How to respond to one who denies the punishment of the grave?

The questioner:
The questioner asks: How do we answer the one who denies the punishment of the grave on the grounds that if you were to open the grave, you would find the dead person unchanged, and that his grave has neither narrowed nor expanded?

The Shaykh:
The punishment of the grave is among the matters of the unseen, which no one knows except Allah. It may be in a state of torment and punishment, yet you do not see its effects, because you are in this world, and between you and the Hereafter is a distance. You are in the abode of this world, and it is in the abode of the Hereafter. This is among the matters of the Hereafter, which no one knows except Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
It is not necessary that you see this. It is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) who saw some of the punished in their graves. This is among the special attributes of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Some people, or some Muslims, may see the punishment in the grave. They see the fire coming out of the grave. Sometimes they see the flames coming out of the graves at night. We ask Allah for safety.

The presenter:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Regarding the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh:
May Allah have mercy on him. He has a book titled *Al-Takhwif min al-Nar* (Warning from the Fire). In it, he mentioned things. Yes.