The Definition of the Barzakh and the Relationship of the Soul to the Body in the Grave

Question:
The questioner says: Your Eminence the Shaykh, what is the life of the barzakh? Does the soul return to the human body immediately after it is buried in the grave? And does his body feel bliss in the grave if he is among the people of Paradise, and likewise feel punishment if he is among the people of the Fire? We ask Allah for safety.

Answer:
The barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) is what lies between death and the resurrection; what lies between death and the resurrection is the barzakh. Linguistically, the barzakh is the barrier between two things, as in the phrase, "There is no barrier between them, and He placed between them a barrier and a stone." It is a desolate place. The barzakh is the barrier between two things, and what is meant here is the afterlife that exists between death and the resurrection, for the duration that people remain in their graves. This is the barzakh, because there are three abodes: the abode of this world, the abode of the barzakh, and the abode of permanence, which is the Hereafter. Yes, and the soul connects with the deceased in his grave in ways that only Allah knows about. It connects when the two angels come to him and sit him up after the burial; his soul is returned to his body, and they question him, and he either answers or is unable to answer.