The Questioning of the Dead in Their Graves, the Delight of the Believers in Their Graves, and the Punishment of the Disbelievers in Them
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Fatwa Number ( 1979 ):
Q: I have heard from scholars of Islam that the deceased becomes alive in the grave and answers the question of the angels and is punished if disbelief and lack of rectitude in Islam during worldly life become apparent from him. As someone who has only learned the basics of Islam, I have not found in the Noble Qur'an explicit proof indicating the questioning of the occupant of the grave and his punishment. The Exalted says:[Al-Fajr 89:27-30]. According to my weak understanding, the soul returns to its Lord after it exits the body, and I did not understand that the soul is with its body in the grave being delighted. Also, Allah the Exalted says: [Ghafir 40:11], etc. I also understand from this verse that death occurs twice: at the time of the sperm and at the time the soul exits the body. I also understand that life occurs twice: life in the mother's womb and at the time of the Resurrection. I did not understand from the verse any indication pointing to the questioning of the grave and its punishment. The Exalted says: [Ya-Sin 36:52], etc., and this indicates
that the disbelievers are sleeping, and sleeping in the grave contradicts punishment therein. In conclusion, I hope, O honorable scholar, to find from you a satisfying answer to my thirst, as your religious answers have always been?
A: First: The evidence for Islamic legal rulings, just as it comes from the Qur'an, also comes from the authentic Sunnah established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whether in speech, action, or approval. This is due to the generality of the command of the Exalted to take what He brought us from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. For He the Exalted said:[Al-Hashr 59:7]. And because he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not speak from desire; rather, he legislates for us by revelation from Allah the Exalted, as He the Sublime said: [An-Najm 53:3-5], the verses. And because following him (peace and blessings be upon him) in what he brought, in general, is evidence of faith in Allah and love for Him the Sublime, and it entails the love of Allah and His forgiveness for whoever follows him, as He the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:31]. And because of His the Exalted command to obey him (peace and blessings be upon him) and His ruling that obedience to him is obedience to Allah. He the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:32]. And He said: [An-Nisa 4:59]
And He said:[An-Nisa 4:80], among other verses of the Qur'an that command obedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), following him, and taking what is established from him and acting upon it. Thus, the authentic Sunnah established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) is a proof by which rulings are established in creed and practice, just as the Qur'an is a proof by which rulings are established explicitly and by deduction according to the rules of the Arabic language and the Arabs' method of understanding their language. Second: The punishment of the disbelievers in their graves is possible rationally, and the Qur'an has indicated its occurrence. Among this is His the Exalted saying: [Ghafir 40:45-46]. This is a clear statement affirming punishment in the grave by fire, because there is no morning or evening on the Day of Resurrection. And because of His saying at the end of the verse: [Ghafir 40:46], which indicates a lesser punishment before the Hour, which is their being exposed to the fire, and it is nothing but the punishment of the grave. Pharaoh and his family, and others among the disbelievers, are equal in the ruling of Allah and His justice in recompense. Also among this is His the Exalted saying: [At-Tur 52:45-47]
Which indicates the punishment of the disbelievers with a lesser punishment before the Hour, which is general for what Allah the Exalted inflicts upon them in this world and what He punishes them with in their graves before they are resurrected from them to the greater punishment. It is established in authentic hadiths that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):. And it is established . And he sought refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave three times in al-Baqi' al-Gharqad when he was digging a grave for one of his Companions. If the punishment of the grave were not established, he would not have sought refuge in Allah from it, nor would he have commanded his Companions to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that His the Exalted saying: [Ibrahim 14:27] includes the firmness of the believer and the abandonment of the disbeliever when each is questioned in his grave, and that the believer is aided in answering
and is delighted in his grave, and that the disbeliever is abandoned and hesitates in answering and is punished in his grave. This will come in the hadith of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) shortly. Among the evidence for the punishment of the grave is also what is established in the two Sahihs from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). The reports from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the establishment of the questioning of the deceased in his grave and the establishment of his delight therein or his punishment according to his creed and deeds have been mass-transmitted, leaving no room for doubt in that. And no disagreement was known from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) regarding the establishment of that. Therefore, the people of the Sunnah and the community affirmed its establishment. Among what was reported in that is what Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad, and Abu Dawud in his Sunan, and al-Hakim and Abu 'Uwanah al-Isfarayini in their Sahihs, from al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: . End of quote. Third: It is not impossible rationally that the angels question the dead in their graves and that the dead answer them or be abandoned as a just recompense for what they sent before. It is not far-fetched
in the greatness of the power of Allah the Exalted and the wonders of His cosmic laws that He delights the believers in their graves and punishes the disbelievers therein. For whoever looks deeply into the universe, the generality of the will of Allah and its execution, the comprehensiveness and perfection of His power, the precision of His creation, and the detail of His management and creation of what He formed become clear to him. And it becomes easy for him to believe in what the authentic texts came with regarding the questioning of the buried and their delight or punishment. It is established in them that Allah the Exalted returns the spirit to the one who died after his burial, a return that makes him alive with an intermediate life (barzakh) between his life in his worldly life and his life after Allah resurrects him on the Day of Resurrection. This intermediate life between the two lives qualifies him to hear the question and answer it if he is aided, and makes him feel the delight or the punishment. The hadiths regarding this have been mentioned previously. And Allah has in His management and creation matters that minds do not encompass due to their shortcoming, and they do not deem impossible, but they affirm their possibility, even if they are perplexed by their causation and unable to grasp their essence and reality and know their extent and goals. So, if a person is unable to understand something and its matter is hidden from him, he should blame himself for shortcoming and not blame his Lord in His knowledge, wisdom, and power. The verses mentioned in the question do not contradict the questioning of the deceased in the grave and his delight or punishment. As for His the Exalted saying:[Al-Fajr 89:27-30], it is
an address to the soul on the Day of Resurrection, not when it exits the body in this world, as evidenced by what preceded from His the Exalted saying in the same surah:[Al-Fajr 89:21-23], the verses, to His saying: [Al-Fajr 89:27]. And the questioning of the grave and its delight or punishment only occurs after the deceased is buried and before he is resurrected on the Day of Resurrection. As for His the Exalted saying: [Ghafir 40:11], it is information from Allah the Exalted about the saying of the disbelievers while they are in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection that they were dead before the spirit was breathed into them while they were in the wombs, then they were alive by the decree of Allah by the breathing of the spirit into them until the end of their lifespans in this world, then they became dead from the time their lifespans ended until the blowing of the Trumpet for the Resurrection by the decree of Allah, then Allah gave them life on the Day of Resurrection and rising, so death passed over them twice, and life passed over them twice. And their death while they are in their graves does not prevent their being questioned and answering, nor their delight or punishment; because Allah returns their spirits to them in a type of return that enables them to hear the questions and answer them and feel the delight or the punishment, as detailed and evidenced previously in the hadith of al-Bara' . And this life is not one of the two lives
mentioned in the verse, but it is a specific intermediate life (barzakh) whose reality only Allah knows. As for His the Exalted saying:[Ya-Sin 36:52], the intended meaning of their resting places is their graves in which they were while dead, not sleeping. And their death does not prevent them from hearing the question of the angels, nor does it contradict their feeling of delight or punishment according to their creeds and deeds; as mentioned previously in the hadith of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him). And it is not necessary that the questioning of the deceased in the grave and his delight or punishment be explicitly stated in every place; rather, it is sufficient in some verses or authentic hadiths. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad , and his family and his Companions.
Q: I have heard from scholars of Islam that the deceased becomes alive in the grave and answers the question of the angels and is punished if disbelief and lack of rectitude in Islam during worldly life become apparent from him. As someone who has only learned the basics of Islam, I have not found in the Noble Qur'an explicit proof indicating the questioning of the occupant of the grave and his punishment. The Exalted says:
(27) [To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, (28) Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], (29) And enter among My [righteous] servants (30) And enter My Paradise."
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ (27) ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً (28) فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي (29) وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِيThey will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice
قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِThey will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?"
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَنْ بَعَثَنَا مِنْ مَرْقَدِنَاthat the disbelievers are sleeping, and sleeping in the grave contradicts punishment therein. In conclusion, I hope, O honorable scholar, to find from you a satisfying answer to my thirst, as your religious answers have always been?
A: First: The evidence for Islamic legal rulings, just as it comes from the Qur'an, also comes from the authentic Sunnah established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whether in speech, action, or approval. This is due to the generality of the command of the Exalted to take what He brought us from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. For He the Exalted said:
And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا(3) Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. (4) It is not but a revelation revealed, (5) Taught to him by one intense in strength -
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى (3) إِنْ هُوَ إِلا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى (4) عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَىSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌSay, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers.
قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَO you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاAnd He said:
He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian.
مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًاand the people of Pharaoh were enveloped by the worst of punishment - (46) The Fire, they are exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour appears [it will be said], "Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest punishment."
وَحَاقَ بِآلِ فِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ الْعَذَابِ (45) النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِAnd the Day the Hour appears [it will be said], "Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest punishment."
وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ(45) So leave them until they meet their Day in which they will be struck insensible - (46) The Day their plan will not avail them at all, nor will they be helped. (47) And indeed, for those who have wronged is a punishment before that, but most of them do not know.
فَذَرْهُمْ حَتَّى يُلاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي فِيهِ يُصْعَقُونَ (45) يَوْمَ لاَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا وَلاَ هُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ (46) وَإِنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا عَذَابًا دُونَ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَWhich indicates the punishment of the disbelievers with a lesser punishment before the Hour, which is general for what Allah the Exalted inflicts upon them in this world and what He punishes them with in their graves before they are resurrected from them to the greater punishment. It is established in authentic hadiths that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
He used to seek refuge in his prayer from the punishment of the grave and ordered his companions to do so.
كان يستعيذ في صلاته من عذاب القبر ويأمر أصحابه بذلكThat after he prayed the eclipse prayer and delivered the sermon to the people, he ordered them to seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave.
أنه بعد أن صلى صلاة كسوف الشمس وخطب الناس أمرهم أن يستعيذوا بالله من عذاب القبرAllah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.
يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُand is delighted in his grave, and that the disbeliever is abandoned and hesitates in answering and is punished in his grave. This will come in the hadith of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) shortly. Among the evidence for the punishment of the grave is also what is established in the two Sahihs from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both)
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said, “Indeed, they are being punished, and they are not being punished for a great [sin]. As for one of them, he did not ensure cleanliness from urination, and as for the other, he used to go about spreading backbiting.” So he took a fresh date palm branch, split it in two, and planted one on each grave, and said, “Perhaps it will lighten their punishment as long as they do not dry out.”
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مر بقبرين فقال: إنهما ليعذبان وما يعذبان في كبير، أما أحدهما فكان لا يستبرئ من البول، وأما الآخر فكان يمشي بالنميمة فدعا بجريدة رطبة فشقها نصفين وغرز على كل قبر واحدة وقال: لعله يخفف عنهما ما لم ييبساWe were at a funeral in al-Baqi' al-Gharqad when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us. He sat down and we sat around him, as if there were birds on our heads, while he was digging the grave for him. He said: “I seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave,” three times. Then he said: “When the believing servant is in the approach of the Hereafter and the departure from this world, the angels descend to him, as if the sun is on their faces, with a shroud from the shrouds of Paradise and embalming from the embalming of Paradise. They sit at a distance of a bowshot from him. Then the Angel of Death comes until he sits at his head and says: ‘O good soul, come out to the forgiveness of Allah and His pleasure.’ He said: So it comes out flowing as a drop flows from the mouth of a waterskin. He takes it, and when he takes it, they do not leave it in his hand for the blink of an eye, until they take it and place it in that shroud and that embalming. And there comes out of it the most pleasant scent of musk found on the face of the earth. He said: So they ascend with it, and they do not pass by a gathering of angels without them saying: ‘What is this good soul?’ They say: ‘So-and-so, the son of so-and-so,’ by the best of the names by which they used to call him in this world, until they reach with it the sky in which is Allah. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: ‘Write the book of My servant in 'Iliyyun, and return him to the earth, for I created them from it, and in it I will return them, and from it I will bring them out another time.’ He said: So his soul is returned to his body, and two angels come to him and make him sit, and they say to him: ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says: ‘My Lord is Allah.’ They say to him: ‘What is your religion?’ He says: ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say to him: ‘What is this man who was sent among you?’ He says: ‘He is the Messenger of Allah.’ They say to him: ‘What is your knowledge?’ He says: ‘I read the Book of Allah and I believed in it and I affirmed it.’ A caller calls out from the sky: ‘Your servant has spoken the truth, so spread for him from Paradise, and open for him a door to Paradise.’ He said: So there comes to him from its spirit and its fragrance, and his grave is made spacious for him the distance of his sight. And he said: And there comes to him a man with a good face, good clothes, and a pleasant scent, and he says: ‘Be glad of what pleases you. This is your day which you were promised.’ He says to him: ‘Who are you? Your face is the face that brings good.’ He says: ‘I am your good deed.’ He says: ‘O my Lord, establish the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’ He said: And when the disbelieving servant is in the departure from this world and the approach of the Hereafter, angels with black faces descend to him from the sky with rough garments, and they sit at a distance of a bowshot from him. Then the Angel of Death comes until he sits at his head and says: ‘O evil soul, come out to the anger of Allah and His wrath.’ He said: So it scatters in his body, and he extracts it as a nail is extracted from wet wool. He takes it, and when he takes it, they do not leave it in his hand for the blink of an eye until they place it in those rough garments. And there comes out of it the most foul, evil smell found on the face of the earth. They ascend with it, and they do not pass by a gathering of angels without them saying: ‘What is this evil soul?’ They say: ‘So-and-so, the son of so-and-so,’ by the worst of the names by which they used to call him in this world, until they reach with it the lowest sky. They seek to open for him, but it is not opened for him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited: “Their gates will not be opened, nor will they enter Paradise until the camel enters the eye of the needle.” Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: ‘Write his book in Sijjin in the lowest earth, and his soul is thrown down.’ Then he recited: “And whoever associates others with Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, so the birds snatch him or the wind carries him off to a distant place.” His soul is returned to his body, and two angels come to him and make him sit, and they say to him: ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says: ‘Hah, hah, I do not know.’ They say to him: ‘What is this man who was sent among you?’ He says: ‘Hah, hah, I do not know.’ A caller calls out from the sky: ‘He has lied, so spread for him from the Fire, and open for him a door to the Fire.’ There comes to him from its heat and its poison, and his grave is tightened upon him until his ribs are crushed. And there comes to him a man with an ugly face, ugly clothes, and a foul smell, and he says: ‘Be glad of what angers you. This is your day which you were promised.’ He says: ‘Who are you? Your face is the face that brings evil.’ He says: ‘I am your evil deed.’ He says: ‘O my Lord, do not establish the Hour.”
كنا في جنازة في بقيع الغرقد فأتانا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقعد وقعدنا حوله كأن على رؤوسنا الطير وهو يلحد له، فقال: أعوذ بالله من عذاب القبر ثلاث مرات، ثم قال: إن العبد المؤمن إذا كان في إقبال من الآخرة وانقطاع من الدنيا نزلت إليه الملائكة كأن على وجوههم الشمس معهم كفن من أكفان الجنة وحنوط من حنوط الجنة فجلسوا منه مد البصر، ثم يجيء ملك الموت حتى يجلس عند رأسه فيقول: يا أيتها النفس الطيبة اخرجي إلى مغفرة من الله ورضوان، قال: فتخرج تسيل كما تسيل القطرة من في السقاء، فيأخذها، فإذا أخذها لم يدعوها في يده طرفة عين، حتى يأخذوها فيجعلوها في ذلك الكفن وذلك الحنوط ويخرج منها كأطيب نفحة مسك وجدت على وجه الأرض، قال: فيصعدون بها، فلا يمرون بها يعني على ملأ من الملائكة إلاَّ قالوا: ما هذه الروح الطيبة؟ فيقولون: فلان ابن فلان بأحسن أسمائه التي كانوا يسمونه بها في الدنيا حتى ينتهوا بها إلى السماء فيستفتحون له فيفتح له فيشيعه من كل سماء مقربوها إلى السماء التي تليها حتى ينتهي بها إلى السماء التي فيها الله، فيقول الله عز وجل: اكتبوا كتاب عبدي في عليين، وأعيدوه إلى الأرض، فإني منها خلقتهم، وفيها أعيدهم، ومنها أخرجهم تارة أخرى، قال: فتعاد روحه في جسده، فيأتيه ملكان، فيجلسانه، فيقولان له: من ربك؟ فيقول: ربي الله، فيقولان له: ما دينك؟ فيقول: ديني الإِسلام، فيقولان له: ما هذا الرجل الذي بعث فيكم؟ فيقول: هو رسول الله، فيقولان له: ما علمك؟ فيقول: قرأت كتاب الله فآمنت به وصدقت. فينادي مناد من السماء: أن صدق عبدي فافرشوه من الجنة، وافتحوا له بابًا إلى الجنة، قال: فيأتيه من روحها وطيبها ويفسح له في قبره مد بصره، وقال: ويأتيه رجل حسن الوجه حسن الثياب طيب الريح فيقول: أبشر بالذي يسرك، هذا يومك الذي كنت توعد، فيقول له: من أنت؟ فوجهك الوجه الذي يجيء بالخير، فيقول: أنا عملك الصالح فيقول: يا رب، أقم الساعة حتى أرجع إلى أهلي ومالي. قال: وإن العبد الكافر إذا كان في انقطاع من الدنيا وإقبال من الآخرة نزل إليه من السماء ملائكة سود الوجوه معهم المسوح فيجلسون منه مد البصر، ثم يجيء ملك الموت حتى يجلس عند رأسه فيقول: أيتها النفس الخبيثة اخرجي إلى سخط من الله وغضب، قال: فتتفرق في جسده فينتزعها كما ينتزع السفود من الصوف المبلول، فيأخذها فإذا أخذها لم يدعوها في يده طرفة عين حتى يجعلوها في تلك المسوح، ويخرج منها كأنتن ريح خبيثة وجدت على وجه الأرض، فيصعدون بها فلا يمرون بها على ملأ من الملائكة إلاَّ قالوا: ما هذا الروح الخبيث؟ فيقولون فلان ابن فلان بأقبح أسمائه التي كانوا يسمونه بها في الدنيا حتى ينتهي بها إلى السماء الدنيا فيستفتح له فلا يفتح له، ثم قرأ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لاَ تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَلاَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِيَاطِ فيقول الله عز وجل: اكتبوا كتابه في سجين في الأرض السفلى فتطرح روحه طرحًا، ثم قرأ: وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ فتعاد روحه في جسده ويأتيه ملكان فيجلسانه فيقولان له: من ربك؟ فيقول: هاه، هاه، لا أدري، فيقولان له: ما هذا الرجل الذي بعث فيكم؟ فيقول: هاه، هاه، لا أدري، فينادي منادٍ من السماء: أن كذب فافرشوه من النار وافتحوا له بابًا إلى النار، فيأتيه من حرها وسمومها ويضيق عليه قبره حتى تختلف أضلاعه، ويأتيه رجل قبيح الوجه قبيح الثياب منتن الريح فيقول: أبشر بالذي يسوؤك، هذا يومك الذي كنت توعد، فيقول: من أنت؟ فوجهك الوجه الذي يجيء بالشر، فيقول: أنا عملك الخبيث، فيقول: رب، لا تقم الساعةin the greatness of the power of Allah the Exalted and the wonders of His cosmic laws that He delights the believers in their graves and punishes the disbelievers therein. For whoever looks deeply into the universe, the generality of the will of Allah and its execution, the comprehensiveness and perfection of His power, the precision of His creation, and the detail of His management and creation of what He formed become clear to him. And it becomes easy for him to believe in what the authentic texts came with regarding the questioning of the buried and their delight or punishment. It is established in them that Allah the Exalted returns the spirit to the one who died after his burial, a return that makes him alive with an intermediate life (barzakh) between his life in his worldly life and his life after Allah resurrects him on the Day of Resurrection. This intermediate life between the two lives qualifies him to hear the question and answer it if he is aided, and makes him feel the delight or the punishment. The hadiths regarding this have been mentioned previously. And Allah has in His management and creation matters that minds do not encompass due to their shortcoming, and they do not deem impossible, but they affirm their possibility, even if they are perplexed by their causation and unable to grasp their essence and reality and know their extent and goals. So, if a person is unable to understand something and its matter is hidden from him, he should blame himself for shortcoming and not blame his Lord in His knowledge, wisdom, and power. The verses mentioned in the question do not contradict the questioning of the deceased in the grave and his delight or punishment. As for His the Exalted saying:
(27) [To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, (28) Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], (29) And enter among My [righteous] servants (30) And enter My Paradise."
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ (27) ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً (28) فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي (29) وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِيan address to the soul on the Day of Resurrection, not when it exits the body in this world, as evidenced by what preceded from His the Exalted saying in the same surah:
(21) No! When the earth has been leveled - pounded and crushed - (22) And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank, (23) And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but what good to him will be the remembrance?
كَلا إِذَا دُكَّتِ الأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا (21) وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا (22) وَجِيءَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنْسَانُ وَأَنَّى لَهُ الذِّكْرَى[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul,
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُThey will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins.
قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَاmentioned in the verse, but it is a specific intermediate life (barzakh) whose reality only Allah knows. As for His the Exalted saying:
They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?"
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَنْ بَعَثَنَا مِنْ مَرْقَدِنَا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.