What is the ruling on the one who says that the punishment in the grave does not touch the body, and that the soul settles in another body after death?
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Question:
There are those who say that the dead person does not suffer punishment in the body from which his soul departed, because its destiny is to decompose, but his soul after death settles in another body that is not unpleasant and is subject to the laws of the life of the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), citing the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Waqi'ah 56:60-62]
Answer:
The first. The measures of the brothers. Yes, this is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and may Allah protect us from it. The one who says that the punishment, whether the punishment of the grave or the punishment of the Fire, is only upon the soul and not upon the body, this is shirk. The punishment is upon the soul and the body together. Even if the body becomes dust, Allah is able to reach it with the punishment while it is dust, and for the dead person to feel pain from it while it is dust. Allah is able to do that. But this person is ignorant or a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), and may Allah protect us from it. And more severe than this is his statement regarding transmigration, because he says that his soul becomes in another body. This is the statement of transmigration, and this is the saying of the people of kufr (disbelief) and shirk who speak of transmigration and deny the resurrection and the rising. The statement of transmigration is a denial of the resurrection and a denial of the rising. Rather, they say these souls come out of one body and enter into another body, and so on, and there is no resurrection and no rising. We ask Allah for safety. So this is a statement of kufr and shirk. We ask Allah for safety. Whoever is deceived by it must repent to Allah and beware of this statement and of those who spread it. Yes. And as for the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Waqi'ah 56:61] Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He).
He is able to do everything. What does that mean? It does not mean that He places his soul in a body, in another body. Rather, on the Day of Resurrection, his body that decomposed and became dust is restored as it was. It is restored as it was. Then Israfil blows the horn in which the souls are, and the souls fly to their bodies.
And [He] blew the Trumpet, and those in the heavens and those on the earth fainted. That means everyone, the whole of them, died except whom Allah wills. Then He blew it another time. This is the first blast, the blast of fainting, and the second is the blast of resurrection. Then He blew it another time, and then they will stand up looking on.
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) restores their bodies that perished and decomposed, restoring them as they were, because nothing is too difficult for Him (Glorified and Exalted is He),
There are those who say that the dead person does not suffer punishment in the body from which his soul departed, because its destiny is to decompose, but his soul after death settles in another body that is not unpleasant and is subject to the laws of the life of the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), citing the saying of Allah the Exalted:
(60) We have decreed death among you, and We are not to be outdone (61) In that We will change your likenesses and produce you in that [form] which you do not know. (62) And you have already known the first creation, so will you not remember?
نَحْنُ قَدَّرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْمَوْتَ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ أَمْثَالَكُمْ وَنُنشِئَكُمْ فِي مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ النَّشْأَةَ الْأُولَىٰ فَلَوْلَا تَذَكَّرُونَAnswer:
The first. The measures of the brothers. Yes, this is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and may Allah protect us from it. The one who says that the punishment, whether the punishment of the grave or the punishment of the Fire, is only upon the soul and not upon the body, this is shirk. The punishment is upon the soul and the body together. Even if the body becomes dust, Allah is able to reach it with the punishment while it is dust, and for the dead person to feel pain from it while it is dust. Allah is able to do that. But this person is ignorant or a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), and may Allah protect us from it. And more severe than this is his statement regarding transmigration, because he says that his soul becomes in another body. This is the statement of transmigration, and this is the saying of the people of kufr (disbelief) and shirk who speak of transmigration and deny the resurrection and the rising. The statement of transmigration is a denial of the resurrection and a denial of the rising. Rather, they say these souls come out of one body and enter into another body, and so on, and there is no resurrection and no rising. We ask Allah for safety. So this is a statement of kufr and shirk. We ask Allah for safety. Whoever is deceived by it must repent to Allah and beware of this statement and of those who spread it. Yes. And as for the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and produce you in that [form] which you do not know.
وَنُنشِئَكُمْ فِي مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَHe is able to do everything. What does that mean? It does not mean that He places his soul in a body, in another body. Rather, on the Day of Resurrection, his body that decomposed and became dust is restored as it was. It is restored as it was. Then Israfil blows the horn in which the souls are, and the souls fly to their bodies.
And [He] blew the Trumpet, and those in the heavens and those on the earth fainted. That means everyone, the whole of them, died except whom Allah wills. Then He blew it another time. This is the first blast, the blast of fainting, and the second is the blast of resurrection. Then He blew it another time, and then they will stand up looking on.
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) restores their bodies that perished and decomposed, restoring them as they were, because nothing is too difficult for Him (Glorified and Exalted is He),
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم من يقول أن العذاب في القبر لا يمس الجسد وأن الروح تسكن جسد آخر بعد الموت؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.