The Punishment of the Grave Pertains to the Soul and May Affect the Body
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I am confused by the issue of how the people of the Sunnah use their refutation of the Mu'tazilah regarding the punishment and bliss of the grave as evidence. For example, they cite dreams, since a person experiences certain things in his sleep. They refuted the Mu'tazilah, O Shaykh! (may Allah preserve you)! I see, and Allah knows best, that there is a difference between a dream and the punishment of the grave: [Surah al-Zumar: 42] meaning: How did the people of the Sunnah use dreams specifically as evidence in their refutation of the Mu'tazilah?
They argued that this is possible; it is possible for a person to experience punishment and bliss while his body has not changed.Because those people said: How do we establish the punishment of the grave when we bury a man today, come back the next morning, and find him exactly as he was?We say: It is not necessary for the body to change; the punishment in the grave is, in principle, upon the soul, but it may connect to the body. Likewise, a dream in sleep is, in reality, for the soul, but even so, the body may feel pain. This is why you find that when a person sees something he dislikes in his sleep, he is found tossing and turning and saying: "My sleep was not good tonight." In fact, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Ruh* (The Soul): that sometimes a person finds that if he sees in a dream that he has been struck or something similar, he finds the mark of the strike on his body. This is an approximate example; otherwise, there is no doubt that there is a difference between sleep and death.Meaning: What the deceased experiences of joy and bliss, or punishment and retribution, is far more severe than what the sleeper sees.
Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep
اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَاThey argued that this is possible; it is possible for a person to experience punishment and bliss while his body has not changed.Because those people said: How do we establish the punishment of the grave when we bury a man today, come back the next morning, and find him exactly as he was?We say: It is not necessary for the body to change; the punishment in the grave is, in principle, upon the soul, but it may connect to the body. Likewise, a dream in sleep is, in reality, for the soul, but even so, the body may feel pain. This is why you find that when a person sees something he dislikes in his sleep, he is found tossing and turning and saying: "My sleep was not good tonight." In fact, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Ruh* (The Soul): that sometimes a person finds that if he sees in a dream that he has been struck or something similar, he finds the mark of the strike on his body. This is an approximate example; otherwise, there is no doubt that there is a difference between sleep and death.Meaning: What the deceased experiences of joy and bliss, or punishment and retribution, is far more severe than what the sleeper sees.