Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah
by Al-Barbahaaree
Trans. Abu Talhah Dawud Burbank


74: The soul of the deceased is returned to his body and he is questioned in the grave

To have Faith that the deceased is made to sit up in his grave, that Allah returns his soul to him and that (he) is questioned by Munkar and Nakeer about Faith and its requisites. Then his soul is drawn out without any pain. The deceased knows the one who visits him when he comes to him [1]. The Believer is made comfortable and blessed in his grave and the wicked is punished as Allah wills [2].

NOTES

[1] That which is established in the texts is:

  • That the dead hear the footsteps of those departing after the burial (Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Eng. trans. 2/257/no.456), since his soul is returned to his body at this time and he is questioned and
  • That, on the Day of Badr, the dead pagans in the pit heard the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) addressing them (Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Eng. trans. 9/193/no.258).

The greetings of the salaam given to the dead when visiting the graveyard reaches them, but only Allah knows how. We do not speak about, or affirm, any of the affairs of the unseen (al-ghayb) except with a text from either the Book or the Sunnah.

[2] As reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. trans. 2/254-260/nos.450-461), Muslim (Eng. Trans. 4/1489-1491/nos.6857-6870) and Ahmad (3/126). Refer to the long hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib quoted by Shaikh ‘Alee Hasan ‘Alee Abdul-Hameed in the book ‘Death’ (pp.12-19).

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