How can one respond to the rationalists who deny the punishment of the grave and deny the punishment of the souls without the bodies?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Two days ago, I was in a conversation with an ordinary person, but he is well-read, meaning he reads and studies. He had read the magazine *Al-Wa'i* (Awareness), which is published in Beirut by the Tahrir Party. It was a very long article about the punishment of the grave. They affirm it, then deny it, and then [discuss] the soul and the body. It makes one's head spin; I didn't benefit from it at all!
The Shaykh : Excuse me, the magazine *Al-Wa'i al-Islami* (Islamic Awareness) was published in Kuwait!
The questioner : No, *Al-Wa'i* for the Tahrir Party is published in Beirut.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner : This one is small.
Another questioner : It is small!
The Shaykh : No, I haven't seen it.
The questioner : It is a newsletter.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner : A magazine, perhaps every two months or every month.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So I said: There is nothing in our Shari'ah of a body without a soul, or a soul without a body. The Shari'ah texts concerning human beings, whether in this worldly life, in the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), or in the Hereafter, do not have anything called a soul or a body, or a body or a soul. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he addressed and spoke to human beings, it was either to the believer or to people in general!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So the issue, meaning the soul and the body, how, or are there other rational or other proofs by which we address people regarding this? That it is widespread, especially among the people we see as educated!
The Shaykh : The rationalists, meaning those whose faith is weak!!
The questioner : The rationalists, yes..
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says: How can Allah the Exalted punish a soul that He Himself breathed into it, and so on?
Another questioner : It has become a second issue!!
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, why is it that He is the one who created it!
The questioner : If the punishment is on the body without a soul, then the punishment has no meaning, like a sheep when we slaughter it.
The Shaykh : And who created the body?
The questioner : Allah the Exalted.
The Shaykh : So is it permissible to punish the body without the soul?
The questioner : According to this principle, it is not permissible.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah!! Glory be to Allah!![An-Naml 27:14] .
The Shaykh : Excuse me, the magazine *Al-Wa'i al-Islami* (Islamic Awareness) was published in Kuwait!
The questioner : No, *Al-Wa'i* for the Tahrir Party is published in Beirut.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner : This one is small.
Another questioner : It is small!
The Shaykh : No, I haven't seen it.
The questioner : It is a newsletter.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner : A magazine, perhaps every two months or every month.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So I said: There is nothing in our Shari'ah of a body without a soul, or a soul without a body. The Shari'ah texts concerning human beings, whether in this worldly life, in the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), or in the Hereafter, do not have anything called a soul or a body, or a body or a soul. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he addressed and spoke to human beings, it was either to the believer or to people in general!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So the issue, meaning the soul and the body, how, or are there other rational or other proofs by which we address people regarding this? That it is widespread, especially among the people we see as educated!
The Shaykh : The rationalists, meaning those whose faith is weak!!
The questioner : The rationalists, yes..
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says: How can Allah the Exalted punish a soul that He Himself breathed into it, and so on?
Another questioner : It has become a second issue!!
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, why is it that He is the one who created it!
The questioner : If the punishment is on the body without a soul, then the punishment has no meaning, like a sheep when we slaughter it.
The Shaykh : And who created the body?
The questioner : Allah the Exalted.
The Shaykh : So is it permissible to punish the body without the soul?
The questioner : According to this principle, it is not permissible.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah!! Glory be to Allah!!
And they rejected them, while their [inner] selves were convinced thereof
وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْ
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.