When does the questioning by the two angels of the deceased occur: immediately upon death or after burial?
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The questioner : I bear witness to Allah regarding your love for the sake of Allah, and that of those present.
The Shaykh : May Allah love you for the sake of which you loved us.
The questioner : My question, O honorable Shaykh, regarding the questioning by the two angels of the deceased in the grave is clear in the case of one who dies and is buried.
The Shaykh : For the one who dies and what?
The questioner : And is buried.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But in some circumstances, O honorable Shaykh, the deceased is placed in a refrigerator for a period that may reach months. When does the questioning in the grave take place for him? Is it immediately upon his death, or immediately upon being placed in the grave? And in some cases, O honorable Shaykh, the deceased is not buried, such as if he is killed in a plane explosion or dies in the sea. How does the questioning by the two angels in the grave occur for him? And when does that happen?
The Shaykh : Knowledge of this is with Allah, but I see that the questioning occurs when the people of this world hand him over to the people of the Hereafter. And the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he is questioned when buried is based on the common, observed practice. For example, the one who is placed in a refrigerator until the procedures for his death are completed is not questioned until he is handed over to the people of the Hereafter, meaning until he is buried. Likewise, if one is burned and we do not see his body, he is judged accordingly, for we will not be able to bury him or see his body. However, it is obligatory to pray over him as an absent person. As for the one who can be buried, even if after some time, as long as he has not been buried, he is not questioned. Yes.
The Shaykh : May Allah love you for the sake of which you loved us.
The questioner : My question, O honorable Shaykh, regarding the questioning by the two angels of the deceased in the grave is clear in the case of one who dies and is buried.
The Shaykh : For the one who dies and what?
The questioner : And is buried.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But in some circumstances, O honorable Shaykh, the deceased is placed in a refrigerator for a period that may reach months. When does the questioning in the grave take place for him? Is it immediately upon his death, or immediately upon being placed in the grave? And in some cases, O honorable Shaykh, the deceased is not buried, such as if he is killed in a plane explosion or dies in the sea. How does the questioning by the two angels in the grave occur for him? And when does that happen?
The Shaykh : Knowledge of this is with Allah, but I see that the questioning occurs when the people of this world hand him over to the people of the Hereafter. And the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he is questioned when buried is based on the common, observed practice. For example, the one who is placed in a refrigerator until the procedures for his death are completed is not questioned until he is handed over to the people of the Hereafter, meaning until he is buried. Likewise, if one is burned and we do not see his body, he is judged accordingly, for we will not be able to bury him or see his body. However, it is obligatory to pray over him as an absent person. As for the one who can be buried, even if after some time, as long as he has not been buried, he is not questioned. Yes.