Death until Judgement day - the questions and taunt whilst we are living

Question

Recently for some reason, I guess because I am discovering more and more in depth about Islam, this great religion, by accessible means in today's world of technology and trusted scholars - I keep fearing (and this is good) the day of judgement.

No human is perfect. I am not perfect but I always ask Allah for forgiveness in anything I have done wrong.

This leads me to a general question.

We all know that we will be resurrected on the day of judgement. Until then we are in the grave - buried. Nothing can be done.

As days, weeks, months and years go by - I cannot understand or imagine how you can continue to lay buried. I mean of course, when the human elements are no more (heart stops), that is the end of human life but how can the human/spirit continue to "survive" until the day of judgement?

I am unsure how to ask the question or how to phrase it but I am just worried that humans/spirit suffers in the grave until that day comes. We know that there have been Muslims who have passed away hundreds of years ago and are in their graves, buried but what will happen/how will they feel when they are resurrected?

Only Allah knows when that day is going to happen. We don't. I cannot comprehend or understand how we can just "continue" as normal when we are resurrected. For all that period of time being dead in the grave and then to be given life again is just baffling and trying to make sense of it all.

I guess recently, I am just becoming more and more scared perhaps of the thought of dying (because many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, family members are dying) and it is just difficult to be without them no matter what. You want to join them and be with them by their side but when you are gone, you are gone. That's it.

I just hope Allah makes it easy for us when it is our time is up and that the time between our death and day of judgement is not too long.

When the human is buried, does Allah still make them alive in some way or is that a complete no?

What actually happens when a Muslim is buried? I know that the angel of death (PBUH) is there to ask us 3 questions and then we are handed the book on the left or right hand. But then what happens?

What about the time between the death of a human and before being buried?

Sorry for these distressing questions but... I cannot help my mind from thinking more and more about this.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Time between death of human and it's burial:

“Angels come to the dying person and if the man was righteous, they say: ‘Come out, O good soul that was in a good body, come out praiseworthy and receive the glad tidings of mercy and fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ And this is repeated until it comes out, then it is taken up to heaven, and it is opened for it, and it is asked, ‘Who is this?’ They say: ‘[It is] So and so.’ It is said: ‘Welcome to the good soul that was in a good body. Enter praiseworthy and receive the glad tidings of mercy and fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ And this is repeated until it is brought to the heaven above which is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. But if the man was evil, they say: ‘Come out O evil soul that was in an evil body. Come out blameworthy and receive the tidings of boiling water and dirty wound discharges, and other torments of similar kind, all together [cf. Saad 38:58]. And this is repeated until it comes out, then it is taken up to heaven and it is not opened for it. And it is said: ‘No welcome to the evil soul that was in an evil body. Go back blameworthy, for the gates of heaven will not be opened to you.’ So it is sent back down from heaven, then it goes to the grave.”

Classed saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

Then Allah says (if it was a believer):

“‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon (the highest heaven) and take him back to the earth.” The soul would come back to the grave for questioning and it will be made spacious for him as far as his eyes can see. If it was a disbeliever, the angels give the soul tidings of hell and divine wrath. They take the cursed, humiliated, afraid soul of a disbeliever up to the gates of heaven but it is not opened for him. Then the soul would return to its grave and it would be compressed for him and smoke and fire from Hell comes to him.

Between a person's soul departure and the questioning, it will be blissful for the believer and the first stage of eternal happiness and for a disbelieve it will be the first stage of eternal torment and misery.

What happens when all of this is finished so the soul is at the grave just laying?

This stage is called the Barzakh. The Barzakh is a realm which separates our world and the hereafter. Barzakh starts from the death of a soul and ends upon the Hour. It doesn't matter if the soul was buried or not, eaten by wild animals or cremated. The soul won't die and it goes to the Barzakh.

The life of the Barzakh would be filled with delight or it will be hellish. This is proved in this ayah:

“The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): ‘Cause Fir‘awn’s (Pharaoh) people to enter the severest torment!''

(Ghafir 40:46)

Ibn Katheer says that this is the torment of Barzakh.

The Prophet said: ‘When any one of you dies, he is shown his place morning and evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise then he is one of the people of Paradise, and if he is one of the people of Hell, then he is one of the people of Hell.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bid’ al-Khalq, 3001; Muslim, al-Jannah wa sifat na’eemihaa, 2866).

These Hadith shows that the torment of the grave is real but this is for the wrongdoers and disbelievers.

Verse that Barzakh is real:

'Until when death approaches one of them (the polytheists), he says, "My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but just a word that he speaks; and behind them is a barrier (barzakh) until the Day when they will be Resurrected.'

(Quran 23:99-100)

The one who enters Barzakh does not feel any physical pain. It is the realm of incorporeal beings. Our body in the Barzakh is just like our human body and the realm is like this world but it is non-materialistic . The body can hear everything, see everything from anywhere. You can eat anything and it would be better than in this world ( only for believers). The Barzakh will be blissful for the believer but torment for the disbeliever. For more information about Barzakh, just search it.