Malak ul Mawt who is theircommander.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says when AllahAlmighty decided to create Hazrat Adam (A.S) HEsent one of the angels who were holding his Kursi(Throne) toward the earth to bring some dust there-from. When the angel decided to pick up the dust, theearth (ground) said: By the Holy ONE who sent you,do not take any dust from me (because) tomorrow onthe day of Qiyaamat it will have to burn in fire. Theangel, hearing this, did not take dust and went back toAllah WHO asked him: Who prevented you fromobeying MY Command? The angel replied: O’Allah!It (earth) gave (took) YOUR NAME (as an oath) so Idid not pick the dust. Then Allah Almighty sent an-other angel. He also was given oath of Allah by theearth. This continued until Allah sent all the angelsone by one but none could bring dust. Finally Allahsent Malak al Mawt to bring the dust. When he de-cided to take the dust, the earth gave him also theoath of Allah Almighty (as was done in the case ofangels). But the Malak ul Mawt replied: It is essen-tial for me to obey the command of the ONE who has

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sent me (so I will take dust). Than he took a little dustfrom each and every (good and bad) part of the eartha little dust and submitted to GOD. Then mixed thatdust with the water of paradise (jannat) and preparedthe dust of Hazrat Adam (A.S) from it. Imaam Johari(R.A) has also narrated like this and has written thatthe angel who went first to take dust was Israfeel (A.S)and the second one was Meekaeel. Ibne Masood (R.A)and many other Ashaab have said that the first onewas Meekaeel and the second one was Israafeel (A.S).

Hazrat Ibne Zaid Saabit (R.A) has said as hasbeen also narrated by many other Muhaddiseen thatAllah Almighty has entrusted the management of theworld to four angels. HE has appointed Hazrat Jibraeel(A.S) for communicating Wahee (Revelation) and tooversee the group (jamaat) of angels. HE has ap-pointed Hazrat Mikail for raining water and growingvegetable (providing provision). Hazrat Israfeel (A.S)conveys Allah’s Commands to him and will blow theSoor (trumpet) for Qiyaamat.

Imam Suyoti (R.A) has narrated in ADA DUR-LAHIYAAN that Allah Almighty has grown a tree be-neath the ARSH (throne) the leaves whereof equalthe number of the entire worldly creation. The nameof that tree is SHAJARTUL MUNTA HAA.Whenforty days are to pass before the death of any person,

his name appears on a leaf before the angel HazratIzraaeel (A.S). Since then, all angels consider that fel-low as dead (who lives for forty days thereafter). Ifhe is a good fellow they see a line of radiance (noor)around his name. At the end of forty days, Malak ulMawt approaches that fellow and sits in front of him/her. At that time, the person on death bed who is suf-fering from his last illness gets frightened and askswho he is? “What do you want to do?” The angel re-plies: I am Malak ul Mawt and have been ordered todraw out your soul. Hearing it that fellow turns hisface away and everything becomes dark before hiseyes. The angel asks: Do you not know me? I am thesame one who drew out the souls of your parents andprogeny. Today I will fetch your soul and then youwill see your late relatives. I am the death which hasfinished the earlier people who were more powerfuland wealthier than you. How did you see and find theworld? The dying fellow will say: I found that the worldis dishonest and decieving. Then, by the order of Al-lah Almighty, the world will approach that fellow andsay? O’disobedient. How many times did you disobeyyour God’s commandments? How many admonitionsdid you hear but imagined that you would remain inthis world forever. Remember, I am aloof for you andyour deeds. Then his wealth will appear before him/

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her and say: O’Disobedient fellow! You obtained mein an unlawful manner. Had you spent me on poor andneedy fellows you would have got its reward today.

It is reported that when the dying man’s tonguestops functioning four angels appear before him. Thefirst one after saluting him, says: O’Gods servant! Iwas appointed to provide your provision. I searchedfor your provision (livelihood) from east to west butcould not find even a seed today. Then the secondangel will come and say after salaam. O’Gods ser-vant! I was in charge of providing water for you. I wentfrom the east end of the earth to its west for getting alittle water for you today but could not get any. Thenthe third angel will come, salute him and say: O’Godsservant! I was arranging air for your breathing . Now,I went east of the world to its west but could not findany air for your breath. Then the fourth angel comes,salutes and says: O’ servant of God! I was to manageyour age. I searched from east to west of the worldbut now there is not even a second for you to live anymore. Then two angels, who were recording his deeds(namaa e aamaal) come to the dying person and, aftersaluting him say: We were in charge of noting downyour deeds. See, this is your chart of deeds. At thattime tears roll out of the dying man’s eyes and hebegins to look to the right and left and is afraid of

reading his own deeds. Then the Malak ul Mawt drawsout his soul from his body.

Hazrat Rabee’Bin Anas (R.A) says oncesomeone asked him: Does only Malak ul Mawt fetchsouls of people or there are others too to help him?He replied that the duty of drawing souls has beenentrusted to him but he has also been given many an-gels to assist him. The Malak ul Mawt is their cheif.His right and left foot is equal (in size) to the eastand west part of the world (earth). It was also askedas to where the souls of the Faithful were being kept.The reply was: Above all the seven skies, near theSIDRAT UL MUNTAHAA.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) says: There are manyangels with Malak ul Mawt who come while fetchingthe soul of the dying fellow. Some of them take awaythe soul, some say ‘aameen’ to the prayers in favour ofthe dead person and some angels pray for the forgivanceof the dead until the namaaz-e-maiyat of the dead fel-low.

Hazrat Khazraj (R.A.) says: I have heardHuzoor (S.A.W.) saying: I saw Malak ul Mawt nearthe head of a dying Ansari and asked him: O’Malak!Give eyes to this as he is Faithful (momin). The an-gel replied: Rest assured and be pleased because Ialways give ease to every faithful fellow. When I draw

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out the soul, the relatives of the dead fellow weepbut I tell them, holding the soul in my hand: Why areyou weeping? By my Lord, we have not oppressedhim and we have not drawn his soul before the ap-pointed hour nor have we done anthing wrong. If youwill be patient at the will of god you will get reward(sawaab) and if you will not show patience you willbe committing a sin. Be calm. I will come to you againand again. Be the living ones good or bad, living onground or in mountains, I find them day and night andI know their young and old more throughly then theirown selves. By God, I cannnot draw out the soul ofeven a mosquito of my own will until ordained byAllah.

Jaafar Bin Muhammed (R.A) says: Malak ulMawt seeks the concerned fellow among people andwhen the soul is being taken out, if the dying personis a namaazi (regular in his/her prayers) he (angel)drives away the shaytaan who stands near by. Than heteaches the dying person to recite LAA ILAAHAILLAL-LAAH MUHAMMADUR RASOOLULLAHand then takes out his soul comfortably.

Hasan (R.A) says: In all the houses on earth,the angel of death seeks every resident thrice a day.Then he takes out the soul of the one whose life spanhas come to an end and whose provision has finished.

Then when the people of the house weep, that angelstands near their door and says: We have done no in-justice to you. We are crying out the commands ofAllah Almighty. We have not snatched away his pro-vision nor have we curtailed his life. We will cometo you again and again until noone from you will re-main alive. Hazrat Hasan (R.A) says: By God, werethe people of the house to see Malak ul Mawt and tohear his words they would forget their dead one andwould weep over themselves.

Hazrat Maymoon (R.A) says when MuttalibBin Andullah Bin Hantab fell ill we went to see him.He was then feeling the pains of death and so hadfainted. One of us said: O’Allah! Decrease the diffi-culty of death from him. He was so generous and sucha good fellow.

In short, we descibed some of his good deeds.When he came to sense, he asked: Who uttered thesewords? People replied: This man. That fellow says:Malak ul Mawt says: I give ease to every faithful andgenerous person. (Hence I uttered these words). Thenhe expired.

Ubaid Ibne Umair (R.A) says: One day HazratIbrahim (A.S) was in his house when he suddenly sawthat a man was present therein. He said: O’servant ofGod! Who allowed you to enter my house without

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permission? He replied: The ‘owner’ of this house!The Hazrat asked again: Verily, the owner of the househas the right to permit. But who are you? That fellowreplied: Malak ul Mawt. Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) said: Ido not find the sign of Malak ul Mawt in you. TheMalak said: Turn your face the other way. So whenHazrat Ibrahim (A.S) turned his face, he saw that thereis an eye even on the back side on that persons headand each hair on his body is like a standing spear. Hesought protection (panaah) from such a scene andsaid: Please return to the earlier state. So the angelbecame a good looking man once again and said:O’Ibrahim! When Allah Almighty sends me to peoplewho like to meet HIM, I go to that person in my ear-lier (nice) form.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) and Hazrat IbneAbbas (R.A) narrate, that when Allah Almigty madeHazrat Ibrahim (A.S) HIS friend, Malak ul Mawt re-quested Allah: If you all allow me, I may informIbrahim (A.S) that YOU have befriended him and thusgive a good tiding to him. Allah allowed the pro-posal. Malak ul Mawt approached Hazrat Ibrahim(A.S) and gave him the good tidings. Then HazratIbrahim (A.S) asked the Malak: Please let me know,how do you snatch the soul of kaafirs (deniers)? Theangel said: You cannot bear to see that scene. Hazrat

Ibrahim (A.S) said: True, yet tell me at least some-thing. The Malak said: Just turn back your face. Whenthe Hazrat turned his face, he saw that there stands ablack man whose head touches the sky; that flamesof fire spout from his mouth; that all the hair on hisbody have the shape of men and all of them throw outflames of fire from their mouth and ears. Seeing this,Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) fell unconscious. Then the Malakresumed his earlier form. Coming to his sense, HazratIbrahim (A.S) said: Even if the denier had not to suf-fer the pains of death, this very appearance of yourswas enough horror for him. Then he said: O’Malak ulMawt! Please show me, how do you take out the soulof the believers (momins)? The angel said: Turn yourface and see. When he turned his face, he saw a veryhandsome man with a beautiful face and a very pleas-ing fragrance in a white dress. He said: O’Malak ulMawt! Had a muslim, at the time of his death, insteadof seeing the rahmat and karamat of Allah, seen onlyyour radiant face it would have been sufficient forhim.

Hazrat Ashas Bin Salim (R.A) has narrarated thatHazrat Ibrahim (A.S) asked Malak ul Mawt: How do youpull out the soul of people throughout the world whileone of them is in the east and the other in the west, oneis crushed under a a building while one is in the midst of

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battle?! The angel of death replied: Under order of Al-lah, I call out the spirits and they come between my twofingers (from whereever they may be) and the entireearth is made available to me like a big plate in front ofme and then I snatch the soul from wherever I like.

Hazrat Hakam (R.A) narrates that HazratYakoob (A.S) asked the Malak ul Mawt: You take outthe life (soul) of every living thing, but just now,you are in front of me whereas all the other livingbeings are spread all over the wide world at variousplaces (so how is it possible for you?). The angelreplied: Almigty God has made the entire world sub-servient to me like a plate wherefrom anything canbe picked up easily.

Hazrat Shahar Bin Hawshab says: The angelof death remaims sitting and the whole world is infront of him and the board on which the age of everyliving person is written is also before him. Many an-gels are standing by his side. The angel of death keepshis eye on that board constantly and orders his sub-ordinate angels to pull out the soul (life) whoselifespan is over.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) says that someoneasked him: How does the angel of death pull out thelives of two persons at one and the same time whenone is living in the east and the other in the west end

of the earth? The reply was: For Malak ul Mawt, allthe living things of the world of the east or the west(human beasts, birds, insects, all) as well as the thingsliving in the sea are put under his control and theyare available to him like things in a plate before himwherefrom one may pick up anything to eat.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) says: The power ofMalak- ul Mawt over the entire world is like the powerof man on his own hand. Moreover, in the service ofthe angel of death, there is a group of angels of mercyand another of chastisement (punishment). When hedraws out the soul of good people he entrusts themto the angels of mercy and when he siezes the livesof bad fellows, he hands them over to the angels ofAzaab (chastisement or punishment). There is a simi-lar narration from Abul Musannaa also.

It is narrated by Hazrat Khaisama (R.A) thatonce Malak ul Mawt came to the court of HazratSulaiman (A.S) and began to look at a fellow with afeeling of wonder. That person asked Hazrat Sulaiman(A.S) as to who was he? He replied: He is Malak ulMawt. That man said: He is looking towards me as ifhe wants to seize my soul. Hazrat Sulaiman (A.S)asked: What do you want? That man said: Send me toHindustan. He ordered the wind: Carry him to Indiaand the wind complied with Hazrat Sulaiman’s com-

mand. Then when the Malak ul Mawt came back toHazrat Sulaiman (A.S), the latter asked: Why were youlooking with wonder at that man? The angel replied: Iwas wondering because I was ordered by Allah to drawhis soul in India but he was sitting here near you!

Hazrat Khaisama (R.A) says that HazratSulaiman (A.S) told the Malak: Let me know whenthe time of my death approaches. The angel replied: Iknow not more than you. Just as you do not know thetime of your death, so do not I. Whenever I get a pieceof paper from beneath the Arsh (divine throne) withthe name of someone on it, I take that (named) person’slife. Likewise Muammar (R.A) as well as Ibne Joryajsaid that: The command is being issued by AlmightyAllah: Draw the soul of such and such person.

It is reported by Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) thatan angel sought God’s permission to meet Idrees(A.S). Getting the permission, he came to Idrees (A.S)and saluted him. He asked: Did you happen to meetMalak ul Mawt? The reply was: Of course, he is myfriend. He asked: Can you give me any concessionthrough him? The angel replied: There can be nochange in the time of death, but I will request to giveyou some relief and ease at the time of your death.Than the angel said: Just ride on my right wing . As herode, the angel flew, crossed all the seven skies, met

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the angel of death and said: I want to tell you some-thing. The Malak ul Mawt said: I know you will saysomething about Hazrat Idrees (A.S) (but listen) hisname has been struck off from the list of living per-sons and now only a split-second remains for the draw-ing out of his life. Death then came to Hazrat Idrees(A.S) on the very wing of that angel.

Hazrat Jaabir bin Zaid (A.S) has reported: Thatin earlier ages, Malak ul Mawt used to arrive suddenlyand draw the named persons life. In those days peopledid not have any illness etc. whereby they would knowthat the lifespan is about to end. So people began tocondemn and abuse the angel of death. The angel com-plained about this to God Almighty so HE createdillnesses and people began to die of those deseases.They began to say: The fellow died of such and suchillness, and they forgot Malak ul Mawt.

Imaam Ahmad Baj-Jaaj and Haakim (R.A) havenarrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: Formerly, the angel of deathused to come in the form of man and draw lives ofpeople. Hazrat Moosa (A.S) was very hot tempered.So when Malak ul Mawt approached him, he becameangry and slapped him which deprived the angel of oneof his eyes. The angel complained to God: O’God!YOUR servant Moosa has blinded my eye. Had YOU

not granted him greatness I would have also put himinto trouble. Allah told the angel: Go to MY servantand if he desires to remain alive, tell him to put hishand on the back of a cow. I will keep him alive foras many years as the number of hair (on that cowsbody) under his hand. The angel of death came toHazrat Moosa (A.S) and conveyed the divine mes-sage to him. He asked: What will happen after I livefor so many years? The angel replied: Death. HazratMoosa (A.S) said: Than take away my life just now.The angel smelled him and drew out his soul. GodAlmighty repaired the eye of the angel. After thisincident, the angel of death began to come secretlyfor drawing souls, so that noone can see him.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Hazrat Dawood (A.S)was a very shy gentleman. He used to close his doorwhile going out of his house. One day, he did so andwhen he came back, he observed that a man wasstanding in his house. He asked him: Who are you?The person replied, I am the one who does not feareven the kings nor can any watchman prevent me fromentering any premises. The Hazrat exclaimed: ByGod, you are the angel of death and have brought thecommand of Allah. Saying these words, he slept un-der a sheet and the Malak ul Mawt drew out his soul

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at once.Tabrani has narrated from Hazrat Hussein

(R.A) that during the illness of the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) the angel Jibrail went to him for askingabout his condition. He replied: O’Jibrail! The painof illness is very much. At that very moment some-one knocked at the door asking permission to enter.Hazrat Jibrail said: O’Muhammed (S.A.W.)! ThisMalak ul Mawt seeks permission to see you. Beforethis he has never sought such consent from anyone.The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Allow him in. Theangel of death came in and said: Allah Almighty hassent me to you with the command to obey your or-der. If you allow I may draw out your life and if youdonot allow I will not do so. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) asked: Will you do exactly like that? Theangel replied: Yes, O’Messenger of God. Allah hasordered me to do exactly like that. Then Hazrat Jibrail(A.S) told the Huzoor (S.A.W.): O’Gods messenger!Allah Almighty intends to meet you. The Huzoor said:O’Malak ul Mawt! Carry out Allah’s command.Thereafter, the angel took out the soul of the HolyProphet (S.A.W.).

It is narrated by Hazrat Ataa Bin Yasaar (R.A)that there is no home in the world wherein the angelof death does not make inquiry five times a day as to

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whose life is to be ended. Hazrat Ka’ab (R.A) nar-rates that the angel stands in front of the house ofeveryone and looks into it seven times daily to findout the fellow whose lifespan has come to an end.

Hazrat Thaabit Bunani (R.A) narrates that oneof the 24 hours of every day there is not a single hourwherein Malak ul Mawt is not seeing people. He drawsout the soul of the fellow whose lifespan has endedand leaves the others and returns.

Ibne Najjaar has narrated from Hazrat Anas(R.A) in TAARIKH-E-BAGDAAD that the angel ofdeath looks at every human being’s face 70 times in aday. If the one who is to die smiles, he says: Alas,This person, whose soul I will draw out is now smil-ing.

It is narrated by Hazrat Umamah (R.A) that Iheard the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) saying: Allah has ap-pointed the Malak ul Mawt to draw out the souls ofall except ‘Shuhadaa-E-Bahr’ (martyrs who are todrown in water). The Shohadaa-E-Bahr are those per-sons who expire during their voyage for Hajj. Theirsoul is being taken by Allah Almighty himself.

It is reported by Hazrat Baraa Bin Aazib (R.A)that we once attended the funeral of an Ansari fellowalong with the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). When wereached the cemetary, the body of the deceased was

not till then lowered in the grave. When the HolyProphet (S.A.W) sat, we also sat with him with ourheads faced down. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) had astick in his hand with witch he was scratching the earth.Raising his head, he then said: Seek Allah’s shelterfrom the chastisement of the grave. He said so twiceor thrice and then added: When a faithful man departsfrom the world and pays attention to the Hereafter(Aakhirat) angels come down to him. Their faces areas bright as the sun. They bring with them only a pleas-ing fragrant thing from paradise (jannat). Then theysit in front of the dying fellow at a very long distanceupto which he or she can see. Then the angel of deatharrives and sits near the head of the departing fellowand says: O’Holy spirit! Come out of your body andproceed towards your lord. Hearing this, the soulleaves the body as easily as a drop of water drippingdown from a leather water bag (it may not be visibleto you anyhow). Then the angels take it up and clotheit in the sheet (kafan) of paradise and apply the said fra-grance which is more sweet and pleasuring than kasturi(musk) and then they carry it up towards the heavens.When groups of angels meet them, they ask: Who is thefortunate fellow whom you are carrying, they reply: Thisis the soul of so and so’s son (telling the worldly namerespectfully). When they reach the first sky, it’s door

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(gate) is opened. The angels over there also joined themfor their upward journey. This continues until they crossall the seven skies. Then Allah Almighty orders: Put thefile of his good deeds at a high place, and send back his/her MITHAALI ROOH down to the earth as I have cre-ated it from dust and will mix it with dust and then raiseit up again from the dust. Then that ROOH (soul) is putin the body and two angels arrive, make the fellow situpright in the grave and ask: Who is your lord? The re-ply: ALLAH. Again they ask: What is your religion?The reply: ISLAM. Again they question: Who is thisone sitting near you? The answer: He is the Holy mes-senger of Allah. Then both the angels again ask: Howdid you recognize him? The reply: I had read the HolyQur’aan whereby I learned the truth about him and be-lieved (put faith) in him. Then an announcer will announcefrom behind the clouds: MY servant has told the truth.Spread the carpet of paradise for him/her, clothe him/her in heavenly dress and open the gates of paradise sothat the air of fragrance may reach his/her grave. Thenthe grave will be widened to such an extent that whichthe eyes can reach. Then a man will come whose facewill be radiant and dress fragrant and will say: Congratu-lations for this comfort and ease. You were given thepromise of this very day in your worldly life. The per-son in the grave will ask, Who are you? You appear to be

so good! The reply: I am your good deeds done by youonly for the sake of God. The body will say: O’Allah!Kindly establish Qiyaamat so that I may meet my rela-tives soon and give them good news.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: When a kaafir(denier or disbeliever/non-believer) goes from thisworld and thinks about the Hereafter, angels withblack faces come down to that person from the sky.They hold blankets in their hand and sit in the areaupto which that fellow can see. Then the angel of deatharrives and sits near that fellow saying: O’Dirty spirit!Come out of the body and be prepared to taste theanger of God. Hearing this harsh warning, the soulhides deep into the body. Then the angel drags it outharshly like a thorned iron rod being fetched from asilken cloth. When the soul is dragged out, it is beingenclosed in the said blanket. It gives out terribly of-fensive smell, more offensive than that of a decom-posed body. Then it is taken towards the sky. Thegroups of angels enroute ask: To which rogue doesthis soul belong? In reply, a name worse than thatperson’s worldly name is given to him. They thus reachthe gate of the first sky which is being opened. But heis not being allowed therein. Then the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) recited this verse:- ‘LAA TUF-TAH.........‘meaning’ the gates of heavens will not be opened for

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him’. Thereafter, Allah Almighty will order that his/her file of deeds be put in ‘SIJJEEN’ which is the low-est part of earth. Then his soul is thrown into SIJJEEN.The the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) recited this holy verse:-‘WA MAN YUSHRIK...... ‘meaning’ the one whoaccociates anyone or anything with Allah is like theone who fell down from the heaven and the birds be-gan to pull at him. Then the wind pushed it into a deepvalley’. Then his soul will be replaced in his body.Two angels will come and, sitting near him, ask: Whois your Allah? He will reply: Alas, alas, I do not know.Then they will question again: What is your religion(deen)? Reply: So sorry! I do not know. Finally theywill question: Who is this man sitting near you? Hadhe been sent to you as the prophet? The reply will be:Very sorry, I do not recognize him also. Then willcome an announcement from heaven: This servant ofMINE is a liar. Spread a bed of fire for him and clothhim in fire and open the gates of hell from where hewill feel the heat of the hellfire. His grave will benarrowed to such an extent that his ribs will break upinto pieces. Then a very ugly-faced fellow will cometo him. His dress will be emitting foul stench. He willsay: Congratulation for this punishment which hasbeen meted out to you. This day was promised to youin the world. He will ask him: The nuisance is sprout-

ing from your ugly mouth? The reply: May Allah nothasten Qiyaamat so that the real resurrection may nothappen. The offender does get apparent chastisementto his body in the grave also.

Hazrat Abu Ya’la and Ibne Abi-duniya have nar-rated from Hazrat Tameem Daari (R.A) that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: Allah Almighty tells Malak ulMawt ‘I have a friend whom I have tasted through boththe ‘ease’ and ‘hardship’. He remains happy in boththe conditions of comfort and trouble. (Now O’angelof death! You are approaching him so that I may givehim relief from worldly difficulties. The Malak ulMawt will then go to that fellow along with 500 as-sistant angels. They will carry that fellow’s kafan(shroud) and head-wear of fragrant flowers which willhave it’s root and there will be different kinds of beau-tiful and variently smelling flowers. They will alsohave white silken cloth and musk. The angel of deathwill sit near his head and all the other angels will alsosit around him. The angel of death will pass his handover differents part’s of that man’s body and coverhim from head to feet in silk cloth and then make itfragrant with the pleasing fagrance of musk. Then theywill please him by opening the window of paradise.They will tell his soul: This is your residence andhere are the fairies (hoors). This is your dress and

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these are fruits for you. He will be lured as little chil-dren are lured by elders. The fairies from heaven willalso incline toward him. Seeing all this, his soul be-comes restless to leave the earthen body. Then theangel of death will say: ‘O’Holy soul! Come out ofthis body and come toward your Lord.’ Come towardthe thornless tree of plum (Beri) and toward the bigbunches of banana and lengthy shades and running wa-ter streams .’ The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said that atthat time, the angel of death behaves very politely withthat fellow. It is sweeter than a mother’s attitude to-wards her baby beacuse that soul is the soul of Allah’sfriend. God is kind and pleased with him. Then theMalak ul Mawt draws out that fellow’s life (soul) sosmoothly as if a hair is pulled out of a paste. Whenthe soul will come out, all the angels will cry out:‘Salam-Salute’ to you. Proceed to the paradise be-cause of your good deeds! When the Malak ul Mawtwill draw out that soul, that soul or spirit will tell thebody: May Allah give you a good reward because youwere helping me in Godworship and you were pre-venting me from commiting wrongs. This day is veryauspicious for you as you have been granted salvationfrom divine chastisement and you also gave me re-lief. Likewise the body will tell so to the spirit. TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said : Every part of the earth

will weep (observe mourning) for forty days fromthe death of that person on which he had performedGod-worship (prayed namaaz) and also all the gatesof the sky will weep through which his good deedsused to go up and his provision used to come down.Then the aforesaid 500 angels will stand near his body.They will change his side while bathing if necessaryand they will dress it in shroud (kafan) and apply fra-grance. The angels will line up from head to feet ofthat holy body and recite ‘Istigfaar’ prayer. At thattime the devil ‘shaytaan’ gives out such a high-sound-ing shriek of sorrow which breaks a number of hisown bones. He tells his armymen (pupils): O’Fools!How did this man escape your net? His pupils reply:He is pure from sins. All of his faults were forgiven.When the angel of death reach the heavens with thatfellow’s soul, Hazrat Jibrail (A.S) will arrive alongwith his 70,000 angels to welcome it and all thoseangels will give good tidings to that spirit from LordAlmighty. Then when the angel of death will reachthe Throne of God (Kursi) they will all prostrate. AllahAlmighty will order the angel of death: Take away thissoul and keep it in its grave till the Day of Judge-ment.’ All this was about the soul. What will happento the body is that when people will leave him in thegrave and go back, the departed person’s namaaz will

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take place on his right, fasts on his left. The HolyQur’aan and other recitations near his head and hismovements towards mosques for worship near hislegs and out of the grave. Then Allah Almighty sendsdown chastisement. When that punishment approachesthe body from its right side, the Namaaz says: Keepaway. No way for you from this side. By God, he hadworked hard throughout his life and now is the timefor this rest in this grave. Thereafter when the chas-tisement arrives toward the left, fasts etc. also tell itlikewise. Then the punishment comes from the di-rection of head when Qur’aan etc. recitation say simi-larly. It hears the same words when it approaches thebody from the feet side. Then the chastisement be-comes helpless as it observes that that body has beenprotected from every side by his worships and prayersand obedience of God and his messengers commands.The chastisement then goes away. Then Sabr (pa-tience) tells to all worships (namaaz, fasts, recitationetc.), after keeping mum till then, ‘Had even all ofyou failed in confronting the chastisement. I wouldhave confronted it myself alone and I would havedriven away the Azaab (divine punishment). Now I willcarry out my duty at the Pul-e-Siraat bridge near theMizaan (scale) of judgement. Then God Almightysends two angels to that grave whose eyes are as bright

as lightening and whose voice like thunder and theirteeth will be like horns of a cow and flames of firewill be emmiting from their nostrils. There will beinnumerable big hair on their body and the distancebetween the shoulders will be very long. Their heartswill contain no kindness to anyone except the faith-ful. The name of one of them is MUNKAR and theother NAKEER. They will be holding such a big clubwhich none can lift even if all the men and jinns tryto do so. These two angels tell the dead body: ‘Sit up’and the body sits. At that time, the body’s kafan(shroud) drops down upto the level of his waist. Thenthey ask? Who is your lord? (2) What is your reli-gion? (3) Who is your prophet? The body replies:My lord is ONLY ONE ALLAH, WHO HAS NOPARTNER OR ASSOCIATE. My religion is Islam. Myprophet is Muhammed (S.A.W), who is the lastprophet of God. The angels say: You have told thetruth. Then they widen the grave from all directionsand say: Look up. When the Mayyat (dead body) looksup it observes jannat (paradise). The angels say: Thisis your abode, O’friend of Allah! The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) says: By the God in whose control is mylife, (meaning by God) the body’s heart will over-flow with a happiness which will never get out of it.Then the angels will say: Look down. When the

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Mayyat sees down, he sees jahannam (hell). The an-gels say: O’friend of God! You have obtained free-dom from hell. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) says: ByAllah, at that time the Mayyat will experience a plea-sure which will never fade. Then 77 gates of para-dise will be opened for him from where he will con-tinue to get a sweet fragrance till the day of judgement.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has said: God Al-mighty will then tell the angel of death: Are you go-ing toward MY enemy? I am going to take revengefrom him today. I gave him provision in the worldand also provided every kind of bounty, but he dis-obeyed ME. The angel of death will approach thatfellow with such an ugly face that no man would haveever seen. He will have12 eyes, and will be holdingan iron rod with innumerable pointed thorns. Fivehundred subordinant angels will be accompaning him.They will also bring hell’s coals and smoke with them.They will also be holding whips giving away (shoot-ing) embers. The angel of death will pierce the ironyrod in the fellow’s body. Every point of the thorn willreach the root of every hair and entangle every hair.Then the angel of death will pull out every nerve withforce. He will take out his soul from his feet andpush it toward heals which will give utmost pain tothat enemy of God.The angels hit their lashes on the

fellow’s mouth and back. Then the angel of death willdrive the soul towards thighs and the angels will in-flict lashes there too. This will happen to every partof the body viz. Waist, chest, and neck. Then they willgive him chastisement by throwing smoke and coalon his neck. Malak ul Mawt will say- O’dirty soul!Get out of the body and proceed toward fire and heat.While coming out, the soul tells the body: May Goddestroy you. You were making me disobey God andpreventing me from God worship. Now you will bedestroyed and also destroy me. The body also retortslikewise to the soul. Every part of the earth on whichthe sinful fellow had disobeyed, God will curse thatfellow. At that time, the pupils of the devil (shaytaan)go to their guru, the big shaytaan, and say: Congratu-lations, you have made one of the children of Adamgo to hell. When that body is being lowered in thegrave, that grave shrinks and joins up so much so thatthe bones of that body are crushed and the ribs en-tangle into one another. God will drive many snakestoward him, which will go on biting him. Then Godwill send two angels who will ask, (1) Who is yourLord?, (2) What is your religion?, (3) Who is yourmessenger? He will say ‘I do not know.’ The angelswill say: You neither learned nor recited. Then theywill punish him so severely that the grave will become

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full of fire. Then they will ask him to look up. He willlook up and see paradise. The angels will tell him:O’enemy of God, had you obeyed HIS commands youwould have got a place here. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W)has said: By God, his heart will experience extremerepentance which will never decrease. Then a door(gate) will be opened toward hell and angels will tellhim: O’enemy of God, you disobeyed God so now thisis your residence. Then 77 gates of hell will be openedfor him from which heat will reach him till the day ofressurection.

Hazrat Abu Said Khudri (R.A) narrates that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said: When a faithful fellowproceeds towards the Hereafter and leaves this world,a group of angels come down with shining faces,bringing heavenly fragrance with them. Then they sitin front of him as far as his eyesight reaches (the groupis so large that it fills up so much space). When hisrooh (soul) is taken out all the angels in the space be-tween the earth and the sky pray namaaz for him aswell as the funeral prayer.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) narrates that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: When the soul of a faith-ful person is taken out, the angels of mercy bring asilken cloth with them and tell him: O’lucky spirit!Come out of the body. God is pleased with you and

you are pleased with him. The spirit comes outemmiting a fragrance which is more pleasing thanmusk. Then those angels pick up that soul in their handsand reach the gate of the first heaven (sky). The an-gels over there say: How nice is the fragrance com-ing from the direction of the earth! This happens uptothe seventh heaven. Above all the seven heavens is theplace where the souls of the faithful reside. This soulis also brought there. The earlier spirits become somuch pleased seeing the latter one as if a missingmember of a family is found by that family. They askhim about those who are still in the world such as,‘what that fellow is doing and how this one is etc.!

Then a voice is heard: Wait for a while. Lethim take some rest. He had just got relief from worldlytroubles and calamities. The soul replies: He is dead.Has he not come to you? They say: Alas, he has goneto his lower place of residence. And when a kaafirsoul is extracted, the angels of chastisement comewith a blanket and say: O’Dirty soul! Come towardsthe anger and chastisement of God. Since you werenot pleased with God, he to is not pleased with you.He is very angry with you. The soul gets out emittinga foul smell more detestable and troublesome thanthe foul smell of a decomposed corpse. Then he istaken to the first stratam of earth. The angels over there

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say: How foul is this smell! Similar words are heard atall the seven stratams. Then he is taken to the placewhere the souls of kaafirs are kept.

It is reported by Hazrat Abdullah Bin Umar(R.A) that when a faithful person is martyred in thepath of Allah, Allah forgives all of his sins when thevery first drop of his blood falls on the earth. A clothis sent from paradise in which his soul is kept. Then a(mithaali) body is sent from paradise (jannat). His soulreturns from it. Then he goes up in the skies and mixeswith angels as if he too were an angel. Then he offersa sajdah (prostration) to Allah. Thereafter all angelsalso offer sajdah. Then this martyred fellow is for-given. He is being made clean and purified. Then acommand is issued: Take him to the green garden tolive with martyrs (shaheeds). There he finds meat andfish. They provide him such a food the nicity of whichhe had never tasted before. The fish keep runningthroughout the springs of paradise. They eat the fra-grant things of paradise. In the evening the fish areslaughtered by the cow with its horns. Then the cookedfish is eaten by the shaheeds in which they get all thepleasing fragrants of jannat. The cow grazes through-out the night in paradise and eats all kinds of jannatifruits. In the morning the fish slaughter the cow withtheir tail. When the beef is ready (cooked) it contains

the taste of every fruit of paradise. When God Al-mighty takes the souls of the faithful, he sends twoangels to him with a cloth and fragrance of paradise.They say: O Holy Spirit! Come out and come towardsyour lord WHO is pleased with you. At that time thesoul comes out of the body emmiting a fragrancewhich is sweeter than that of original musk. Angelsline up on both the borders of the sky and say:Subhaanallah! Today a holy soul is arriving from theearth. Gates of all the seven skies are opened up forhim and the angels of every sky pray for hisforgivance and salvation and Allah’s mercy so muchso that they bring him to HIM. The angels prostratebefore Allah and say: O’Allah! This is such and suchslave of YOURS. YOU know that we have extractedhis soul. Almighty Allah says: Ask him to prostrate.(Hearing it) the soul offers a sajdah. Then HazratMeekaaeel is ordered: Keep this soul with the soulsof the faithful. I will ask about him on the day ofJudgement. Then a command is issued: Take this soulto the grave. Then his grave is widened up to seventyyards in length and seventy yards in breadth. A bedof silk is spread there for him. It is also made fra-grant with the fragrance of paradise. The fellow hadrecited the Holy Qur’aan in his worldly life. So theradiance of that recitation will lighten up his grave.

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If he had not recited Qur’aan, Allah grants him a lightequal to the left of the sun and a door towards para-dise is opened for him and he sees his residencetherein every morning and every evening.

When Almighty Allah extracts the soul of allkaafirs (denier/disbeliever) he sends two angels tohim. They carry with them a sheet which is more foulsmelling than any foul smelling thing of the world. Itwill also be the hardest and the thorniest. The angelssay: O’dirty and unholy soul! Get out of the body.Come and walk towards the chastisement of hell andthe anger of Allah. When that soul comes out it givesa very terrible and foul smell. Angels line up on boththe sides of the sky and say: Subhanallah! An unholysoul is coming from the world. The gates of the skyshould not be opened for it. Then it is thrown into thegrave. The grave is made narrow. It will be filled upwith many snakes as big as camels and they will bitehis flesh and bones. Than will come deaf and blindangels with iron hammers in hands. They hit him withthat hammer and open the door towards the hell. ThisHadith had been mentioned by Hannaab bin Saari inKITAABUZ-ZUHD and by Abdur Rahmaan binHumaid in his Tafseer and also in TABRAANIYEKABEER. Thus all the narrators (Raavis) are reliable.

Hazrat Muaviyah narrates that: ‘I heard the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W.) saying: In earlier days there lived avery bad man who used to be busy in sins throughouthis nights. He had killed 97 innocent people. One dayhe came out of his house and entering a house of wor-ship asked a worshipper: If a man has killed as manyas 97 innocent men, can he hope to be forgiven? Theworshipper (aabid) replied: No. Hearing this, that fel-low killed that aabid also. Than he went to anotherworshipper and put the same question. He also gavethe similar reply. The sinner killed him too and wentto a third one who also gave the same reply. So hekilled him also (to complete a century of murders).Then he went to a fourth aabid and said: A man haskilled 100 innocent men. Is there any provision forhis forgivance or pardon. The worshipper replied: ByGod, if I say that God will not accept his repentance, Iwill be a liar. There is a house of worship in front ofyou. Go there and begin worshipping the merciful Lordalong with other slaves of God. That man with a feel-ing of shame and repentance, began to walk towardsthe house of worship. When he reached half way,Malak ul Mawt (the angel of death) confronted himand snatched out his soul. Than the angels of punish-ment and mercy came to him and began to quarrelamong themselves. The angels of punishment wantedto punish that fellow while those of mercy wanted to

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give him peace and happiness. Almighty Allah sentanother angel to them for deciding the issue. He saiddonot quarrel. Just measure the distance between thepoint from which this man has come here and the pointwhere he intended to reach. Decide the matter on thebasis of the lesser distance.

The measurement showed that he had goneabout half an inch more in the direction for God (forseeking HIS mercy). So Allah pardoned all his sins. Itis mentioned in the narration of Bukhari Shareef thatAllah ordered the measurement of the earth on bothsides and that it showed that he had walked about halfan inch more than he had still to walk, the land on thatthe side of the mosque was a little less than the landhe had already walked on.This Hadith has been nar-rated by Abu Umar Miqdaad bin Maadikarb and AbuHurairah (R.A).

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has narrated that the(rooh) soul of a Faithful (momin) is not pulled outuntil he sees pleasing things. When his soul is takenout, the mayyat (body) cries out loudly: ‘Take me tothe most merciful of the mercifuls’. This voice is heardby all the living things except men and jinns. Then whenhe is laid on a cot for being taken away to the grave-yard that body says: ‘Why are you walking so slowly?’When he is put in the grave and the ground is being

levelled the body sits up and observes his place in para-dise and also sees all the things which had been prom-ised to him in worldly life. His grave is filled with apleasing sweet fragrant. Seeing all this he says: O’ Al-lah! Please take me forward, meaning take me to para-dise. He hears an unseen voice, ‘Wait for some daysbecause your relatives have not yet arrived. Lie com-fortable.’ Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) says: By God!No man can ever take such a little and sweet sleep. Somuch so that when he will raise his head after takingthat nap it will be the Day of Resurrection (Qiyaamat)and he will see the reward of all his past worldly deedswith his own eyes.

Hazrat Rabee (R.A) says: We were four broth-ers. The name of one of them was Rabe. He was aheadof us in observing fasts and affering namaaz. Peopletold me: Your brother has expired. I went running andsaw that his body was covered under a white cloth. Isat down near his head and began to recite‘Subhanallah’ and ‘Innalillah’. Suddenly, raising his headfrom beneath the sheet, my deceased brother said:Assalamu Alaikum. All of us replied: WaAlaikumussalaam and asked him: Do you salute us evenafter becoming dead? He said: I went to my Lord and Ifound him pleased with me. HE became more kind andmerciful to me and dressed me in green clothes of

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paradise. All of you must be aware. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W) is in await to lead my funeral prayer. So makehaste in my burial and do not delay it. Saying this hestopped talking. Then Hazrat Rabee has narrated quot-ing Hazrat Aayesha (R.A) that: I heard the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) saying that a man from my Ummah (commu-nity) will talk after his death. Imaam Bayhaqi (R.A)has recorded this Hadith in DALAAILE NUBUWWATand said that evidence is authentic and that there is nodoubt in its correctness.

It is reported by Hazrat Abaan bin Abi Ayyash(R.A) that we were present near Muarrike Ajali at thetime of his death. When his soul was taken out and asheet was put over his body we observed a light risingfrom his head and advancing towards the sky throughthe roof of the house. Then a similar light went upfrom his feet too,then also from his chest. We re-mained silent for a while. But then the body raised itshead through the sheet and asked:Did you see any-thing? We replied:Yes. We described all that we hadobserved. He said:It was the noor (Radiance or light)of sajdah which I used to recite every night. The lightrising from my head was that of the first ten versesand that which emanating from my feet was that of thenext ten aayats and which rose from my chest was thatof the verse of sajdah (prostration).This Noor reached

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the clouds and made an intercession in my favour. TheSurah Tabaarakallazi which I was reciting every nightis protecting me.Saying this much, it stopped talking.This hadith has been noted by Juvaibar in his Tafseer.

Hazrat Muarrik Ajali has narrated that: We wentto a man who had become unconscious due to his fa-tal illness. We saw that a light rose from his head andwent up to the roof. Then another radiance rose fromhis naval and went up likewise. Then a third light flashedfrom his feet and he came to his senses. We askedhim if he knew about the lights which came out of hisbody. He replied: Yes, the light which rose from myhead is the noor of ALIM LAAF TANZEEL and theone that rose from my naval is that of a verse of SurahSAJDAH and that which came out of my feet is thelight of the last ten verses of the said S. SAJDAH. Allthese three lights have recommended in my favour toAllah Almighty and Tabaarakallazi is protecting me. Iused to recite these two surahs every night. This Hadithhas been written by Ibne Abidduniya in his book BE-COMING ALIVE AFTER DEATH. It has also been de-scribed like this in the Events of Sutrik bin Abdullahby Saabiyt bin Banavi. It is narrated by Hazrat HarsisGanavi that Rabee took a vow that “I will not smileuntil I know my place after death.” (So he did not smilethroughout his life. He smiled after his death. He must

have seen his place and so he acted according to hisvow). Similarly his brother Rabee also took a vow thathe would not smile until he saw his place in paradiseor hell. Hazrat Harris says that the one who had washedhis body has said that ‘constantly smiling during thatbath.’

Hazrat Mugheerah (R.A) has narrated that awoman named Rawbah died. When she was bathed andcovered with kafan sheets, she began to smile. Whenwe looked at her she told us: Congratulations to you.I have found after my death that what used to makeyou afraid is easy. I also found that a man who cut offrelations with his relatives will not enter paradise andso also who drank wine constantly and who ascribedpartnership of others to Allah (polytheists).

Hazrat Bashir (R.A) narrates that: I went to aman who had expired in Madaain. There I saw that abrick was put on the belly of the dead mans body and anumber of people were sitting around him. I also satthere for a while. Thereafter, suddenly that (dead) fel-low fearly jumped off the bed. This made all to runaway with fright. I went to him and asked him: What isthe matter? What have you seen? He replied: I used tomeet frequently with some old people in Kufa. Theyhad attracted me in their religion. They had made meuse bad words for Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar

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(R.A). Hazrat Bashir (R.A) says: I advised him to re-cite Istigfaar and asked him not to do so anymore. Hereplied: Now it will not benefit me at all. Angels havetaken me to be thrown into hell. I have seen hell. Theangels have told me: You are given a respite of a fewmoments so that you may tell these details to yourcompanions and that your place is only in this hell.Saying so, he tumbled down and died. It is reported byibne Asaaki (R.A) that when a man namedMaajesshoon died, his son said that they laid his bodyfor giving it a bath. When the washer came he saw thesole of the body’s feet was as hot as fire and so he putoff giving the bath and left. On the fourth day the bodysat up and said: Bring me Sattu. As demanded Sattu(wheat flour) was given to him with water which hedrank. Then we said: Tell us all that has happened toyou. He said: Angels began to travel with my rooh(soul) and when they reached the seventh sky. Aftercrossing clouds a man asked them: Who is this withyou. It was replied that it was Maajesshoon. The in-quirer said: The time for bringing him here is not yetripe because for so many months and so many days hehas yet to live in the world. Then I was brought down.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin A. Rahmaan (R.A) has nar-rated that A. Rahmaan bin Awf became unconsciouson his death bed. All thought that he had expired and

so they covered him with a chador sheet and went away.When he came to his senses he said: Two frighteningstone-hearted angels came to me and asked me, comealong with us where Allah will decide your case. Sothey took me with them. On their way two soft-heartedand kind angels met them, who asked: Where are youtaking him? Relieve him as he is born lucky from hismothers womb. He died two months thereafter.Haakim has mentioned this Hadith is hisMUSTADRAK.

It is narrated by Hazrat Kilaabah (R.A) that anephew of mine who used to do evil deeds became ill.But I did not go to see him. One day when I went tothe market it came to my mind that he was my nephewand that the giver of good sense (hidaayat) is only God.Thinking so, I went to him and remained with him thewhole night. There I saw that, all of a sudden, two blackcolored angels came down from the roof with axes intheir hands. One of them asked the other is there anygood deed in his account or not? The angel came nearmy nephew and smelled his head. His head did notcontain the Holy Qur’aan at all. They smelled it againand found that there was not a single fast also. Thenthey took a smell of his legs and found that he hadnever stood on those legs for performing namaaz norhad he ever walked with them towards a masjid. Then

his companion (another angel) came forward and alsosmelled the body’s head, belly, and legs and told hiscompanion: Alas, he belongs to the ummah (commu-nity) of Muhammad (S.A.W) but he does not possessany of the good signs of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W).Then they inspected him twice and opened his mouthand pressed his tongue and exclaimed: Subhanallah!He had, once upon a time, said ALLAHU AKBAR.From the depth of his heart in the city of Antakiyahand so we get its good smell here. Thereafter both theangels came out and stood near the door of the house.Then arrived the angel of death, Malak ul Mawt tothose two angels: Go away from here as you are notallowed to accompany the body. The next morningHazrat Abu Kulabah narrated this event to the peoplewho said he (the dead man) had cried ALLAHUAKBAR at a place called Sakinah. Abu Kalabah (R.A)said: By God, I heard from the mouth of the angelsthat he had said AALLAHU AKBAR at Antakiyah. Thenall went for performing his janaazah namaaz (burialprayer). Hakim Tarmizi has narrated this event inNAVADIR.

Hazrat Abu Musa (R.A) narrated that: I haveheard from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W): After the dy-ing person sees Malak ul Mawt he does not recognizeany other persons. Hazrat Fuzalah (R.A) narrated that:

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I went to Muhammed bin Waasi when he was on hisdeath bed. He suddenly began to talk: Congratulationsto my dear angels LAA HAWLA WALAA QUWWATAILLA BILLAH. At that moment I smelled such a sweetfragrant which I had never before known). Then helooked toward the sky and breathed his last.

Hazrat Hasan bin Swaalih (R.A) says: Mybrother Ali fell ill. I was with him at night when hesaid: Give me water. I was busy in my namaaz at thattime. After concluding my prayer, I took water to himand said: Drink this. He replied: I have just drunk wa-ter. I asked him: There is none other than me and youin this house. Who than did give you water? He re-plied: Hazrat Jibraeel (A.S) gave it to me just now,and said to me: You and your brother and your motherand among those whom GOD has given reward, thatis, they are with the messengers and siddiqs andshahids. Then he died.

Hazrat Muhammed bin Ali (R.A) has narratedthat when a man reaches the time of his death, all ofhis good and bad deeds are brought before him. Hegladly looks at the good ones but bows down his headwhen the bad ones are brought before him.

Hazrat Hasan (R.A) said the angels who write(record) deeds of man also present the same beforehim at the time of his death. He becomes glad by see-

ing the good ones but, while confronting the bad ones,he shows signs of unhappiness on his face. AlmightyAllah says in the Holy Qur’aan: YUNAB BA ULINSAAN........meaning, ‘Man will, on the day, be shownall of his good and bad.’

Hazrat Hanzalah bin Aswad (R.A) says: Whenmy master was about to die, he was sometimes open-ing his face and sometimes covering it. He continuedto do so for quite a long time. I told this thing toMujaahid who replied: The soul of a momin (FaithfulFellow) is not taken out until his good deeds and baddeeds brought before his eyes. This thing causes hap-piness ang gloom on his face.

Hazrat Salman Farsi (R.A) has narrated that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) once went to a dying personand asked about his condition. He replied: I am okaybut two persons have come to me. One white and oneblack. The Huzoor (S.A.W) asked: which one of thetwo is nearer to you? He replied: The black skinnedone. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: Your bad deedsare more than the good ones. He requested: O’Prophetof God, please help me with your prayers. The HolyProphet (S.A.W) prayed: O’Allah! Kindly forgive themore (sins) and increase the less (good deeds). There-after he asked the dying person: What do you see now?He said: May my parents be sacrificed for you. Now I

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observe that my good deeds are increasing and thebad ones decreasing. The black fellow is retreating.

Hazrat Wahhab ibnul Vard says that a muslimdoes not die before seeing the two angels who writehis deeds. If he had obeyed Allah’s Commandments,thay say: May Allah Almighty give you a good rewardbehalf of us. You were one of our good companions.You made us sit in a good meeting place and did gooddeeds in front of us and made us hear good words (thewriter angels remain with us all the time. They ob-serve and hear all our deeds and words). May AlmightyGod give your reward (of many good deeds and words).If that fellow had done things which did not pleaseGod thay say: May God not give you good reward onour behalf (because) you always made us sit in a badgathering and you perfomed evils before us. May Godnot give you good reward. You are not going to returnto the world. Therefore the dying fellow stare at them.A similar narration has also been quoted by HazratSufiyaan Sauri (R.A).

Hazrat Ubaidah bin Thabit has narratd that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said: The one who likes to meetGod Almighty, (will see that) God also likes to meethim. Hearing this, Hazrat Aayesha (R.A) said: All ofus do not like death and death is the medium for meet-ing God. This means we do not like to meet Allah. So

what will happen to us? The Holy Prophet (S.A.W)replied: O’Aayesha! It does not mean like that. It re-ally means that when the angel of death comes to adying person, he tell s him about God’s liking for himand also gives him promises of Divine Mercy andforgivance. At that time he does not like anything morethan the Aakhirat (hereafter), that is, he liks to meetGod. When these angels approach a kaafir he (Malakul Mawt) conveys to him the anger of God. At thattime the kaafir does not like the hereafter and meet-ing God at all. (not liking to meet God refers to thetime when the angel of death arrives). It does not re-fer to the wordly life when we are living. Hazrat A.Rahmaan bin Abidduniya has also narrated a Hadithlike this.

Hazrat Ibne Juraij (R.A) has narrated that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) told Hazrat Aayesha (R.A): Amuslim sees the angel of death at the time of hisdeath.The angels tell him: Should we send you backto the world? He asks: Do you tell me to be returnedto the place of calamities and troubles? Please leadme to the House of God. But when the angels ask thekaafir the same question, he replies: Yes, do send meback to the world so that I may do some good deeds. Ihad never done such a thing so far.

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Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said when the Malak ul Mawtapproaches a wali (a righteous man) he salutes himand says: Assalamu Alaikum o’wali (friend) of God!You destroyed your worldly house (that is, you didnot care about it with an eye only on the hereafter) sonow leave it and you preferred the Aakhirat (by obey-ing Allah) so now come over there. And if the manhad not remembered God, the angels tell him: Youhave already built the worldly house (and have de-stroyed the hereafter).

Hazrat IbneMasood (R.A) has narrated thatwhen Allah Almighty wants to take the soul of a muminhe tells the angel of death: Go to him and convey mysalaam to him. When the Malak ul Mawt approacheshim and says: Your lord sends you salaam, he becomesover-joyed and his soul gets out of his body with anardent desire to meet its Lord.

Hazrat Abu Saeed (R.A) has narrated that: I haveheard that my father used to say that I have read insome books that Allah Almighty writes with his ownhand, BISMILLAH HIR RAHMANIR RAHEEM onthe palm of the angel of death in HIS Radiant lettersand tells him: Such and such fellow is my belovedservant. Show your palm to him. When that person’ssoul sees that palm it comes out of the body in a slitsecond. This Hadith has been recorded by Hafiz Salafi

(R.A) in MASHAAIKHE BAGHDAD. Ibne Abbas hasnarrated that when God Almighty issues orders forextracting the souls of the sinful members of thisummah, HE tells the angels: First punish him for hisbad deeds and thereafter give him the good tidings ofparadise.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has narrated thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: Do you not see thatwhen a man dies, his eyes remain open? The compan-ions replied: Yes, O’Messenger of God. Then he ex-plained that the angel of death takes his soul up in thesky. The dying fellow looks at it (it keeps the eyesopen)

Hazrat Sufyaan Thauri (R.A) has narrated thatwhen the angel of death holds the nerve of life (themain artery) his tongue stops functioning and he doesnot recognize anyone and forgets everything about theworld. (At that time had he not been over-powered bydeath he would kill all with a sword.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) narrated that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) has said if a man will send Duroodon me for a thousand times on Friday he will see hisplace in paradise before being dead. There are innu-merable Hadiths on this subject.

Profit (Lesson):- The above Hadith prove thatthe angel of death behaves nicely with a righteous fel-

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low and aproaches him in a pleasing form. It results ina longing to meet God and it removes fright. He be-haves like this with every muslim (who obeys Allah).He behaves quite contrarily with a kaafir (disbeliever).

CHAPTER ELEVENThose who died earlier do talk with the spirits ofMayyats and inquire about the near and dear ones

Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (R.A) is reported tohave narrated that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said:When the soul of a muslim is recovered by angels,the spirits God’s good servants arrive to meet him as,in the world, people long to see a giver of good tid-ings. Then they talk among themselves and say: Justallow him to have some rest (as he was in severe hard-ships). Then thay ask: What happened to such and suchfellow? Did such and such man marry? These soulsask about those who had been alive when they died.The newly arrived souls says: He has expired beforemy death. They exclaim: Inna Lillahi Wa Inna IlaihiRaajioon. He got a palce in the lower region which isa very bad spot. Then the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said:Those relatives of yours who died earlier are beingshown your good and bad deeds. When they see yourgood deeds they become happy and say: O’Allah! thisis YOUR mercy and kindness. Mutiply your Bounties

for them and make them die with those good deeds.His bad deeds are also shown, seeing which they say:O’God! Give him good sense so that they may per-form good deeds and make you happy.

Hazrat Labeebah has said: When Bishar died,his mother became very gloomy and so she used toweep excessively. One day she went to the HolyProphet (S.A.W) and said: If the souls of dying peoplecan recognize one another, I may convey my salaamto Bishar. The Hazrat (S.A.W) replied: By Allah! Theydefinitely know another, just as the sparrows on thetree recognize one another. Thereafter whenever shesaw anyone on deathbed, she told him/her to conveyher salaam to Bishar saying, ‘Please tell my son thather mother sends her salaam.’

Hazrat Muhammed bin Munqadir has narratedthat: I went to Jaabir bin Abdullah when he was on hisdeath bed. I told him: Tell my salaam to the HolyProphet (S.A.W).

As per another narration, when Abu Qataadahdied, his daughter Ummul Banin went to a seriouslyill Abdullah bin Anas and requested him: O’my uncle!Kindly convey my salaam to my father.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: When death ap-proaches a believing mumin and he observes the good

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things in paradise, his soul desires to get out of thebody as soon as possible and Allah also wants to meetthat soul early. Then when the spirit of a muslim risesup in the sky the souls of the earlier dead muslimsarrive to meet him and ask about their acquaintanceswho are still in the world. It replies: Such and suchfellow is still in the world so they feel happy. But whenthey are told that such and such person has alreadyexpired, the souls sorrowfully say: Alas, he has notyet come to us. They even inquire about the cat livingin that fellow’s house.

Hazrat A. Rahmaan bin Mehdi (R.A) has re-ported that when Sufyaan Thoori fell ill, he becamefearful and expressed restlessness. Marhoom Ibne A.Aziz came to him and asked him why he was so rest-less? You are going toward the ONE WHOM you wor-shipped for 60 years, praying daily, fasting daily. Youperformed Hajj. If you do good behavior with anyonethan go to meet him, will you not hope that he willgive you a good reward?! This talk made him calm andrestful.

Hazrat Abu Naeem (R.A) says: The illness ofHazrat Imam Hasan (R.A) intensified making him fear-ful. A man asked him: Why this uneasiness? If yoursoul is taken out you will meet your father Hazrat Ali(R.A) and your mother Hazrat Fatimah (R.A) and your

grandfather Hazrat Muhammed (S.A.W) and uncleHazrat Hamzah (R.A) and Hazrat Abbas (R.A) andmaternal uncle Hazrat Qaasim (R.A), Taiyyab, Tahirand Ibrahim (R.A), and aunt Hazrat Ruqaiyah (R.A),Kulthoom (R.A) and Zainab (R.A). This made himrestful and calm.

Hazrat Ali (R.A) is reported to have said thatthere were two muslim friends and two kaafir friends.When the one who was muslim died and he was giventhe good tidings of Jannat, he remembered his friendand said: O’Allah! My such and such friend was al-ways commanding me to worship YOU and to obeyYOUR prophet (S.A.W). He was encouraging me todo good deeds and preventing me from sinning say-ing: I will also meet you, O’Allah! Show him the Pathof Guidance and make him do good deeds and givehim also the reward which YOU have granted to me.Please be pleased with him as YOU have been pleasedwith me. Thereafter when the other friend also dies,the souls of both meet one another, telling one an-other: Verily you were my good brother and worthyfriend indeed.

When one of the two unbelieving (kaafir)friends died and he was shown the horrors of Hell, heremembered his living friend and said: O’Allah! Thisfriend of mine was asking me to disobey YOU and

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YOUR messenger and to do bad works and prevent-ing me from doing good deeds. He was also saying: ‘Iwill also meet you.’ O’Allah! Please misguide himand also give him the bad reward which YOU havegiven me and send YOUR chastisement on him alsoas YOU have poured it on me. Than that kaafir friendalso dies, their souls meet one another and tell oneanother: You were my bad and useless friend.

CHAPTER TWELVE The dead person recognizes his washer and also who wraps him up in the coffin cloth-He/she also hears what is being said about him/her at the funeral time

Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A) has reportedthat the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: The dead fellow(mayyat) knows who washed and clothed it and wholowered it in the grave. This has been narrated also byMujahid, A. Rahmaan and Amr bin Dinaar.

Hazrat Bakr bin Abdullah (R.A) has reportedthat when a fellow dies, his soul remains in the handsof Malak ul Mawt (angel) and the mayyat sees all thathappens at the time of washing him and clothing himor her in the coffin cloth (kafan). Had he or she beenable to talk, he or she would have prevented all fromcrying and wailing. Hazrat Abdur rahmaan bin Abi Laila

(R.A) has reported that the rooh (soul) remains in thehand of the angel. When the corpse is being carried,the angels also walk with it. When the carrier sayssomething good about the dead person, the angels tellthe mayyat: Hear what is being said about you. Whenthe body is pleased in the grave and earth poured on it,the angels put its soul (rooh) in the grave.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has reported that when thedisbelievers were killed and thrown into a well, theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) stood on the well and saidloudly: O’son of so and so (he took the name of thatfellow)! Did you or did you not find that the promisegiven to you by the lord has come true? We have seenthat HIS promise to us has come true. Hearing this,Hazrat Umar (R.A) asked: O’messenger of God! Whyare you talking with those who have no soul in theirbodies? The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: They hear mywords more clearly than you. Of course they are un-able to reply.

Hazrat Ubaidah bin Marzooq (R.A) has reportedthat a woman who was sweeping the ground in themosque of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) in Madinah diedand people buried her without the Holy Prophet(S.A.W)’s knowledge. Once when the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) passed by a grave, he asked: Whose grave isthis? The companions replied: It is the grave of such

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and such woman who used to sweep in the MasjideNabavi. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) lined them up andoffered namaaz for her at her grave. Then the HolyProphet (S.A.W), addressing the grave asked: Whichdeed of yours did you find nice? The people asked:O’prophet of Allah! Will she hear your words? TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W) replied: She hears better thanyou. Then that woman said, replying to the HolyProphet (S.A.W): I found that the work of sweepingin the Holy Mosque was better than all my other works.

Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A) has narratedthat the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: When peoplecarry the dead body of a person, if the dead one was agood person, he asks: Alas, where are you carryingme? Everyone except man and jinns, hear the dead oneswords. Had man been able to hear, what even birds andanimals can hear, they would have shrieked in fright.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: Carry the corpsequickly (do not make haste in walking speedly, but donot keep the dead body in home for a long time; takeit soon to the graveyard). If it is the mayyat of a goodman, take it toward it’s good place and if it is that of abad one, lessen the burden off your shoulders soon.

Hazrat Abu Bakr Muzni (R.A) says: I have heardthat the faithful become happy if their bodies are car-

ried early. Hazrat Abu Ayyub (R.A) has narrated thatto carry a mayyat to the grave soon is an honor to it.

Hazrat Umar (R.A) has reported that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) has said: When a dead body is car-ried three steps toward the grave, it says: O’my broth-ers! O’my carriers! Be aware so that the world maynot decieve you as it has decieved me. Let the worldnot allow to engage you in games and play things as itengaged me. Leave whatever you have gathered foryour heirs. Allah will take from me full account andyou also will follow me soon. Ibne-Abi-Dunya hasrecorded this hadith under the caption DETAILS OFTHE GRAVE.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: Once HazratDawood (A.S) asked Allah Almighty: O’Lord! Whatreward will one get for walking with the dead bodyupto the graveyard. The reply was: O’Dawood! Whensuch a man will die, MY angels will walk behind hisfuneral procession and I will pour Rahmat (mercy)on the mayyat. A similar hadith has been narrated byHazrat Abu Khuld.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has narrated thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: Angels walk aheadof a janaazah (coffin) and ask one another what gooddeeds did the dead person do for his Aakhirat (here-

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after)? But people ask: How much wealth did he orshe leave in the world?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Both the earth and the sky, weep when a Muslim dies

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has narrated that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: There are two gates for ev-eryone in the sky. From one gate he or she gets his orher provision (Rizq or Rozi) and from another gatehis or her good deeds enter heaven. Both these gatesweep when a muslim fellow dies.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has narrated: Someone asked me: There is a verse in the Holy Qur’aan‘FA MAA BAKAT ALAIHIMUS-SAMAA-A-U- WALARD’, meaning ‘The sky and the earth did not weepdue to his death.’ Can the sky and the earth mentionedin this Aayat, weep? (I) replied: Yes, surely they weepover the entire creation in the universe. (in case of amuslim, his provision comes from one gate of thesky and his good deeds ascend from the other one.Now when he or she dies, both these gates are shut.Therefore, both weep on his or her death.The groundon which he used to offer namaaz no more finds hisor her prayer mat, nor does it continue to hear hisTasbeeh recitation. Hence that ground begins to weep.It is mentioned in the Holy Qur’aan that the sky and

the earth did not weep is about the community ofFiroun (Pharoah) because his community had done nogood deed either on earth or in the sky. Ibne Jareer(R.A) has recorded this hadith in his TAFSEER.

Hazrat Shuraih Hazrami (R.A) has said that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Whenever a muslim (obe-dient servant of God) dies in travelling when there isnone to mourn him, both the earth and the sky weepover his demise. They donot weep over the death of akaafir (disbeliever) as is said by Allah Almighty in theHoly Qur’aan: FA MAA BA KAT- The sky and the earthdid not weep over their death. (Holy Qur’aan, 44-29).

Hazrat Mujahid (R.A) has narrated that the earthand the sky weep over a muslim’s death for forty days.H. Ataa Khurasani (R.A) has reported that each andevery plot of the earth on which a muslim had offerednamaaz, weeps over his demise and it will give wit-ness on the Day of Resurrection before Allah. HazratIbne Abbas (R.A) has also said that the earth and thesky weep over a muslim’s death for forty days. HazratAbu Ubaidah (R.A) has reported that whenever a Mus-lim dies, the earth gives out a cry that a Muslim hasexpired. Then both the earth and the sky mourn hisdeath. God asks why do you weep over my servant’sdeath? They reply that from whatever road he was pass-ing he was walking remembering God (now that re-

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membrance has stopped and hence we are weeping).Hazrat Muhammed bin Qais (R.A) has narrated thatwhen the earth weeps over the death of a Muslim thesky says to the earth: This fellow’s good deeds werealways coming to me while the earth says that all ofhis deeds were being performed on my surface. HazratAtaa, Sufyan Thauri and Hazrat Hasan (R.A) say thatwhenever God takes the soul of a Muslim while intravel, He does not punish him looking to the traveltroubles and he asks the angels: as there is none tomourn for him here you may mourn.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN One should be buried at the place where he was born

Hazrat Abu saeed Khudri (R.A) has reportedthat once the holy prophet (S.A.W) was walking inMedina when he saw some people digging a grave. heasked them for whom were they preparing the grave.they replied that a man from Habash (Ethopia.)who had arrived here has died for whom this gravewas being dug. the holy prophet (S.A.W)said: LAAILAAAH ILLALLAAH (There is on one worth wor-ship except ONLY ONE ALLAH); The earth fromwhich he was created has dragged him here. Thishadith has been reported by many Sahaba (holy com-

panions of the prophet). Hilal bin yasaaf (R.A) said:There remains in the naval of a person the soil inwhich he or she is to be buried.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) has reported thatthe angel who has been appointed by good for a babyto be born (in the womb of the mother) asks Allah:Will a child be born from this pregnancy or not? Ifthe reply is in the affirmative he again asks: How muchprovision he or she will get, on which earth will he orshe die and how long will he or she live and what kindof deeds will he or she do? Almighty Allah replies:Look at the Lawhe Mehfooz (The proteced plate). Theangels look at the Lawh wherein it is all mentioned asto what will be his provision, life span on earth andthe performance of deeds etc. Then (that angel) putsthe earth in that womb the earth in which he or she isto be buried and gives shape to the baby to be born.Says the Qur’aan: MINHAA KHALAQNAA KUM -WA FEE HAA NU IDUKUM (WE have created youfrom this earth and WE will bury you in this earth). Itexplains the above matter.

In another hadith narrated by Hazrat IbneMasood (R.A.) is that when god says, in reply to theangel’s querry, that a baby will be born, the angel asksagain: Will it be a boy or a girl? Will it be a good oneor a bad one? How long will it remain alive? Where

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will he move? How much provision will he get? Atwhat place will it die? Almighty Allah replies: Lookinto Lawhe Mehfooz. It contains every informationabout the embroy/foetus. Looking at the Lawh, theangels ask: Who is your lord? The reply is ‘ALLAH’.Another question: Who provides your maintenance?The reply again is Allah. Thus the angels asks sevenquestions and the reply to all is the same viz Allah.Then the baby is born which lives among relatives,consumes his or her provision, walk’s on God’s earthand finally when he or she dies, he and she are buriedin the same earth (from which he was born). Tirmizi(R.A.) has recorded this hadith in NAWAADIRULULOOM.

Hazrat Matar bin Ukamis (R.A.) has narratedthat the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: When god al-mighty commands an angel: Take the soul of such andsuch person at such and such place, the angel has togo to that place.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah and Hazrat Ibne Masood(R.A.) have reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)said: Bury your dead in the midst of the graves of goodpeople because, like the living ones, the dead also dis-like and experience trouble in residing between badpeople.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A.) has reported that the

Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Whenever someone fromyou dies, clothes him or her in a good sheet (kafan)and take the body soon to the grave yard, dig the gravedeep and keep it away from bad bodies. The compan-ions ask: O’messanger of God! Does a good com-pany give benefit even in the Hereafter? The HolyProphet asked: Is it not beneficial in the world? Allreplied in the affirmative. Then the Holy Prophet said:Likewise it is beneficial in the Hereafter also.

Hazrat Abdullah Muzani (R.A) has narratedthat: A fellow died in Madinah and he was also buriedthere. Someone saw in his dream that the deceasedperson is being punished. Again after 7 or 8 days, hesaw (in a dream) that he is in Paradise (Jannat). In hisdream he asked the dead one: You were in Hell butnow after 8 days, you are seen in paradise? How is it?That fellow replied: After my death, a good (pious)and righteous person was buried by my side. He prayedto Allah for the forgivance of forty personsneighbouring him and the God Almighty answered thisprayer. As I was one of those forty fellows, I havebeen pardoned. Now I am relieved of chastisementand I am enjoying in Jannat.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has narrated that Allah Al-mighty appoints an angel for the people accompany-ing a funeral procession. Then, after burying the dead

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in the grave, people return from the graveyard. Thatangel lifts up a little (handful) of earth from the graveand throws it towards those people and says: May youreturn to your homes and may God make you forgetthis dead fellow. Therefore people forget about theirdead fellow and engage themselves in their routine,worldly affairs as if the dead one was never amongthem. This hadith is recorded in MUSNAD ALFIRDAUS.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has recorded that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: God Almighty hasalready appointed an angel in the graveyard. Whenpeople return after burying their dead, this angel takesup a handful of dust from the grave and throws it to-ward those returning people saying: O’People! Re-turn to your homes and forget this dead fellow.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN What should be recited at the time of burying , and something about TALQEEN

Hazrat Ali (R.A) is reported to have said thatwhen a janaazah (coffin) arrives near the grave andwhen all people sit down, you should not sit down butkeep standing near the grave. When the body is beinglowered in the grave, recite: BISMILLAHI WA ALAAMILLATI RASOOLILLAH.O’Allah! this servant is

coming to you, you are to take care of him/her. Hehas left the world. Make his/her hereafter, better thanhis world. You have said that ‘Whatever is with me, isthe best for those who are righteous.’

Hazrat Ibne Umar (R.A) is reported to havesaid that: I have heard from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.):Whenever anyone from you dies, do not delay andcarry him to the grave hurridly. After burying, recitethe initial verses of Surah Baqarah near the head ofthe body, and it’s last verses near the feet.

Abdur Rahmaan bin Alaa (R.A) told his daugh-ter, at the time of my death, when you lower me in thegrave, recite BISMILLAHI WA ALAA MILLATIRASOOLILLAH. Then level the grave with earth. Thenrecite the initial Aayats of surah baqarah near my head,and last verses near my feet, because I have heard likethis from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).

Conclusion:- After pouring the earth and lev-elling the grave, recite the verses from ALIF LAAMMEEM upto HUMUL MUFLIHOON near the headof the body, and from AA MA NAR RASOOLU uptothe end of the surat ((verses 285-286)). These holywords recommend to God in favour of the dead one,and protect him/her from the chastisement in the grave.

Hazrat Khaythamah (R.A) has reported thatpeople preferred to recite BISMILLAHI WA FI

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SABILLILLAHI WA ALAA MILLATIRASOOLILLAHI. O’Allah! Protect him from the pun-ishment in the grave and also from the Hell-Fire andsave him from the evils of Shaytaan and widen andlight up his grave, and make the dead one join theprophets.

Hazrat Abu Umamah (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Whenever anyone ofyour muslim brothers expire, than, after filling thegrave with earth and after levelling the ground, standnear his head and say: O’son of such and such person!The dead body will hear your words but will not reply.Than say: O’son of so and so! Than the mayyat will situp and say: What do you say? At that moment youshould say: ‘You should remember the thing on whichyou were living in the world, that is, the testifying ofthe truth that LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAH (there is nodiety except only one God) and Allah is the nourisher,Islam is the true religion and Muhammed (S.A.W) ishis messenger. Also that the Holy Qur’aan is theImaam-leader. At that time ‘Munkar’ and ‘Nakir’holdone anothers hands and say: Let us go away from here.What shall we do here, he has already been taught theargument of the hereafter (the way to success) andAllah Almighty accepts this argument of his. (Note:-You must take, in place of ‘O’son of so and so’, the

name of the dead person’s mother. For example: ‘Oson of Aminah!’ A man asked the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.): O’messenger of God! If someone does notknow the name of that mayyat, than what should hesay? He (S.A.W) replied: He may take the name ofHazrat Hawwah (A.S). ((In fact Hazrat Adam is thefather and Hazrat Hawwah is the mother of all of us.-Tr.)). Tabrani has noted this hadith in KABEER.

Hazrat Abu Umamah Bahili (R.A) has said thathe himself had willed that: ‘When I die and you buryme, a man may stand near my head and say: ‘O’Sa’adbin Ajlan! Remember the condition in which you wereliving in the world, that is, you should remember thetruths about God’s being only one and to believe thatHazrat Muhammed (S.A.W.) is the messenger of God.(Sa’ad is the name of Abu Umamah)

Hazrat Raashid Jameerah and Hakim (R.A) havereported that: When you are about to return after lev-elling a grave, it is mustahab (preferable) to stand nearthe grave and say thrice: ‘O’mayyat! Say that Allah ismy lord and Islam is my deen (religion) andMuhammed (S.A.W) is the messenger of Allah.

Lesson:- It is mustahab that you should standnear the grave for a few minutes after the burial. Keepyour face towards Kiblah and your back towards themayyat and pray: O’Allah! This is YOUR slave whom

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YOU know very well. It is in our knowledge that hehas done good deeds and that now he has been madeto sit in the grave to answer some questions. So kindly,keep him steadfast on the testimony to the hereafter,as YOU had kept him steadfast in the world. O’Allah!Be kind to him and make him join YOUR messengerHazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Kindly do not make himwayward (do not take him to the bad past) and do notdeprive him of the Sawaab (reward). Imam Tirmizi(R.A) has said that the dead body (mayyat) gets reliefwhen someone stands by it’s grave and recites theprayer (du’aa).

CHAPTER SIXTEEN The squeezing of the grave

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has narrated thatwe accompanied the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) in thefuneral of somebody for the janazah prayer. When wereached the grave, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) sat atone end of the grave and peeked into it and said:O’muslims! A muslim is so much pressed in his gravethat the bones of his neck, chest and ribs break up.For a kaafir (nonbeliever, the grave is being filled byfire. He also said that the grave is always being pressed.If anyone was to be spared from it it would have forHazrat Saad bin Muaz (R.A).

Hazrat Jabir (R.A) is reported to have narratedthat when Hazrat Saad bin Muaz was buried, the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) recited a Tasbeeh and all others therealso recited it along with him for quite a long time.Then the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) raised a Takbeer andall others also did so along with him. Than the com-panions (R.A) asked: O’prophet of God! Why did yourecite the Tasbeeh? He replied: When his soul reacheda nearness to the arsh (divine throne), it (throne) be-gan to vibrate due to happiness and the gates of all theseven skies were opened up for him and seventy-thou-sand angels were present for his namaaz-e- janaazah(funeral prayer). Yet his grave had squeezed makingthe walls join each one another. But it was due to myTasbeeh that Allah Almighty widened up the grave.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has narrated that when thedaughter of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) whose namewas Zainab (R.A) died, we came out carrying herjanazah. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) became verygloomy due to unhappiness and worry. So he sat for awhile at her grave and looked at the sky. Then he en-tered the grave and became more restless. After awhile, he became happy and smiled. We asked for thereason of his unhappiness and than happiness. He re-plied: I thought of the squeezing of the grave and be-came very anxious looking to the weakness of Zainab

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(R.A) than I prayed to Allah for her ease. HE madethe ease. Than came a noise of the squeezing of thegrave, which was heard by all from east to west of theworld, except men and jinn. A similar Hadith has alsobeen narrated about the Holy Prophet’s daughter, byHazrat Ibne Umar (R.A).

It is reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)offered a funeral prayer for a boy or a girl and thensaid: Was anyone to get relief from the pressure ofthe grave, this child would have got that relief.

Hazrat Ibne abi Mulaikah (R.A) says that noman has remained protected from the pressure of thegrave, not even Hazrat Saad bin Mu’az (R.A) whosekerchief is the best of all kerchiefs of the world andthe world itself.

Hazrat Hasan (R.A) says that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said: When Sa’ad bin Mu’az (R.A) was bur-ied, the grave pressised him to such an extent that hebecame as thin as hair. This pressure was only onaccount of the reason that he was not cleaning him-self properly after passing urine.

It is reported by Hazrat Ibrahim Ganavi (R.A)that a man came to Aayesha (R.A). At that time a fu-neral procession of a little boy passed by them. See-ing it, she began to weep. I asked the reason for it.She replied: I feel pity for this young child who will

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also be pressed by the grave.Hazrat Anas (R.A) says that the Holy Prophet

(S.A.W.) once said: It is not at all possible that thegrave may not press anyone except Hazrat Fatimahbinte Asad (R.A). Someone asked: Is it not possibleeven in the case of your dear son Kaasim (R.A)? TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: What to talk aboutKaasim. It is not possible even in the case of Ibrahim(R.A). ((Hazrat Ibrahim was younger than evenKaasim, both of whom were the youngest children ofthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)).

Hazrat Aayeshah (R.A) bin Musaiyab says thatonce Hazrat Aayeshah (Ummul Muminin) said: Eversince you frightened me, O’messenger of God!, ofthe ‘Munkar’ and ‘Nakir’ I do not like anything. TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: O’Aayesha! The faith-ful will feel that the voice of ‘Munkar’ and ‘Nakir’ isvery soft like applying of surmah in the eye. But hewill feel the pressure of the squeezing of the grave,just like a headache felt by a child when it’s motherpresses its head. But, O’Aayesha! The trouble of pun-ishment is for the one who has any doubt about Al-mighty Allah. He will be pressed in the grave just asan egg is crushed under a slab of stone.

Hazrat Rakashi (R.A) has reported that whenthe mayyat of a fellow is placed in the grave and when

the bad deeds of that person engulfs it from everyside saying: O’servant! Your family members andfriends have left leaving you here. You are now allalone in this grave. Now none except me is to giveyou company.

Hazrat Ataa (R.A) has reported: When a mayyatis put in a grave, the very first thing to come before itis his deeds (aamaal). They will hold his thighs andwill shake them saying: I am your deeds. The mayyatwill ask: Where are my family members and children?Where are servants and other near and dear ones? Itwill reply: You have left all of them in the world andnow none save me have come with you here. The deadbody will say: How nice would it have been had Iadopted you in the world leaving all of them! Nownone save you is my companion.

Lesson:- (1) Abul Qasim S.Adi (R.A) writesin his book KITABE ARWAAH that no lucky man cansave himself from the pressure of the grave. The onlydifference is that the pressure will remain forever fora kaafir, whereas, for a momin, it will last for some-time and then the grave will become wide. Subuki haswritten in his BAHRUL-KALAAM: A faithful fellowwho is obedient to God will not get the chastisementof the Qabr (grave). In his case it will be the gravewhich will be pressurized for enjoying God’s boun-

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ties and for not being thankful. (2) Hakim Tirmizi(R.A) has said: A man errs even if he is very righteousand so his grave is also pressed and this pressure re-moves his sins and he gets God’s mercy. The grave ofHazrat Saad bin Muaz was pressed only because hedid not clean himself properly after urinating.‘Munkar’ and ‘Nakir’ will not face the prophets in theirgraves nor will their graves be pressed because theyare clean of every sin (innocent).

(3) In case of one who remains on earth afterhis death (who is buried) till animals tear his body offor who rots or who are kept hanging on gallows afterexecution for several days, they too are pressed bythe airbreaking of his bones and ribs. God Almightyhas kept this matter hidden from humans beings justas he has kept the angels and the devils invisible forus.

(4) Ulamaa (scholars) have written that the oneswho commit sins become liable to the chastisementof Hell.Yet ten things are such which cause the re-moval of the said punishment =1- Repentace from the depth of heart provided Godaccepts it.2- If one seeks pardon and God forgives.3- If one performs a good deed which removes thesin.

4- Illness in the world or hardship which cleans thedots of sins.5- Pressure of the grave. It frees the mayyat from theeternal chastisement of the Hereafter.6- Muslims pray for the forgivance of their muslimbrother. God answers such sincere prayer.7- Family members, friends and common muslims dosome good deed and give the reward to the dead one.8- In the Hereafter, a day will be as long as 50,000years on this world. The fear of this day cleans one ofall his sins.9- If one becomes eligible to the shafa’at (interces-sion) of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).10- Almighty Allah forgives (pardons) someone byHIS mercy.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Shikhir (R.A) has reportedthat the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: If a man who isill continues to recite the Surah QUL HUWALLAHUAHAD throughout his illness and dies of that illness,will be saved from the punishment of the grave. Thegrave will not pressurize him and, on the Day of Judge-ment, angels will themselves lead him on the Pul Siraatand take him to the gate of Jannat.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The grave talks with the dead ones

Hazrat Abu Saeed (R.A) narrates that the Holy

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Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Remember (death) witch fin-ishes all the sweetness of the world because the gravescalls out every day: You will leave your residence andcountry and come to me. I am the home of lonliness.There are snakes, scorpions and other harmful insectswithin me. When a muslim is buried inside a grave ittells him: Congratulations on arriving here! You werea good person among those who were moving in theworld. Now you are here and have been entrusted tome. Now see how kind I am. Then the grave will widenand gates toward paradise will open up.

When a kaafir is being buried the graves says:Your arrival here is not good- Not desirable. You area bad fellow among those living in the world. Nowthat you have come here, I will show you my might.Then the grave will squeeze, breaking the ribs andbones of the mayyat into pieces. Almighty God willrelease 40 snakes for him which will continue bitinghim till dooms day. The snakes will be so poisonousthat if any one of them puffs at the world, no grasswill ever grow on it till Qiyaamat. Then the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: The grave is but a part of para-dise for good people and a valley of hell for the badones. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has also narrated asimilar tradition.

Hazrat Abulhujjaaj Shimali (R.A) has said that

the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: When a body is putin a grave, the latter tells the former: Do you not re-alize that I am the house of chastisement? I am a darkcell. I am the residence of insects. O’son of Adam!You were very careless and you were walking arro-gantly on my surface. Then, if the mayyat is of a goodand righteous fellow, an angel, on his behalf, will askthe grave: Will you punish him even if he was a goodman who was inspiring others to do good deeds andpreventing from bad works? The grave replies: Now Iwill become a green garden for him and his body willbecome radiant and his soul will rise toward Allah.

It is narrated by Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar(R.A) that the grave tells the mayyat: I am a dark room.I am a house of solitude. If you were obediant of Al-mighty Allah in the world, than I am a mercy for youand if you were defying his commandments than I amchastisement for you. I am the house in which an obe-dient servant of God enters, he will rise up pleasedwith me on the day of Qiyaamat. If a disobedient fel-low enters me, he will rise totally destroyed by meon the day of Resurrection. Hazrat Bilal bin Saad andBarra bin Aazib (R.A) have also recorded a similarhadith.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has reported that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: O’people! Make ar-

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rangements for your grave because your grave callsupon you seven times in a day: O’sons of Adam! Youare too weak to bear my harshness. Have mercy onyourself in the world before your arrival to me so thatyou will get rid of my chastisement.

Hazrat Muhammed Sabeeh (R.A) has narratedthat when a body is lowered in a grave, and it startsgetting chastisement, other bodies around it start tocry: Many of your (muslim) men died before youreyes and you remained alive and yet you did not takeany admonition. We also had expired in front of youbut you did not correct your deeds. Than the entireland of the graveyard will cry out loudly: O’mindlessand careless negligent fellow! Your family memberscheated you in front of you and death drove them tothe grave before you and you saw them being carriedaway and being buried and that all of his near and dearones could not do anything except weep and yet, you,o’careless person! Why did you not take admonitionfrom all this? Today your crying and wailing will notbe of any avail to you.

Benefit:- 1- Hazrat Sufyaan Thauri (R.A) hasnarrated that the one who will keep remembering thegrave will find the grave a garden of paradise for himand for the one who will not think of the grvae, it willbecome a valley of hell.

2- Hazrat Anas bin Maalik (R.A) has narratedthat there are 2 days and 2 nights the like of whichnoone would have ever seen nor heard about. Firstday- When an angel will come to you with the com-mand of either happiness or anger from Almighty God.Second day- The day when you will stand before yourlord and your scroll of deeds (Naama e Aamal) will begiven in your right hand.

The first night: When the dead body will sleepin it’s grave, the like of which he/she would not haveever experienced. ‘Second’ is the night will which willbe followed by the day of Resurrection whereafterthere will be night forever. Imaam Baihaqi (R.A) hasrecorded this hadith in SHOBUL IMAAN.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Chastisement in the grave and the questioning by Munkar/Nakir

There are many hadiths about the questioningby Munkar-Nakir and the narrators of all of them arereliable and trustworthy like Anas bin Maalik, TamimDari, Bashir, Kamaal Thaubaan Jaabil, Abdullah binRawaha, Ubadah bin Thabit Huzaifah Zamurah binHabib, Ibne Abbas, Ibne Umar, Ibne Masood UthmaanIbne Affan, Umar bin Khattab, Amr bin Aas, Maaz binJabal, Abu Umamah, Abu Dardah, Abu Raafe, Abu

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Saeed Khudri, Abu Qatadah Hurairah, Abu Moosa,Asma and Aayesha (R.A).

Some hadith have already been mentioned ear-lier. Here we are describing a few hadiths so that thebook may not become columinous and it may be easyto understand.

Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (R.A) has narratedthat the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: When a muslimmayyat is being buried it looks like sunset. The mayyatsits up and rubs it’s eyes as if he just woke up fromsleep. When Munkar-Nakir confront him with ques-tions he says: Please do not talk with me now as Ihave yet to offer my Asr prayer.

Hazrat Jaabir bin Abdullah (R.A) has narrtaedthat: I have heard from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) that‘The sons of Adam are unaware of the deeds fromwhich they have been created. They have become care-less. When Almighty Allah decided to create him(man), HE ordered the angel to write his provision,note down his movements, mention the number of hisyears of lifespan and also record whether he is luckyor unlucky. The angel goes away after noting all this.Then Allah Almighty sends another angel to that manto protect him till he becomes youthful. So when hebecomes a youth, the second angel also goes away.Then God appoints 2 other angels for recording his

good and bad deeds. Then when the time of his deatharrives, those 2 also go away and Malk ul Mawt comesand takes away his soul (life). When his body is bur-ied, the soul (spirit) is put back in that body. Then comethe two angels of the grave called Munkar and Nakirand take a test of him by questioning him/her. Thenthey also go away. When the day of Judgement willarrive, the angels who had recorded his good and baddeeds will come. They will open the scroll of deedshanging from his neck. One angel will lead him fromthe front and another will drive him from behind. Theywill take him upto the field of Mahshar (grand gather-ing). Then the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said: Then willcome for you the event of accounting. It is so hardthat you cannot even imagine, so seek Allah’s help.

Hazrat Ubadah bin Thabit (R.A) has narratedthat the man who wakes up after midnight for Tahajjudprayer should recite the Qur’aan some what loudly sothat shaytaan and unholy jinns may run away and theangels living over there may listen carefully and jointhe prayer. When the day breaks, the passing night tellsthe uncoming night ‘Wake him up for Tahajjud and belenient to him. Like this, every night makes this willto the next night. When the time of his death comes,the Holy Qur’aan stands near his head. When theycomplete washing and clothing of the body, the

Qur’aan comes up between the coffin cloth and thechest of the mayyat. After his burial, the Qur’aancomes between him and Munkar-Nakir. They ask theQur’aan to move a little aside but the Qur’aan says:By God! I will not budge even an inch until I lead him/her to paradise. You may carry out the Divine Com-mand about this mayyat. Then, looking at the mayyatthe Qur’aan asks: Do you know me? The mayyat re-plies: I do not know you. (the Holy Qur’aan, then, willnot be in the form in which it was in the world). It willitself than say: I am the Qur’aan. You have acted uponmy commands. I kept you awake during nights. I keptyou hungry and thirsty during days and I did not allowyou to fulfill your desires and protected your eyesand ears from prohibited things. You will regard meas the best of your friends and you will find that I amyour best brother. Be happy. You will have no fear af-ter the questioning by Munkar-Nakir. Then Munkar-Nakir will go away. Qur’aan will approach Allah andprovide comfortable things for the mayyat. It will betold to take them. Then it will bring, from the firstsky, one thousand angels along with him carrying aheavenly carpet, light and fragrant flowers. They willspread the carpet in the grave, place flowers near hischest and will make the body lie on its right. Then allthe angels will go away towards the sky. Then Qur’aan

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will widen the grave as much as Allah wills. This hadithhas also been narrated by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbaland Abu Khaisamah (R.A) and others.

Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (R.A) says that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) told him: O’Umar! What willbe your condition when you will see Munkar-Nakirafter going for hands down in the grave? I asked:O’Prophet of God! Who are Munkar and Nakir? He(S.A.W) replied: They are the angels who will test inthe grave. They will arrive tearing off the ground withtheir teeth. Their voice will be like the thunder oflightening. Their eyes will be like flashes electricity.They will make you sit up in your grave threateningly.They will have a big iron Gurz (club) in their hands.They will take your test. If you will not answer theywill beat you up so severely that you will turn intodust and smoke. Hazrat Umar (R.A) asked:O’messenger of God! At that time will I be in mysense or not? Will I have enough strengh to stand bymy religion and faith or not? Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)said: Yes, You will. Hearing this, Hazrat Umar (R.A)said: There is no problem. I am enough for them.

Muslim have reported that Hazrat Amr bin Aas(R.A) willed at the time of his death: When you fin-ish with my burial, please keep standing at my gravefor a time required for sacrificing a camel and for

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distribution of it’s meat so that your presence mayrelieve my tension and I may be able to answer thequestions of the angels cooly.

Hazrat Abu Raafe (R.A) has narrated that onceI went with the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to the grave-yard of Jannatul Baquee. I was walking behind himand there was none besides me. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) told me: You did not stay on the straight pathand so went astray. I asked politely: O’messenger ofGod! For what reason did I astray? He replied: I didnot tell you that. I was addressing the mayyat in thisgrave. Just now Munkar-Nakir had asked this mayyatwhether or not he knew me, whereupon he replied thathe did not know me. (That is why I said that ‘you havegone astray’- Tr.). Hazrat Abu Raafe says: There was anewly formed grave on which some water wassprinkled after burying the dead . (The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) might have said about that newly expired fel-low.- Tr.).

Hazrat Aayeshah (R.A) says: A jew womancame to my door begging and said: Please give mefood. God will protect you from the punishment inthe grave and from Dajjal’s mischeif. I kept that womansitting for some time until the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)arrived. I said to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.):O’messenger of Allah! This woman says: May god

save you from the chastisement of the grave and fromthe mischeif of Dajjal. What is it all? (Responding tothe astonishing question of Hazrat Aayesha) the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) raised his hands and prayed for pro-tection from the punishment and the mischief ofDajjal and added: The mischief of Dajjal is so severetaht each and every prophet has warned their peoplesto be afraid of it. Now I also call upon you to fear itand tell you a thing which no other messenger hadshown. (Listen) He will be blind in his right eye andletters K.F.R (meaning kaafir) will be written on hisforehead, which all faithful people will able to readabout the chastisement in the grave, it will put everyfaithful fellow to test in which they will be asked aboutme also. A pious, righteous person will calmly standup from the grave. He will be asked: Which religionwere you following? He will reply: Islam. Again hewill be asked: Who is this man who had been nearyou? He will reply: Muhammed (S.A.W.), the mes-senger of Allah. (this hadith has been described indetail earlier).

Hazrat Sufyaan Thauri (R.A) says that when amayyat is asked, who is your God? At that momentthe saytaan gives the mayyat a signal indicating to saythat he is his God. Once while burying someone, theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) prayed: O”Allah! Protect him

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from saytaan. This proves taht saytaan approaches thegrave when a mayyat is being questioned. Had it notbeen so, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) would not haveprayed in this way.

Ibne Shahin has quoted Hazrat Raashid (R.A)in KITABUS SUNNAH that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) used to say: Learn the argument (replies) tothe grave querries soon and well because you will facethat questioning. It was a tradition among the Ansaars(those in Madinah who had helped the migratingMaccan muslims) that when someone was on deathbed or when a child learned to talk/speak, they wereteaching them: When someone asks you: Who is yourGod, you should say ‘Allah’. When you are asked: Whatis your religion, you must say ‘Islam’. And when youare asked as to who your prophet is, you should say:Hazrat Muhammed (S.A.W.) is your prophet.

Hazrat Sahl bin Amar reports that he once sawYazid bin Haroon in his dreams after his death. I askedhim: How did Allah deal with you? He replied: Twofrightening faced, harsh hearted angels came to me inmy grave and asked me: Who is your God? What isyour religion? Who is your prophet (S)? Holding mygray beard I asked: Do you put such questions to me?We had taught replies to these questions for 80 yearsto others! Hearing this, both the angels went away.

Hazrat Alaa bin Abdul Karim (R.A) has re-ported that, once upon a time a man died. He had abrother whose eyesight was very weak. He described:When we buried the dead and when all went away Iplaced my ears on the grave and listened. I hearedthat some one was asking: Who is your God? What isyour religion? Who is your prophet (S.A.W)? I rec-ognized the voice of my late brother who was reply-ing: My Lord is Allaah, My religion is Islam, and myprophet is Hazrat Mohammed (S.A.W). Then I feltthat two fellows came out of the grave which madethe hair on my body stand up on its end and I returnedhome (fiercefully). A similar hadith has been narratedby Hazrat Abul Hasan (R.A) also.

Hazrat Ibne Najjar (R.A) has mentioned in hisbiography that Abul Qasim Mufassir had said that theyhad a teacher (Ustad) from whom we were taking les-sons. A friend of that teacher died. The teachers sawthat dead fellow in their dreams and asked him aboutthe dealing of God Almighty with him. He replied:God pardoned me off. They asked again: What aboutthe dealing with Munkar-Nakir? He replied: I was madeto sit up and was asked: Who is your God? What isyour religion? Who is your prophet? At that time,Almighty Allah enlightened me to say that (and I saidaccordingly that) Please let me off for the sake of

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Abu Bakr (R.A) and Umar (R.A). Then one of the an-gels told the other one: He has given a reference ofgreat people. So let him off. Than both the angels wentaway. Ibne Jareer (R.A) has recorded this hadith inTEHZEEBUL AASAAR.

Hazrat Muhammed bin Nasr (R.A) says thathis father was very fond of offering funeral prayers(Janazah Namaaz) and used to offer it for all knownand unknown mayyats. He once told me: I went forthe funeral prayer of a man and when I was buryingthe dead two souls (Roohs) entered that grave. Thenone of them went back and the other remained inside.When people began to pour earth in the grave I askedthem: O’people! Are you burying also a living beingalong with the dead one? They said: There is no livingbeing herein. I said: Perhaps I have become doubtfulin this matter. But then once again, I said with cer-tainty that: I did see two souls entering this grave andalso that one of them went back and another remainedinside. When all returned after the burial, I stayedthere thinking that this mystery may open up for me.I recited Surah Yaseen ten times and SurahTabarakallazi ten times. Then I earnestly prayed toAllah: O’Allah! Reveal the mystery of this thing tome. I have become perplexed. This has made medoubtful even about my faith. Suddenly the grave split

asunder and a person rose from it and began to moveaway hastily. I asked that fellow: O’gentleman! Juststop for a moment for the sake of God as I want toask you something. He ignored my words twice. WhenI said it for the third time, he asked: Is your nameNasr? I answered in the affirmative. He asked: Doyou not know me? I said: No. He said: We two are theangels of Rahmat (mercy) appointed by Allah for thisman. We both enter the grave of everyone who actsaccording to the sunnah (tradition) of the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) and teach him the answers to theMunkar-Nakir’s querries. Saying this much, hedisappearerd.

Benefit:- (1) The above hadith differs a littlefrom the other one. It is due to difference in the deedsof the people. Some traditions say two angels ques-tion the mayyat in the grave and some say only oneangel asks the questions. The reason for this varianceis that the one who has done more good deeds getsrelief by the appearance of only one angel and somescholars have written though two angels arrive, thequestioning is done by only one. So now there is nodispute. Also according to hadiths, the questioning isdone after the dispersal of people from the grave andas per some, it takes place before that. The reason ofthis variation is that, in case of the one who had done

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more bad deeds, is being questioned after people goaway so that it may be harsher for him and he may getmore punishment. In case of the one who had sinnedless, he is being asked during the presence of peopleso that he may feel less pain and fright.

(2) Questioning is done also in case of thosewho died in jungles and deserts and not buried. He alsogets punishment or reward according to his deeds. ButAllah Almighty has created a veil before our eyes dueto which we cannot see. Our eyes cannot see saytaanand angels. Rooh (soul) is being restored in the deadbody (for questioning and punishing or rewarding butwe cannot know about it’s being alive. It is like thecondition of a man who is unconscious or who is suf-fering from the illness of ‘sakta’ (which makes manalmost dead) whereby, dispite the man being alive, weare unable to comprehend his liveliness. Similarly thegrave squeezes the dead body and it too is pressed bythe ‘air’ between the earth and the sky. We cannot un-derstand all these things. One who has faith believesall these things to be true and accepts them. When theDay of the Covenant (Qaraar) Almighty Allah extractedfrom the spine of Hazrat Adam (A.S) the entire cre-ation (all men to born) and from all of them the prom-ise (testification) of HIS being the Lord Nourisher.All confessed that “verily YOU are our Lord

Nourisher.” Just as it is compulsory to put faith inthis promise, it is also incumbant to have faith in allthese things.

(3) The appearance of Munkar-Nakir is totallydifferent from the faces of all other animates. Theyare neither like man nor like angels nor like beasts,nor like birds. Rather their for is entirely differentfrom all, resembling none. They do not have anythinglike love or pity. Who will see them will lose theirsenses. But in front of the faith of the faithful, theywill become mild and lenient and the faithful will notbe frightened by them.

(4) When questioning begins, the soul is putback in the body. But this liveliness is not like ourworldly liveliness which requires eating-drinking-moving-sleeping etc. Rather it is a novel kind of life.In that life a test is being taken by Munkar-Nakir. Tounderstand it, just take this example. Both a man whois awake and a man who is asleep are alive. Yet wecannot call the state of a sleeping man his death. Like-wise it is also a kind of life when the soul is put in thebody which makes the mayyat alive. Yet that life isnot like the life in this world.

(5) If a man drinks wine and dies in a state ofintoxicated unconsiousness he will enter the gravealso in that state of senselessness and also see

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Munkar-Nakir in that condition. Since he will not bein his senses he will also neither understand the ques-tions nor will he be able to answer them properly.

Abul Fazl Toosi (R.A) has narrated from HazratAnas (R.A) that a man who will die in a state of intoxi-cation will also enter the grave in that state.

CHAPTER NINETEEN Who will not be questioned in the grave

Abul Qasim Saadi (R.A) has written inKITAABUR ROOH that it is mentioned in saheeh(true) hadiths that there are some mayyats which willbe neither punished in the grave nor questioned. Theyare of three kinds:-

(1) The one who has done good deeds becauseof which God Almighty has postponed his question-ing in the grave. (Deeds like martyrdom in Jihaad).

(2) The one who was subjected to a severe pun-ishment at the time of his death which resulted in thepostponement of the grave chastisement.

(3) The one who dies on such a day or night inwhich there is no punishment or questioning (for ex-ample in the day or night of Jummah (Friday).

Hazrat Abu Ayyub (R.A) has narrated in thehadith book NASAAI SHAREEF that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) has said: The one who confronted the enemy

in the battlefield of Jihaad and faught courageouslyuntil he got martyred or won over the opponent willnot be punished in the grave.

Hazrat Salmaan (R.A) has reported that I haveheard the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) saying: At the timeof war against the enemy of Allah for the sake of Al-lah, to stand on the frontier of the Islamic state (DarulIslam) or confronting the enemy is better than fast-ing for one month and a monthlong worship at nightif he dies in that state or condition. The reward of allthe good deeds which he used to do while alive willcontinue to be credited to his account of deeds(a’amaalnaamah). He will continue to get his provi-sion from God and he will be spared from the ques-tioning by Munkar-Nakir.

Hazrat Fuzalah Ibne Ubaid has narrated that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) has said that when a man diesthe series of all his good deeds come to an end in thisworld and so the angels recording deeds, close thebook of accont, seal it and put it in Illiyeen (which iseither a place in the seventh sky or it is the book ofaccounts of the people of paradise). Then nothing isrecorded in that nook. But the man who is prepared tostay at the border of Islamic state for fighting withthe enemies of islam and who dies as a martyr in thatjihaad his good deeds continue to be multiplied in his

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account till the Day of Qiyaamat and he will be savedfrom the trouble of the grave. Hazrat Abu Hurairah(R.A) also has narrated that such a fellow will con-tinue to get his provision from Jannat and he will alsobe saved from the fright of the Day of Judgement.

It is mentioned in NASAAI SHAREEF thatsomeone asked that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.):O’messenger of Allah! How is it that every faithful(momin) will have to face questioning in the graveand some will also be punished in the grave but a mar-tyr will neither be questioned nor chastised? The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: The wound of a sword whichhe got on his head in Jihaad is enough for him andthereafter there is no need of either questioning orof punishing him.

It is narrated by Ibne Masood (R.A) that theman who will recite Surah TABAARAKALLAZI ev-ery night will be saved from the chastisement of thegrave and the who will go on reciting the Verse: INEEAAMANTU BI RABBIKUM FAS MA OON willbe provided ease by God in the matter of Munkar-Nakir’s questioning. Hazrat Kaab (R.A) has said that:We have read in TORAH that whoever will reciteSurah TABAARAKALLAZI every day will be safefrom the chastisement in the grave.

Hazrat Ibne Umar (R.A) has narrated that the

holy prophet (S.A.W) said that whoever dies either inthe day of Jummah or in the night of Jummah will begiven salvation by God from the punishment in thegrave.

Hazrat Ataa Bin Yasaar (R.A) has narrated thatthe holy messenger (S.A.W) has said that any muslimman or woman who dies on ‘Friday night’ (after theend of the daytime of Thuursday whice follows byFriday) will be protected from the questioning byMunkar-Nakeer and also from the accounting on theday fo resurrection (Qiyamat) and his deeds will tes-tify of his being a man of jannat

Benefit (1) :- There is a difference of opinionabout the question whether or not the small childrenwho die before being major. Imaam Qurtabi (R.A) haswritten that god gives wisdom to the child at the timeof questioning and so it is able to give proper replies.Thus it knows about of lucky place of residence inthe Hereafter.

Zuwayyabar (R.A) says that a child of only sixdays belonging to Zuhaak died. He told that when youput my child in the grave, please open the knot of thecoffin cloth and unveal my child’s face because hewill be made to sit and reply questioning. Zuwayyabar(R.A) asked: A child has not commited any sin andyet it will be questioned? It was replied that on the

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day of Covenant, Almighty God had, after extractingall souls from the spine of Hazrat Adam (A), taken aconfession from all and all had confessed that: Ver-ily, O God! YOU are our Lord. So the questiong willbe regarding that covenant. Some scholars (Ulema)have said that what is true is that children will not bequestioned because only one is questioned who hassense and wisdom which a child does not posses.Nasfi (R.A) has written in BAHRUL KALAAM thatthe messengers and the little children of Muslims willface neither questioning nor grave chastisement norany accounting. Hafiz Ibne Hajar (R.A) had issuedfatwa as per this last word only.

(2):- Shaikhul Islam Ibne Hajar (R.A) has writ-ten in his book BAZLUL MAOON FEE FAZALLITAAOON that a muslim who dies of plague (Taaoon)will not be questioned in his grave because a man whostays at his place at the time of the outbreak of plagueand who hopes for a reward from his Lord and whohas a firm conviction that no illness except what Godhas destined for him can ever inflict him and who diesof that or any other illness will not face the chastise-ment of the grave and also from the questioning andhe will be considered like the one who kept vigilantlystanding on the border in the defence of Islam andMuslims. It is also mentioned that if a muslim dies

on Friday, Allah removes the veil from him and he isable to observe at the time of his death his or herrank in the sight of God because, on Friday, Hellfireis not being stoked and its gates are being closed andthe gatekeeper of Hell is not functioning on Friday.So if Almighty Allah takes away the soul of a man orwoman on Friday, it is a sign of a lucky death. Ratheronly that Muslim will die on Friday who is lucky andfortunate in the sight of Allah.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has said that amuslim who dies either during the day or night ofFriday will get the reward of a martyr and he will havethe stamp of ashaheed.

CHAPTER TWENTY Harshness of grave: Ease for the muslim

It is reported by Hazrat Hani (R.A): When-ever Hazrat Uthman (R.A) was going to any grave, hewas weeping so much that his beard was getting wetwith his tears. Some people asked him: How is it thatyou do not weep so muh on hearing about Jannat andJahannam (Hell). Why are you weeping more on agrave? He replied: I have heard from Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) that the grave is the first station of all sta-tions of the other world (Aakhirat/Hereafter). The onegets ease in it gets ease in other stations also but who

does not get ease in this first stage will find that allthe subsequent stages are more difficult. The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) also said that : The grave is the hard-est place of all the places seen by me.

Hazrat Ibne Umar (R.A) has reported that aman died in Madinah and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)led his funeral prayer (namaaze janazah) and then said:How nice would it have been had this fellow died whiletravelling! A sahabi (companion) asked why so? Thereply was: The more the distance between a man’shome and the place of his death the more expanse hewill get in paradise. Ibne Masood (R.A) has also nar-rated like this.

Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri and Hazrat Ibne Umar(R.A) have reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)said the grave is either one of the gardens of paradiseor on the valleys of the hell. It is a vally of hell for thedoers of bad deeds that is for kaafirs. For them, therewill be a number of punishments of various kinds. Formuslims who will do good deeds it will be one of thegardens of Jannat where they will get every kind ofease and reward and comfort. Hazrat Ali (R.A) is re-ported to have added that the grave cries thrice everyday: I am the house of harmful insects and I am a houseof solitude or lonliness.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has narrated that a141 142

muslim dwells while in the grave, in a green and pleas-ing comfortable garden. His grave is being widenedupto the extent of seventy yards and there is a fullmoon night radiance in it. Also Hazrat Aayesha (R.A)has narrated that the grave is being made 40 meterslong and 40 meters broad. Kurtebi (R.A) has writtenthat this widening is done after the earlier supressionand questioning by Munakr-Nakir. Ibne Abidduniyahas written in KITAA BUL QUBOOR that once HazratIsa (A.S) went to a grave long with his near and dearcomapnions. When the people talked about the dark-ness and narrowness of the grave, Hazrat Isa (A.S)said: While in the wombs of your mothers you werein yet narrower place. God gave you a much morespacious area to you in the world. Now if he wills hewill make your grave still spacious.

Ibne Abidduniya (R.A) has mentioned in hisbook ZIKRUL MAUT that he lived a pious and righ-teous man in Basra. His young nephew was a badcharachter living with singing and dancing woman.The aged uncle was admonishing him much but henever listened to his advise. When he died his righ-teous uncle lowered his body in a grave, arranged woodplanks over the pit and began to pour earth on it. Therehe felt something strange and so he removed a plankand peeped in the grave. He saw that the garve had

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been widened more than the whole graveyard of theBasra city. Then he levelled the grave and went to thatfellow’s wife and asked: How were his deeds? Shereplied that whenever he was hearing the word’s ASHHA DU AL LAAILAAHA ILLALLAAH - ASH HADUANNA MUHAMMADUR RASOOLALLAH in everyazaan, he used too say: O’Proclaimer of this azaan! Igive witness to what you testify and we teach this tes-timony also to those who do not hear this azaan.

Hazrat Shareek bin Abdullah (R.A) has narratedthat : I offered the funeral prayer of a fellow in thecity of Kufa. Then I went in the grave pit and began toarrange bricks on top of it. Suddenly a brick fell downand I felt as if I were in Haraam Sharif busycirambulating in Tawaaf and that the Kaaba as well asHajre aswad were before my eyes.

Hazrat Amr bin Muslim (R.A) has reported thatonce a grave-digger told me: I dug two graves and wasdigging the third one when I felt the heat of the sun.So I spread out my sheet above the grave and contin-ued digging in it’s shade. Suddenly two horse-men ar-rived and stood at the first grave. One of them told theother: Write. The other asked: What should I write?The former replied: Write, width three miles and lenghthree miles. Then they came to the second gravewhere one told the other: Write. The other repeated

his question: What should I write? The other said: Asfar as eyes can see. Then they came to the third gravewhich I was still digging. One said: Write. The otherasked: What? The former said: The distance sholudnot be more than the distance between a thumb andthe forefinger. After hearing this, I sat down in awaitof the body. Some people came with a janazah andwent to the first grave. I asked: What kind of a manwas he? They replied: He was supplying water topeople. He had many children and no money. So wehave arranged this funeral with the help of contribu-tions. I said: I will not take the charge of digging hisgrave. Please give away this amount to his childrenon behalf of me. Thereafter I engaged in the burialwork. A little later, another janazah arrived which wasbrought only by the four carriers. No one else hadaccompanied that mayyat. They took it to the secondgrave. I asked about the charachter of this fellow. Theyreplied: A horse-man was found dead and he had noth-ing. I did not collect the digging charge from themalso and began my work. I sat waiting for the thirdjanazah till the time of the night prayer of Esha. Thenarrived the janazah of the wife of a cheif (sardar).When I asked for my charges, they beat me up se-verely and went away.

(The above quoted hadith says about three

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mayyats and it is also mentioned how spacious theirgrave will be. It shows that it depends on the deedsdone by the buried person- Tr.).

A resident of Bahrain, Abu Yazid (R.A) nar-rates that I washed the body of a traveller in Bahrain.The words TOOBAA LA KA YAA GAREEB werewritten on his body meaning ‘Congratulations to youO’foreigner’. Looking more attentively, I found thatthe words were inscribes between his skin and flesh.Aajari (R.A) has recorded this story in KITAABULGURABAA.

It is narrated by Uqba bin Abi Mueet (R.A)that: I attended the funeral of Ahnaf and when I en-tered the grave and began to arrange planks I couldsee that the grave was being widened as far as eyescould see. Aajari told this to one of his companionsbut he could not see it.

It is reported that Abdullah bin Ghaalib (R.A)was martyred in a Jihaad. When he was buried, thefragrance of musk was spreading from his grave.Thereafter all of his friends saw him in their dreamsand asked him about his residence in the other world.He replied: In paradise. They asked: For what? Hereplied: I was firm in my faith (imaan) and was al-ways offering the midnight Tahajjud prayers. Theyasked: What about the good smell emanating from

your grave? He replied: It was the reward of recitingthe Holy Qur’aan and offering tahajjud.

Note:- There are different narrations about thewidening of the grave, so it should be understoodbecause of various kinds of deeds done by the dead.

THINGS WHICH GIVE BENEFIT IN THE GRAVEHazrat Sarari Ibne Mukhallad (R.A) has

narrtaed that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) told HazratAbu Zarr (R.A): if you think of travelling, will youalso think about arranging requisite provision for itor not? Then what preparation have you made for yourjourney for the other world? O’Abu Zarr! I am show-ing things which will benefit you there. Abu Zarr said:Please tell, o’messenger of ALlah! Then the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: Observe nafl (voluntary fastson hot days and offer two rakaats (units) prayer(namaaz) during dark nights. It will remove the fearof the grave.

Hazrat Ali (R.A) has narrated that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: A person who will recite thewords: LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHUL MALIKULHAQQUL MUBEEN one hundred times every day,will never be hit by poverty and will never get fright-ened in his grave, and the gates of paradise will beopened for him/her.

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Hazrat ka’ab (R.A) hs narrated that God Al-mighty gave inspiration to Hazrat Moosa (A.S): Learnand teach knowledge. I brighten up the graves of theteachers and the taught who are engaged in spreadingknowledge so that they may not be frightened in it.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham (R.A) narrates: Iwent with a mayyat and prayed: O’God! Grant Barkat(bounty) in my death. A voice came from the coffinof the dead person: Ask for barkat after dearh also. Igot frightened by that voice and sat near the grave af-ter burial. I could see that a handsome man came outof the grave. He was dressed in clean and fragrantclothes. I asked him: Who are you? He replid: I amthe fellow who had talked to you from the coffin. Iam the sunnah (tradition) of the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.). He had followed the sunnah of the prophet(S.A.W.) so I was protecting him in the world and willbe a light for him in his grave. I will be his friend andwill make him enter paradise on the Day of Judge-ment.

Hazrat Abu Kaahil (R.A) says that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) told him: O’Abu Kaahil! Do remem-ber that the one who did not trouble any body will,according to the promise of Allah , not find any troublein the grave).

Hazrta Umar (R.A) has reported that the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W.) said: If a man will light up a mosque,Allah will light up his grave and if a person will ar-range for fragrance in a mosque, God will make hisgrave fragrant.

Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A) has said that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) has said: Hazrat Moosa (A.S) askedfrom Allah: What will be the ereward for visiting asick or ill fellow? Came a command: ListenO’Moosa! I will appoint two angels for him. They willtake care of him in his grave. Hazrat Hasan (R.A) hasalso narrated a similar hadith.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE About the punishment in the grave

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has reported thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) used to pray like this:ALLAH HUMMA INNEE A OOZU BIKA MINAZAABIL QABR meaning ‘O’Allah! I seek YOURprotection from the chastisement in the grave.’(Bukhari Shareef)

Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (R.A) has narrated thatthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) once went in the garden ofBanu Najar riding a mule. We were with him. Sud-denly the mule jumped so frightenedly that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) almost fell off. There were about 5or 6 graves near by. He asked whether any of us knew

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the residence of these graves. One of us said: I know.The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) asked: In what conditiondid they die? He was replied: In a condition of Kufr(as kaafirs). The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Had theynot been buried, I would have prayed to God to makeyou hear the noise of the chastisement in the grave,which I am hearing.

Hazrat Aayesha (R.A) has reported that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) has said that the chastisementof the grave is a true fact. The dead is being punishedin the grave if he deserves it and all living things ex-cept man and jinns can hear the noise of that chas-tisement.

Muslim have reported by Hazrat Abu Hurairah(R.A) that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said that for amuslim the grave is being turned into a garden. It isbeing made 70 yards wide and is lighted like a fullmoon night. Thereafter the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)said: MAN A’A RA ZA AN ZIKREE meaning for aperson who refuses to remember will get a narrow(hard) life in this world and, on the Day of Qiyaamat,WE will make him rise blind (Holy Qur’aan, Para:16,Surah: Taahaa, Verse: 122). For whom this holy aayatwas sent from the sky? The companions replied: OnlyAllah and his messenger knows (we do not). The HolyProphet (S.A.W.) replied: This verse was revealed in

the case of Disbelievers (kaafirs) about their punish-ment. Ninety snakes will be released upon them whowill puff poison and bite them till the Day ofRessurection.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) has reported thatonce the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) passed by two graves.He said: Punishment is being meted out to those whoare in these two graves and this chastisement is notdue to any big sin but because one of them was notcleaning himself properly after passing urine and an-other was a back-biter. (This is the summary of twohadiths mentioned earlier. Tr.). Then the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) split a (green) branch of a date treeinto two peices and placed one part each on the saidgraves. When the companions asked the reason, hereplied: I hope that till the branch remains green(fresh) those in these graves will fell some relief,(Bukhari).

Hazrat Ya’la Ibne Murrah (R.A) says: Once Iwent to a graveyard with the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)and heard the noise of the squeezing of the grave. TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) asked me: Did you hear thenoise? I said: Yes. He said: This dead fellow was notcleaning himself after urination and was also indulg-ing in back-biting.

According to another hadith, the chastisement in

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the grave is due to 3 things: ‘Backbiting’ (Geebat, meaningsomething which is wrong in somebody may be told to oth-ers in his absence), maligning people and remaining uncleanafter urinating.

Hazrat Abdullah Ibne Umar (R.A) says: Once I passedthrough the graveyard of Badr (It is the name of a well be-cause of which the place was also called Badr). I saw that agrave got splitted and a body came out of it having a steelchain in its neck. He shouted at me: Give me water! Anotherman came out of a grave with a lash in his hand. He shoutedat me saying: O’Abdullah! Do not give him water as he is akaafir. Then he began to give him lashes, until he returned tohis grave. Hazrat Abdullah says: Then I went to the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) and narrated this event to him. He replied:He was Abu Jahl, the enemy of Allah. He will continue to getthis punishment till Qiyaamat.

Hazrat Huvairis (R.A) narrates: Once I went to a placecalled Asaabah. I saw that a man came out of a grave andadvanced towards me. His head and mouth were full of fireand every part of his body was bound in chains. He told meloudly: O’servant of God! Please give me some water. Atthat very moment, another man came out of that grave andtold me: Never give him any water. Saying this, he draggedhim back head-down until both disappeared in the grave.Hazrat Huvairis (R.A) says: Seeing all this, my she-camel got frightened and she began to run and I could not

control her until we reached a place called Irkuz-jaJabiyya Hayy. There I made the camel to sit down, of-fered my Maghrib-Esha prayers and resumed my jour-ney. I reached Madinah by daybreak. I narrated this hap-pening to Hazrat Umar (R.A) who called some old peopleof the city and inquired about the dead body. One agedman said he belonged to the tribe of Banu Gifaar. He haddied during ignorance and he never observed the rightsof guests.

Hazrat Ibne Masood (R.A) has reported that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: There was a pious and righteous man.When he died and when people returned after burying him,Allah Almighty commanded an angel of punishment to lashhim 100 times. When the angels readied themselves to lashhim, he said: I am an obedient servant of Allah. Again camethe Divine Command: Give him 50 lashes. He prayed againand the number was reduced to less than 50. Likewise itcame down to only 1 lash. When the angel inflicted thatlash, as a result of it, the whole grave got filled with fire andthat fellow was engulfed in flames. When there was somerelief, he asked the angel: Why was I lashed? The angel re-plied: One day you had offered Namaaz without Wuzoo (ab-lution) and on one occasion you passed by an opressed manwho had begged for your help but you did not help him.(The punishment was for that sin).

It is reported bu Hazrat Abu Moosa Asha’ri

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(R.A) that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: In mydream I saw that some angels were cutting the fleshof some dead bodies. I asked who they were. The an-gels replied: They were donning nice dress and thenwere going to do unlawful deeds. I also saw a wellfrom where a bad smell was emanating. A noise ofwailing people was rising from that well. I asked whothey were and the angels replied: They were womenwho wear wearing nice clothes for indulging in un-lawful deeds (adultary/zinaa). I also saw some peoplewith hair on their body, nice and half-ugly. They bathedin ‘Aabe Hayaat’ whereby they became okay and theirbodies became beautiful and their ugliness was re-moved. When I asked about them, I was told that: Thesepeople had done both good and bad deeds in the worldbut Allah Almighty has pardoned them due to HISmercy.

Hazrat Ali (R.A) has reported: One day, afterfinishing with his Fajr prayer the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said: Last night I saw in my dream that therecame two angels. They held my hand and took me tothe sky (heaven). There I saw an angel who was hold-ing a heavy stone in his hand, with which he was crush-ing the head of a man. He was hitting so hard that theman’s jaw and scull bones were falling off. By thetime the angel was raising the stone again, his face

and head were healing completely. The angel was thushitting again and again. This continued unceasingly. Iasked the angel who led me there as to who thesemen were that were being punished so severely. Theangel replied: Just come forward. I went further andthere I saw an angel with an iron rod in his hand. Oneend of that rod was curved. He was piercing that rodin the right jaw of a man drawing it upto his right ear,thereby tearing off his whole right cheek. Then hewas repeating this torture on his left face includinghis eyes and ears and mouth. By the time it was doneon the right side, the left side injuries were beinghealed and vice versa. This was being repeated con-tinuously. I asked who were these people? The angelsaid: Just come along. Moving further I saw a river ofblood which was boiling like a pot on a blazing stove.In that river was a group of naked people. Angels withstones in their hands were standing on the bank of theriver. When that group of people was approaching theshore, the angels were stoning them. The stonesdeeply pierced mouths of those people who wentdown due to pain. I asked who they were. I was told tomove forward. I moved furthur and saw a black hill-ock on which people were burning from beneath andembers were shooting from their mouths, nose, eyesand ears. I asked who were they, but again was told to

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move forward. There a big fire was burning upto a verylong distance. An angel with a very frightened facewas overseeing it. Whenever a big ember was gettingout of that fire, he was recollecting and replacing itin the fire. I asked for whom was all this. I was onceagain told to move along. There I saw a green gardenin which there were many beautiful flowers of vari-ous kinds. A very very handsome old man was sittingin that garden. The like of whom I had never seen.Many children were sitting around him. In that gar-den, there was a tree with leaves as big as the ears ofan elephant. I went up as far as God willed. There Isaw nice and beautiful houses which were made up ofpearls, green diamonds and red ruby (precious stone).I asked what kind of houses these were, but was askedto go ahead. Advancing furthur, I saw a stream of wa-ter. On it’s bank were two glasses, one made of goldand another of silver. On both the banks of that streamwere many beautiful bangalows the like of which isimpossible to see anywhere else. They were alsomade up of pearls, green diamonds, and red ruby. Therealso were a number of glasses and cups. I asked forwhom was all this. Go there and observe, was the re-ply. So I went ahead, took a cup and drank a little fromthat rivulet. It was sweeter than honey, whiter than milkand softer than butter, and very clean. Then I told the

angel: Today we have observed various astonishingevents. Please explain about it.

They said: (Listen) whose heads and faces werebeing crushed and whose brains and jaws etc. werebeing thrown away, because of severe heating, werethe people who did not offer their night (Ishaa) prayers,they were performing other prayers also after theirtimings were over. They will get this punishment tillthe day of Qiyamat. Those whose mouths were beingtorn with iron rods were back-biters and evil speakerswho were spreading enmity and disputes among Mus-lims. They will continue to get this chastisement tillQiyaamat. Those who were floating in the river ofblood and feeling stones in their mouths were thosewho were eating usury (interest money). They will getthis torture till the day of Resurrection. Those womenwho were being burnt without clothes (naked) wereindulging in adultery (prostitution/zinaa) and they willalso continue to be tortured till. Dooms Day. Thosewho were on the black hillock and who were emittingembers from their ears, eyes, nose. and mouth are thepeople who were indulging in the misdeed of thepeople of Loot (homosexuality of sodomy) and theywill get this punishment till the Day of Resurrection.The fire which is raging on a very very wide field isthe hell and the green and cool garden is Paradise

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(Jannat). The old gentlemen is Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S)and the little children around him are the children ofmuslims who died in their childhood. The tree isSIDRAT UL MUNTAHAA and the bungalows on thebank are the residence of prophets and Siddiqs andpious people. That spring or rivulet is HAWZ EKAWSAR which has been given by the Lord Almightyto the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and that grand palace isfor the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and his AHLE BAIT(family members).

Note: Ulamaa have said that this hadith provesthat chastisement in the grave is a fact: that every bodyhas to taste it according to his or her deeds because adream of a prophet is a revelation from Allah whichis always true. In addition to this the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) has said in this hadith that this punishment(torture) will continue to the sinners till the Day ofResurrection (this also proves that chastisement inthe grave is true).

Hazrat Abu Umamah (R.A) has narrated thatone day, after the Fajr Namaaz, the Holy Prophet(S.A.W) turned toward us and said: I have seen adream which is totally true. So you should understandit and also remember it. A man came to me and hold-ing my hand began to walk. On the way we saw a veryhigh mountain. He asked me: Ascend this mountain. I

said: I am unable to climb on it. He said: I am makingthe hillground soft for you. Thereafter I was able toclimb on it easily. On that hill I saw such man andwoman who’s mouths were torn up upto their ears. Iasked: Who are these people? He said: They were notdoing what they were saying and were not followingtheir promisis. Then we went forward to find thatmelted led was being poured in the eyes and ears ofsome men and women. I asked: Who are these peopleand was told that they were peeping in the homes ofothers and were hearing attentively what they werenot supposed to hear. When we went forward we againsaw some women who were hanging upside-down andwhose breasts were being beaten by snakes. I asked:Who are these women and was told they were notsuckling their babies (starving them of their own milk).Advancing furthur we saw that some men and womenwere hanged upside-down and that they were likingdirty and filthy water. I asked who they were and wastold that they were fasting but were breaking fastsbefore the time. We went furthur to see a group ofvery ugly men and women in extremely filthy dress.A very obnoxious smell was emanating from theirbodies like that of a post-fever perspiration. I askedabout them and was told that they were adulterers/adulteresses. We went on still further and saw that

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the entire body of some people was swollen givingout bad smell. I asked who they were and was informedthat they were the corpses of kaafirs (disbielevers).We advanced further and saw that some people werelying beneath a tree. I asked about them and was toldthat these are dead bodies of muslims. We went fur-ther to observe some boys and girls playing innocentlyby the side of rivers and springs. I asked who theywere and was informed that they were children ofmuslims. We went on further and saw that there aresome people with beautiful and handsome faces andnice clothes spreading sweet fragrance. I asked aboutthem and was told that they are shaheeds (martyrs)and Siddiqs (truthful) and righteous people.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has narrated that the HolyProphet (S.A.W) said: If any bad fellow from mycommunity will indulge in the misdeeds of the peopleof Loot (sodomy) his grave will be stretched upto thegraveyard of the people of Loot (A.S) and they willbe resurrected with those people on the day of judge-ment.

It is written in TAAREEKH E-IBNE ASAAKIRthat a man died at the frontier and was buried there.On the third day his grave had to be opened for somereason but it was found that though all the planks ofthe grave were at there propper place, the body was

not there. Then we inquired about this with Waqeebin Jararah. He said that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)had said that whoever does the misdeed of the com-munity of Loot (homosexual sodomy), his body isbeing dragged from his grave to the grave yard of thepeople of Loot (even though he might have died atany far off place) and his resurrection will also bewith the people of Loot. Isfahani has quoted Awaambin Hawraab in TARGEB: I went to visit a family. Therewas a grave nearby. After the time of Asr, that gravegot split up. A man emerged from it. His head waslike that of a donkey but body like a man. He screamedthrice like an ass (hoselike-mammal) and went backinto his grave and the grave returned to it’s formerposition. I made inquiries about that man with localpeople who told me that he was a drunkered. Hismother was admonishing him to fear God but, beingintoxicated he was shooting back: Why are you scream-ing like a donkey? He died after Asr. Ever since that day,this grave gets split after Asr. This man comes out of it,screams like a donkey thrice and goes back in the grave.

Asma Ubadani (R.A) has reported that: Once Iwent to a ground where I found a church. A Christianpriest was sitting in one of it’s rooms. I requestedhim to narrate if he had seen any wonderful things.He replied: One day I saw a sparrow as big as an

ostridge which sat on this rock. Then it vomited a(human) head, leg and then a thigh. The organs whichwere coming out of it’s mouth were getting connectedwith one-another automatically. This happened till itturned into a whole man sitting on the ground. Whenthat man tried to get up, the sparrow knocked himdown with his giant back and ate up all his organs oneby one. This continued to happen for several days. Ibecame wonderstruck and my faith in God becamefirmer and I was also now convinced that God made adead body alive at his will. One day, I payed attentionto that sparrow and asked it: O’bird! For God’s sake,Please wait for some time and allow me to ask thisman to tell me about him. The sparrow replied in purearabic language: The entire universe is in the controlof my Lord. He is to remain for ever and every otherthing is to perish. I am one of the angel’s of God andI have been appointed over this man because he hassinned. (The angel was in the form of a sparrow). ThenI asked that man: Who are you and what is the matterwith you? He replied: I am the killer of Hazrat Ali(R.A). I am Ibne Muljim. When I was killed and mysoul went to Allah , I was given my scroll of deeds(Namaa’e Aa’mal ). All of my deeds and misdeedswere recorded in it. Almighty Allah has appointed thisangel to punish me till the Day of Judgement for tor-

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turing me. As you have seen, this sparrow has eatenall the organs of my body. This hadith has been re-ported by Tamam bin Muhammed bin Asakir, IbneNajjar and Ibne Ahmad (R.A)

It is mentioned by Hazrat Abdullah that oncehe embarked on a ship along with some other voyag-ers. The wind began to blow fiercely and black cloudsengulfed the entire sky. The ship sailed in total dark-ness for several days. Then we saw a little light of dayand our ship reached a human habitation. I went out insearch of drinking water. There I saw a house with itsdoors closed. A noise of blowing winds was comingfrom within that house. I shouted from outside but noone replied. Then two horsemen covered by whitechadar (sheet) came over there and told me:O’Abdullah! Go forward on this way. You will find atank of water (hauz). You may drink that water but donot be afraid if you observe any wonderful thing there.I asked the horseman whose house it was. All of itsdoors are closed and yet a roar of blowing wind comesfrom within it. They replied: There are souls of thedead in that house. I went past that house and wentpassed a hauz. In the midst of that tank I saw a manhanging upside down with his feet bound. He wasstretching his hands toward the water but could notreach it. He screamed: O’Abdullah! Please give me

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some water. I gave him a cup full of water but my handbecame motionless so I could not give him water. Iasked him: O’servant of God! Who are you? He re-plied: I am Adam (A.S)’s son Kabil who had commitedthe first ever murder on earth by killing his brotherHaabil. Imam Jalalluddin Suyooti (R.A) has writtenthis hadith in DURRE MANTHOOR.

Hafiz Abu Muhammed (R.A) has written inKARAAMAATE AWLIYAA: Abdullah bin Hashimnarrated to me: I went to wash a dead body. When Iremoved the cloth from his head, I saw that a snakewas clinging to his neck. I told the snake: You havebeen appointed by God and we have also been orderedby God to wash this body. So, just move aside till wedo our duty. The snake went to a corner. When wefinished washing that body, the snake returned andclung to the neck of that body once again. We cameto know thereafter that the dead man used to do deedsof Kufr (blasphemy).

It is reported that a man came to Hazrat Umar(R.A). The hair on his face and head was half blackand half grey. Hazrat Umar (R.A) asked him: How didyour condition turn like this? He replied: Once I hadbeen to such and such graveyard where I saw that aman was lashing another man. When he was given alash, he was turning into fire from head to feet. See-

ing this, that man clung to me. This clinging causedhalf of my beard and head turn gray. That fellow askedme to help him but the other one told me not to helphim as he was a disbeliever (kaafir).

It is reported that a man was living in Madinah.His sister died. After he returned home, his moneypurse which had fallen down had remained by thegrave. He went back with a friend, opened the graveand took off his purse. Then he told his companion:Just get aside so that I may see the condition of mylate sister. When he opened the planks he found thatthe entire grave was full of fire. He replaced the planksat once and went to his mother and asked her in whatcondition had his sister died. She told him that sheused to offer namaaz after its time had passed andsometimes she was offering namaaz without makingwuzoo. She was listening to the talks of her neigh-bors in bed and then narrating the same to others. (Thepunishment in the grave is due to those sins).

Hazrat Abaan bin Abdullah (R.A) says: Myneighbor expired and I attended his funeral rites. Whenwe were about to lower the body in the grave, we sawa cat like animal sitting there. We tried our best toremove it but to no avail. So we decided to bury thebody in another grave. There too the animal was seenand it did not move away. Being helpless, we buried

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the body there and levelled the earth on it. Then weheard a frightening shriek from that grave. People toldthis thing to the widow of that man and asked her whatkind of deeds was he doing. She replied: He was nottaking the compulsory bath after having sex (janaabat/copulation).

Ibne Qaiyim (R.A) has written in KITAABURROOH that a man went to the bazaar to sell iron nails.An ironsmith purchased them and began to heat themin a furnace but they neither got heated nor becamesoft and hammer could not work on them. At last theironsmith asked that man: From where did you getthese nails? That fellow hesitated in giving a reply butat least he said : I had found these nails in a dead bodyin a grave. I tried to extract them from bones but failedto do so. I broke down all the bones and brought themhere for sale.

Ibne Qaiyim (R.A) has also said: “AbuAbdullah has told me: I left my home after Asr andreached a garden. There I saw some graves beforesunset. One of them was full of fire and fierce flameswere shooting out of it like those in a glass manufac-turing furnace. The dead body is in its midst. I askedwhose grave this is. I came to know that it is of a busi-ness man who was telling lies and cheating others andwho died today.

Abdullah Kafi describes: I attended a funeral.There was a black skinned man who went aside whenall others lined up for prayer. At that time of burialhe looked at me and said: ‘I am his aamal (deeds).’Then he also got buried with the mayyat.

Note:- (1) Ulamaa have written thatBARZAKH means the life between the world andhereafter, (duniyaa and aakhirat). It is a life after death.It is neither in this world nor in the other. Any pun-ishment metted out during this time-zone is called‘Punishment in the grave’. Almighty Allah punishedthe mayyat in the BARZAKH whom he wants, be thatfellow either buried or hanged and then burnt away orthrown into sea. God is mighty enough to chastisehim. The chastisement in the BARZAKH is calledchastisement of grave because most of the bodies arebeing buried in the grave. Such chastisement will begiven to bad fellows in whatever condition the deadbe and it will continue (lightly) till Qiyaamat. The realpunishment will be only after the accounting on theDay of Judgement and it will be extremely severe.May Allah protect all of us from it-Aameen.

(2) God has kept the chastisement of the graveinvisible for people because if they see it they willbecome mad and give up all worldly affairs, therebythe entire management will disrupt. But on certain

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occasions he makes it visible so that man may haveGod’s fear in his heart, he may be convinced of HISmight and his neglegance may be removed. He mayaccept admonition, may be ashamed in his sins, re-pent and stop from sinning and continue to seek par-don from Allah.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Things giving protection from the chastisement in

gravesTabrani, Hakim Tirmizi and Isfahani have

quoted A.Rahmaan bin Samurah (R.A) that one day theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) came to us and said: Today Ihad an astonishing dream. I saw that Malak ul Mawt(angel of death) came to a person of my Ummah totake his soul. Then the Ihsaan or good behaviour thatthat man had done to his parents arrived and made theMalak to go away. I also saw a man of my Ummah.When people returned after burying him, chastisementrained on his grave. At that time, wuzoo (ablution) ar-rived and stopped the chastisement. I also saw anotherman from my Ummah who was about to die (was inthe state of Sakaraat). A shaytaan standing near by wasmaking him anxious and sorrowful, at that came Allah’sZikr (rememberance) and saved that man fromshaytaan’s mischief. Again I saw a man from my

Ummah whom the angels of chastisement had fright-ened badly. At that time came his prayers (namaaz/salaat) and protected him. Again I saw a man of mycommunity whose tongue was hanging out of hismouth due to extreme thirst. Despite repeated effortshe was being prevented from drinking water. At thatmoment came’Sawm” (Rozah/fastings) and providedhim water. Then I saw a man belonging to my com-munity. At a little distance from him, messengers(A.S) were sitting in a circle. Whenever that man triedto approach them, he was being stopped from doingso. At that time came up his ‘Gusle-Janaabt’ (postintercourse bath) which held his hand and made himsit near me. I also saw a man of my Ummah who wasrestless beacause of dense darkness all around him.He did not know what to do about it. At that time cameto him his ‘Hajj’ and ‘Umrah’ reward which led himfrom darkness to light. Then I saw another man of mycommunity who is talking to other muslims but noone listens to him nor do they give any response. Atthat time came to him that good behaviour which hehad done to his near and dear ones and relatives andthat reward shouted “O’Faithful people! Talk withhim.” Then all talked with him. Then I saw a man whohad covered his face with his hands to save it fromthe heat of hell. His ‘Sadaqah’ (charity) arrived and

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shaded him from fire. Again I saw a man of my Ummahsorrounded by angels of Azaab (divine puishment).At that time came those good words which he haddelivered in the world for futherance of good and re-moval of evil. This reward relieved him from angelsof chastisement and handed him over to angels ofmercy. When I saw a man from my community whoproceeds toward Allah’s court on his knees. But thereis a veil in between which is preventing him. His goodhabits came up, held his hand and took him to God’spresence. I saw a man of my muslim Ummah who wasgiven his scroll of deeds in his left hand ( a sign ofFailure). At that moment came his fear of God (in hisworldly life) and gave his scroll in his right hand. ThenI saw a muslim the weight of whose good deeds be-came less at the time of accounting. At that time camesome small children and surrounded him from allsides. These were the innocent children of the deadone who had died very young and the dead had keptpatience (observed Sabr) with a hope of getting re-ward from the Almighty. They enhanced the weightof his good deeds. Then I saw a man of my Ummahwho was standing on the brink of Hell. Then came hisfear of Allah and relieved him. Then I saw a man frommy Ummah who was about to fall in hell but then camehis tears which he had shed in the world due to fear of

God and saved him from Hellfire. Then I saw a manof my Ummah who was trembling severely on PulSirat (the bridge). At that moment his good opinionsabout God came to his rescue and removed his frightand he crossed the difficult bridge. Then I saw a manfrom my Ummah who was inching on the Pul Siraatsome times on his knees and some times dragginghis buttocks. His namaaz came and raised him up andhe crossed the bridge. Again I saw a man from myUmmah who reached the gate of Paradise but at thatmoment the gate closed down. Then the Kalimah ‘LAAILAAHA ILLALLAH’ (his faith that there is no Godbut ONLY ONE ALLAH) arrived, opened the gate andadmitted him into heaven. Then I saw some peoplewhose tongues had stretched up and people are hang-ing. I said: ‘O’Jibraeel! Who are they? The angel re-plied: They are those who were making false allega-tions of adultery against muslim men and women. Ialso saw some people whose lips were being curtailedwith scissors. I asked: O’Jibraeel! Who are they? Iwas told: These are people who were slanderingmuslims.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) is reported to havesaid that a man who will come up, as per Allah’s com-mand, for fighting in Jihaad against the enemies ofAllah, he will give him six extraordinary graceful

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things:-1- All of his sins will be washed with the drop-

ping of the first drop of his blood on earth and he willsee his place in paradise (Jannat).

2- He will be free from the punishment in thegrave.

3- He will have no fear on the day of Judge-ment.

4- A crown of Honour will be put on his head.It will be made up of pearls (ruby) which is more pre-cious than anything in the world.

5- He will be married with the best Hoors(fairies) of Paradise.

6- He will make recommendation in favour ofseventy persons of his family.

It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)said: The one who dies of the illness of stomach willbe saved from the punishment in the grave (the ill-ness is loose motions of extreme thirst).

Hazrat Salmaan Farsi (R.A) has narrated thatsome people of the book (Ahlekitaab) informed himthat Hazrat Isa (A.S) said that a lenghtly recitation ofDivine Verses during Qiyaam of Namaaz prayers pro-tects man from the anxiety on Pul Siraat and makinglong prosterations saves him from the chastisementin the grave.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has narrated that hehimself told a man: Should I not give you a gift whichmay make you pleased. He replied: Please do giveme. He said: Recite TABARAKALLAZI and teach itto your wife, children and all the members of yourfamily and also your neighbors because the name ofthis Surah is Munjiyah meaning the reliever from chas-tisement in the grave and Mujadilah which means apleader before the Lord for relief from the punish-ment in the grave as well as the chastisement of Hell.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (R.A) says: In thegrave when punishment will arrive from the side ofthe head, the head will say: You have no passage herebecause here (in this head) lies Surah Mulk. Then thechastisement will come from the side of the feet. Thefeet will say: No passage from here also because we(these feet) had stood for reciting Surah Mulk. It isalso said that a man who will reciteTABARAKALLAZI every night will be protected fromthe punishment of the grave.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has reported that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: A man expired who did notremember anything from the Holy Qur’aan exceptSurah TABARAKALLAZI. When his body was low-ered in the grave, angels of punishment arrived butthis Surah prevented them from giving any punish-

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ment. The angels said: This is a chapter from the HolyQur’aan. We do not want to give you (the surah) anypain or harm. We have no power to give any benefitor harm either to you or the dead or even toourseleves. if you want to save this body from pun-ishment you may approach the Lord and recommendin its favour. The Surah will reach the divine courtand submit: O’Lord! This man used to recite me re-peatedly in the world. I am residing in his heart. IfYOU want to punish him, please first remove me fromthe Holy Qur’aan. The Lord will ask: O’Surah! haveyou become angry? The Surah will say: I have a rightto be angry in this matter. Almighty Allah will say:See, I have entrusted this mayyat to you. I have ac-cepted your recommendation. So it will come to theangel and make them go away. The angels will go awaydisappointed. The Surah will come to the mayyat andcongratulate it saying: Blessed be your mouth whichrecited me, blessed be your heart in which I remain,blessed are your both legs standing on which you re-cited me. Then the Surah will stay in his grave so thathe may never experience fear.

Imam Yafe (R.A) has said that there lived apious man in Yemen who says: Once I buried a body.After completion of burial, I heard a noise of some-body being hit. A black dog came out of that grave

and ran away. I asked it: Who are you? It replied: I amthe deeds of the dead fellow. I asked it again: Whowas hit now, you or the mayyat? It replied: I was beatenbecause the mayyat has Surah Yaaseen and SurahSajdah. These two surahs beat me up and drove meaway.

It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)was reciting Surah TABARAK and Surah SAJDAHdaily at bed time.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has reported that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W) said whoever offers tworakaats namaaz on thursday after maghrib prayers withSurah IZAA ZUL ZILATUL ARDU fifteen times af-ter surah Fatiha (Alhamdulillah). God Almighty willmake death easy for him and protect him from thepunishment in the grave, and make passing over PulSiraat comfortable for him.

It is reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W)has said: One who dies on the day of Friday or duringFriday night will die in a state of faith (as a muslim)and he will be saved from the chastisement of thegrave.

Hazrat Anas (R.A) has reported that a personwho dies during the holy month of Ramadhan will besaved from the punishment in the grave.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Dead bodies have mutual love, They meet one another and offer namaaz and recite the Holy Qur’aan

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) reported that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: Hazrat Jibraeel (A.S) has in-formed me that LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAH is thefriend of Muslims on the day of his death and in thegrave and on the Day of Ressurection from the grave.It means the one who proclaimed LAA ILAAHAILLALLAH from his heart and acted upon it, that is,protected himself from Kufr (blasphemy) and shirk(Polytheism), did what he was ordered to do and dis-carded what he was asked to discard then the Kalimah(LAA ILAAH) will help him at all the three placesand occasions maintained above. All the three placesare very hard stages in the other world of Post mortemAakhirat.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has narrated that oncethe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) passed by the grave ofHazrat Moosa (A.S). He observed that (Moosa A.S)was offering namaaz in his grave. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) also said that all the messengers are alive intheir graves and are praying therein.

As per a tradition, Hazrat Thaabit Bunani (R.A)was always praying: O’Allah! If YOU are to allow any-

one to offer namaaz in his grave, please allow me todo so. Hazrat Zubair (R.A) says: When Thaabit died, Iwashed his body and laid it in the grave and closed thegrave with wooden planks. Suddenly a plank fell downand I could see that he was offering namaaz therein.Hazrat Ibrahim Mahlabi (R.A) says: My acquaintanceinformed me that whenever they pass by the grave ofThaabit Bunani (R.A), we hear the voice of Qur’aanrecitation from it.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has reported that asahabi (holy companion) once built a tent over a grave.He did not know that there was a grave at that place.He heard that a man was reciting Surah Mulk underthe ground. He came to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)and narrated this event to him. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) accepted the narration as true, and said: ThisSurah protects one from the punishment in the grave.

Yusuf bin Muhammed (R.A) says that AbulHasan who was a pious man once showed me a placeand said: I hear Surah Mulk at this place daily.

Isa bin Muhammed (R.A) saw Abu Bakr binMujahid reciting Qur’aan in the grave and asked: Youhave already died. What are you reciting now? He re-plied: While I was alive, I was praying after everynamaaz: O’God! Make me one of those who recitethe Holy Qur’aan in their graves. Answering that prayer,

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Allah made me like those people. Hazrat Ibne Abbas(R.A) has said: A muslim is given a Qur’aan in hisgrave which he recites.

Hazrat Ikramah (R.A) has narrated that a mansaw Hafiz Abul-Alaa Hamadani, who was an Aalime-Rabbani, after his death in his dream, he saw that thesaid Aalim is in a city wherein all walls were made ofbooks. When asked for the reason, he said: I used topray to Allah to keep me engaged in seeking knowl-edge even after my death as I am in this world. Godaccepted my prayer and arranged for my knowledge.

Hazrat Talha bin Ubaidullah says: Once I waspassing through a forest. As night fell, I stopped atthe grave of Abdullah bin Amr (R.A) wherefrom wascoming the voice of Qur’aan recitation so nice that Ihad never heard like it before. I went to the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) and told him about this event. Hesaid: It was the voice of Abdullah. Remember thatAllah Almighty keeps his distinguished servants(souls) in lanterns made of red and green preciousstones and keeps those lanterns hanging in the midstof paradise. At night he replaces their souls in theircorpses and they remain engaged in reciting Qur’aanand offering namaaz all the night. At daybreak theyare sent back to their original residence.

It is mentioned in FIRDAUS DAWALMI:

Whoever learns Qur’aan by heart and dies before it’scompletion, God Almighty appoints an angel in hisgrave who teaches him the whole of the Holy Bookby heart to the extent that, on the Day of Ressurection,he rises as a full-scale Haafiz.

Hazrat Aasim Sakati (R.A) narrates: We dug agrave in the city of Balkh. There appeared a hole fromwhere we could see that in an ancient grave an oldman in green clothing was busy reciting Qur’aan withhis face toward Qibla. His whole grave including wallsand ceiling (planks) were of green color.

Abun-Nasr Naishapuri (R.A) who was a piousand righteous grave-digger says: Once upon a time,while digging a grave, I found an ancient grave in deepground in which a youthful boy dresed in nice fra-grant clothes was reading a beautiful Qur’aan whichalso was written in nice green letters. Looking at mehe asked: Has Qiyaamat arrived? I said: No. He said:Please close this hole. I complied with his desire (ofrefilling the ancient grave). Ibne Najjar (R.A) has nar-rated this event in TAAREEKH-E BAGHDAD.

Hazrat Jaabir (R.A) has narrated that the HolyProphet (S.A.W.) said: Clothe a mayyat in a nice kafanbecause it meets others in the same dress. A similarhadith has been recorded also by Hazrat Abu Hurairahand Hazrat Anas (R.A).

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Note:- Scholars have written that here a niceor good kafan (cloth) means clean white, coarse andsufficient cloth (according to sunnah), three piecesfor a man and five for a woman). It should not be of aninferior quality. God does not mean costly.

It is reported by Hazrat Huzaifah bin Yamaan(R.A) that he said: At the time of death, purchase twowhite pieces of cloth for my kafan because they shallnot always remain on my body. I will get a dress ei-ther better than it or worse.

Hazrat Umar (R.A) is reported to have willedthat his KAFAN should be of a medium kind, that is,neither very costly nor very cheap. If Allah wants goodfor me, my grave will be made as wide as an eye cansee. If HE does not want good for me my grave willbe so narrow that it will crush my bones and ribs intopieces.

It is narrated that when the death of Hazrat AbuBakr (R.A) approached, he willed to Hazrat Aayeshah(R.A): Wash these clothes of mine and cover me inthem as my kafan. O’Aayesha! If the dead one is agood person, he will be dressed in nice clothes, but ifhe is a bad one, this (kafan) will also be confiscatedfrom him.

Hazrat Khalaf Bardani (R.A) has reported : Aman died whose kafan was rather large. So I tore off

and took what was found in excess while covering hisbody. Someone told me in my dream: You displayedstinginess while covering the body of a friend of God.We brought a cloth from paradise and dressed him. Iwoke up in a puzzled state of mind to find that thekafan was hanging on my wall.

A happening:- Allamah Ibnul-Jawzi (R.A) hasquoted Hazrat Faryaabi (R.A) in UYOONULHIKAAYAT that a woman died in the city of Kaysaar.Her daughter saw her in her dream that she (themother) was talking: You clothed me in a very shortkafan. I am feeling very ashamed among my friendshere. There are some gold coins at such and such placein the house. Take them to purchase a new kafan forme and send it to me through such and such womanwho will expire and is about to join us. The girl said:The next morning I went to the said place, and found4 gold coins (dinars). Then I went to the woman men-tioned by my mother (she was yet alive and said): Iwant to send something through you to my latemother as soon as you expire. That woman died onthe same day. The girl purchased a new kafan and placedit in the kafan of the newly expired woman. The nextnight she saw once again in her dream her late motherwhich told her: That lady has handed me over the newkafan which you sent. May God reward you.

It is reported by Hazrat Sho’abi (R.A) that whena body is buried, it’s children and family memberscome to it and it asks them about the conditions ofthose who are still living in this transitory world. Theyask: What is so and so doing etc.

Hazrat Saeed bin Zubair (R.A) has reported thatIbne Abbas expired in Ta’if. I was present in his fu-neral. I observed that a sparrow came down from thesky and entered his kafan cloth. We tried to search itout but could not find it. The pious people over thereunderstood and believed that it might be (a form) ofthe good deeds of the dead one. When we finishedthe burial we heard a voice from the grave: YAA AIYYATUHAN NAFSUL MUT MA INNAH.......meaning‘O’restful soul! Return to your Lord as you are blessedwith HIM and HE is pleased with you and enter thegroup of MY (distinguished) servants and also entermy paradise’. (Holy Qur’aan, Parah:30, Surah Fajr,Verse:27-30).

It is reported that Hazrat Taaoos (R.A) willedto his son: After buryimg me, you may open thewooden planks over my grave and see whether I amthere or not. If not, praise Allah as it is a sign of mybeing admitted into Jannat. If I am found there, youshould say: INNAA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHIRAJI’OON. When the father had died the son did as

his late father had willed, and found that the body ofhis father was not in his grave. So he praised AllahAlmighty.

Hazrat Abu Bakr Ibne Mukri (R.A) has re-ported that a man told him: After burying a body, I hadto reopen the grave to rectify some mistake. Then Ifound that there was nobody in it.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) and Hazrat AnasIbne Maalik (R.A) have reported that Hazrat Umar(R.A) sent an army for Jihaad. I was also in that army.While returning from that expedition, one of our com-panions died in the way. When we finished his burial,a local resident told us: This ground does not acceptdead bodies. It throws them away and so it will bebetter if you bury it somewhere else. When we re-opened his grave, complying with the suggestion, wesaw that the body was not there and that the grave hadturned into a very spacious field and there was radi-ance till as far as the eye could see.

Hazrat Abu Dardah (R.A) has narrated thatthere was a woman in Makkah who was recitingSUBHANALLAH 12, 000 times a day. When she diedand when people tried to lower her body in the grave,the body entered the grave all by itself.

It is reported that when Hazrat Waarid e Ajli(R.A) expired, people took his body to the grave.

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When some people entered the pit they found therewas a bed of fragrant flowers called Raihaan (Basil)and it was full of good sweet smell. People picked upsome flowers which remained green (fresh) for sevendays. People came to see them. Then the king of thetime, took those flowers and thereafter they were notseen.

Hazrat Muhammed Ibne Mukhallad (R.A) hasreported: When my mother expired and I entered thegrave pit, I found a hole in one of the walls of thatgrave. Peeping into it, I could see a body in new kafanwith a jasmine flower bunch on it’s chest. I picked upthat flower bunch and also made others to smell it.It’s fragrance was better then that of musk. Then I re-placed that bunch of flowers on the body’s chest andclosd up that hole.

Some righteous people have written that therewas an old & ancient grave by the side of the grave ofImaam Ahmad bin Hanbal (R.A). There was a bunch ofBasil flowers on the coffin of that corpse in that grave.

Hazfiz Abulfarz Ibne Zawqi (R.A) writes thatthere was a hillok near Basra City in 1172 AD. A partof it had fallen down exposing seven big size graves.The mayyat in every one of them was whole and freshemanating the fragrance of musk. Their kafans werealso new. One of the bodies was of a young man hav-

ing hair on his head. His lips were wet as if it had justdrank water. His eyes had collyrim. There was a woundinflicted by a sword on his waist.

It is reported in narrations that a smell of muskwas emanating while the grave of Hazrat Sa’ad binMu’aaz was being dug. A man picked up some earthwhich was indeed musk.

It is narrated that a man saw in his dream a gravefrom which good smell was spreading. He asked themayyat therein: What is the reason for this fragrance?Came the reply: It is a fragrance caused by hunger andthirst during fasting and also due to Qur’aan recita-tion.

Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) has narrated that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) said: I saw a dream last nightwherein I entered Paradise and saw Ja’a-far-e-Taiyaar(R.A) who was flying with angels and Hazrat Hamzah(R.A) was sitting, resting on a pillow. A number ofother Sahabahs (comapanions) were also there

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR The mayyat sees and knows the visitors

Hazrat Aayeshah (R.A), Hazrat Abu Hurairah(R.A), and Hazrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) are reported tonarrated that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: When-ever a muslim visits the grave of his friend or

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aquaintance and salutes him the dead body sees himand recognizes him and gives a reply to his salaam. Itbecomes happy and replies to the salaam even whenit does not recognize the visitor.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) reports that AbuZarr once told the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.): I often visitgraveyards. What should I recite when I go there? TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: When you enter aQabrastaan, you should say:AS SALAAMUALAIKUM YA AHLAL QUBOOR MINALMUSLIMEEN WAL MU’MINEEN! AN TUM LA NASALFOON WA NAHNU LAKUM TAB’OON WAINNA INSHA ALLAHU BI KUM LAHIKOON. AbuZarr asked: Does a dead body hear our salaam? TheHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) replied: Yes, it hears and alsoresponds to it, but you cannot hear it.

It is reported that when the people of Allahwere returning from the Battle of Uhud, he went tothe graves of the martyrs. He stood by the grave ofHazrat Mus’ab Ibne Umair (R.A) and said: I give wit-ness that you peopleare alive in the presence of God.Then he told the sahabah: Visit their graves and salutethem. By God, whenever anyone salutes them theycontinue to respond till the Day of Resurrection.

Imaam Baihaqi (R.A) has quoted Muhammedbim Waasi, saying: The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said

that whenever someone visits graves on Friday or onthe previous (Thursday)in or the following (Saturday)the mayyat recognizes the visitor.

A narration:- Shaikh Ismail Khazrami (R.A)who was a very great scholar and a pious gentlemanonce visited the Qabrastaan of Yeman and began toweep loudly. He appeared very gloomy. After a whilehe laughed loudly showing signs of great happinesson his face. Somebody asked the reason of his weep-ing then laughing. He replied: First I saw that thecorpses were being punished so I wept. Then I prayedto Allah for their forgiveness and for mercy on them.Allah removed the punishment from them. One ofthem was a singing girl (who was being punished). Shesaid: O’Ismaail! Due to the blessing of your prayer,Almighty Allah has pardoned me to. That is why Ilaughed.

A narration:- Hazrat Saynuddin Bosi (R.A)says: Faqee Abdurrahmaan was living at Manthurah.At that time the Englishmen had arrested many Mus-lims and had also martyred some. Andur Rahmaan wasreciting Qur’aan. When he recited the verse: WA LAATAH SA BANNAL LAZEENA..... meaning: ‘Thosewho have been killed in the path of God should not beconsidered as dead. They are alive and getting provi-sion from God. (Parah: 4, Surah: Aale Imraan,

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Verse:169). Thereafter when Faqeeh Abdur Rahmaanwas killed and when an English soldier came with aspear in his hand and piercing his corpse cried hate-fully: O’Commander of Muslims! You used to say:Those who are killed, according to your God, werealive and getting provision. Now you are killed, tellme where is that life and provision! Abdur Rahmaan(R.A) raised his head and said: HAYYUN BI RABBILKAABAA (By the Lord of Kaabaa, I am alive). Hear-ing this, that Englishman got down from his horse,kissed the head of Abdur Rahmaan (R.A) and orderedhis servant: Take his body to our city.

Story:- It is mentioned in the book namedKAISHARIYAH that there was a man who used to stealkafans. A woman died. People offered the janaazahprayer for her. The thief was also among the mourn-ers (to see her burial place). When people returnedafter burying that woman, the thief went to the grave-yard and dug out her grave. The woman exclaimed:SUBHANALLAH! (God is defectless). A man whosesins have been pardoned by Allah is stealing the kafanof a lady whose sins have been pardoned off by God!!!The thief asked? What? My sins have also been par-doned? The woman replied: God has forgiven my sinsand also of those who attended my funeral prayer. Youwere among them. Hearing this, he left her grave and

repented for his bad habit of stealing.Story:- It is mentioned in KAISHARIYAH: I

was in Makkah. A pupil of mine came there and said:O’my teacher! I will die tommorrow at the time ofZuhr. Please take these gold coins, purchase my kafanwith half of the amount and give the other half to thegrave-digger as his wages. The next day at Zuhr time,the student came, made Tawaaf (circumbulance), wentto a little distance and died. When I washed his bodyand placed it in the grave, he looked at me. I said: Youare alive even after death. He said: I love Allah andthe one who loves Allah never dies.

Story:- Hazrat Imaam Yafe’ei (R.A) has writ-ten in his book KIFAAYATUL MUATAQID: A piousman told me: Such and such righteous goes to thegrave of his father and talks with him. It is alsowellknown that the sound of the recitation of SurahMulk comes from the grave of Faqih Ahmad binMoosa (R.A).

Hakim (R.A) has in TAAREEKHENAISHAAPUR and Ibne Asaakir (R.A) has inTAAREEKHE DAMISHQ quoted Saeed binMusayyab (R.A): We went o the graveyard of Madinahwith Hazrat Ali (R.A). Hazrat Ali (R.A) said loudly:YAA AHLAL QUBOOR! AS SALAAMU ALAIKUMWA RAMHATULLAHI WA BARAKAATUHU.

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TUKHBIROO NA BI AKBAARIKUM. AMTUREEDU NA AN NUKHBIRKHUM? meaning‘O’gravesmen! May peace and mercy of God be uponyou. Will you tell us about your condition or do youwant us to narrate to you our condition? A voice camefrom a grave: WA ALAIKUMUS SALAAM WARAHMATULLAHI WA BARAKAATUH,O’AmirulMominin! Please tell us what hapenned after our de-parture? Hazrat Ali (R.A) replied: Your wives becamewives of others and the heirs got your wealth distrib-uted among themselves and your children have beensent to orphanages and your enemies took positionof your houses. This is what happened on our side.Now you narrate your news. A dead body whose hairhad dropped and whose kafan had rotted and whoseskin had broken into pieces and whose eyes had dis-appeared and pus was oozing from whose body, said:We are getting today the reward of what we were do-ing in the world. We are repenting over the good deedswhich we did not do and we are captives of our mis-deeds, (being punished).

Yunus ibin Aabin has quoted Abulfurat that aman was digging a grave. He sat for a while for takingsome rest. When he felt a cold breeze on his back.Turning back, he saw a hole which he widened withhis finger and peeped into it. He saw a grave and a

vast field with an old man sitting in its middle. Therewas a dye of Mehndi (henna) in his hair and it seemedsomeone had just combed it.

Hazrat Abdullah (R.A) has reported that theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.) visited the graves of those whowere martyred in the battle of Uhud and said: O’Allah!YOUR servant and YOUR prophet testifies that thesepersons are shaheed (martyrs in YOUR path) andwhoeever will visit them (and will salute them) theywill get a response from these martyrs till the Day ofQiyaamat.

Utaaf (R.A) says: My aunt visited the gravesof the martyrs of Uhud. She had two servants for serv-ing riding animals. She offered two rakaat namaaz andsaid salaam to the martyrs of Uhud. She heard theirresponse and also heard them saying: We recognizeyou.

It is reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)used to visit the graves of the martyrs of Uhud everyyear. Reaching the graves he was saying loudly: ASSALAAMU ALAIKUM BIMAA SABARTUM FANI’AMA UQBAD-DAAR. Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A),Hazrat Umar (R.A) and Hazrat Saad bin Abi Waqqas,Fatimah (R.A) also were visiting the graves of Uhudmartyrs every year.

Fatimah Khizaai’yah (R.A) says: Once I went

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to visit the graves of Uhud martyrs along with my sis-ter. Reaching the grave of Hazrat Hamzah (R.A), I said:AS SALAAMU ALAIKUM YA AMMERASOOLILLAH, peace be on you, o’uncle of theHoly Prophet (S.A.W.). A voice came from that grave:WA ALAIKUMUS SALAAM, WA RAHMATULLAHIWABARAKATUH.

Hashim bin Muhammed (R.A) has narratedthat: My uncle once took me to the graveyard ofMadinah. Reaching there before sunrise, he saidloudly: AS SALLAMU ALAIKUM BIMASABARTUM FA NI’AMA UQBAD DAAR. We hearda sound from the graves: WA ALAIKUMUS SALAMYAA ABAA ABDULLAH. My father asked me: Didyou reply? I said: No. Than he made me stand to hisright and saluted again and got a response again. Likethis he saluted thrice and got replies thrice.

It is reported in the book AKHBAAREMADINAH by Bikr bin Muhammed (R.A) that, Saeedbin Musayyab (R.A) says: They were very hard daysAIYAAME HARRAH (the day Madinah was attackedby enemies). All were busy fighting and neither Azaanwas proclaimed nor namaaz held for three days inMasjide Nabavi. I was the only person then to remainin this holy mosque. In a fearful state of mind I wentto the Holy grave of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). It

was Zuhr time. The sound of Azaan came from theHoly grave, I made ablution (wuzoo) and offered tworakaat prayer. Then I heard the sound of Iqamah. I of-fered Zuhr namaaz. Then it was Asr time and I againheard the sounds of Azaan and Iqamah. This happenedfor three days.

It is reported by Minhaal bin Amr (R.A): I wasin Damascus. By God, there I saw that when the Holyhead of Imaam Hussain (R.A) was being dispatchedfrom Damascus a man was reciting Surah Kahf. Whenhe recited the verse: AM HASIB TA AN NA ASHAABAL KAHFI WAR-RAQEEMI KAANOO MINAAYAATINAA-A JA BAA: ‘Did you imagine that thepeople of the cave and the mountain were among theastonishing signs of OUR night?’ (Surah Kahf, Aayat:9, Parah: 15). At that time came a sound from theholy head: A JAB MIN AS HAABIL KAHFI QATLIWA HAMLEE, meaning ‘More strange than AshaabiKahf is my assassination and the despatching (carry-ing) of my head.’

It is narrated that during the days of HazratUmar (R.A) a teenager used to remain busy worship-ping in Masjide Nabavi. Hazrat Umar (R.A) wasamazed by his worship. That youth’s father had be-come very old so he was going to his father after EshaNamaaz to serve him. In the way a woman fell in love