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The Reward of.a Believer and Disgrace of a Disbeliever Before and After Death
When Jabir bin Ziyad (رضي الله عنه) was on the verge of death, somebody asked him what was his last wish. He said he wanted to meet Hasan Basri (رضي الله عنه). When the latter came, the people announced his arrival. Jabir bin Ziyad (رضي الله عنه) said that he was departing not knowing whether he would find a place in paradise or in hell. Tamim Dari (رضي الله عنه) is reported to have said:
The Almighty enjoins the angel of death to approach His slave and to disembody his soul so as to relieve him of worldly troubles because he had been tried in his joy and sorrow and had come up to His expectation. The angel of death, in the company of five hundred angels, approaches him. Each angel carries in his hand a coffin of paradise and a bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers, containing twenty different colors and each color diffusing diverse smells. In addition, they carry a white silky handkerchief that emits the fragrance of musk.
The angel of death sits by the side of his head whereas the other angels surround him, touch his limbs, keep the musk-scented handkerchief below his chin, and open the gate of paradise before his very eyes. They keep him amused with different kinds of things belonging to paradise in the same way as the parents keep a weeping child amused with different toys. At one time, the virgins of paradise are brought before his eyes, at another the fruits of the Garden of Paradise are offered to him and still at other times elegant dresses are presented to him.
His celestial brides begin to play with him. After seeing different scenes, his soul throbs in the body in an ecstasy of delight just as a bird flutters its wings in a cage. Then the angel death says, ‘O suspicious soul, go where there are thornless lote-trees, clustered plantains, spreading shades and water gushing.”’
This is a reference to the verses of Sura Al-Waq‘ia of the Holy Qur’an. The angel of death speaks to him as politely as a mother speaks to her baby because the angel knows that he is one of those who have been brought nigh to the Almighty. He treats the soul mildly because he thinks the Almighty would be pleased with him. The soul is extracted from the body as easily as a hair is picked from flour. When the soul separates, all the angels bow down to him in reverence and give him glad tidings to enter the Garden of Delight, which is referred to in Sura Nahl of the Holy Qur’an.
If the man is one of those who are brought nigh, the reward nientioned in the verses of Sura Al-Waq‘ia:
“Then happiness and a Garden of bliss."
— M. Pickthall
(Surah Al Waqiah : Ayat 89)
When the soul separates from body it says to the body: ‘‘The Almighty may reward you for the good works. You were prompt in worshipping and obeying God. You scorned to disobey Him. May this day be good to you! You have not only escaped from the pangs of death but also kept me safe from the agonies of death.”
The body also utters the same words at the time of separation of the soul. At that time those places of the earth where he had worshipped, begin to mourn the loss of that man, those gates of heaven through which his deeds and his livelihood used to pass begin to weep. After that five hundred angels gather near the corpse. As the persons performing ablutions of the dead body turn over his side, the \ angels do so immediately.
Before the men shroud him in the coffin, the angels cover him immediately with the coffin brought by them. Before the men sprinkle scent on him, the angels sprinkle the perfume brought by them. After doing so, the angels stand in a row on both sides beginning from the door of his house to the grave and saying the funeral prayer and seeking the forgiveness of God, they give him a cordial reception. Looking at these scenes satan weeps so bitterly. He curses the legion of his followers for sparing him. They say: ‘‘He was innocent.”
After this, when the angel of death takes his soul in the upper regions. Hadrat Gabriel (peace be upon him) receives him with seventy-thousand angels. These angels convey to him the glad tidings in obedience to the command of the Almighty. After this, the angel of death carries him to Empyrean. As soon as the soul reaches there, it bows down in _prostration. Almighty God commands the angel of death that the soul of His bondman should be carried to a place where there are thornless lote trees and clustered banana trees. When his corpse is laid in the grave, his Prayer stands by his right side,.
Fast stands by the left side, his Recitation of the Holy Qur’an and Glorification of God stand by the side of his head, the steps he traversed for congregational prayer stand by the side of his feet and his fortitude (in adversity and abstinence from sins) stand close to the grave. After that Torment of the grave stretches its neck and strives to reach the dead body. But when it attacks the right side, Prayers come to his rescue and keep the chastise-
net off swearing that he was the man who always bore hardship in the world and did not enjoy a sound sleep. Then the Torment attacks the left side, Fast thwarts its attempt and removes it away. Then it tries to reach the head, but the Recitation of the Holy Qur’an and the Glorification of God prevent it from causing hurt to him. In short, it does not find a way from any side to reach the dead body because his good works guard him against any attack, circumvent all plans of Torment, and, therefore, it cannot touch the slave of God.
When the Torment is rendered helpless he goes away. After this, Patience, which stands in a corner says to his Good Deeds that he was waiting for the opportune time to come to aid in case any side happened to be weak, to counteract the attack (due to some lacuna in adoration). But thanks God, they have succeeded in repelling the ~ attack of the Torment. He would help at the time of weighing (the deeds).
After that, the angels approach the dead body. Their eyes glitter like a flash of lightning and their voice is as loud as thunder. Their canine teeth are like the cow’s horns. When they exhale the flames come out from their mouths. Their hair is so long that it hangs down to their feet. Their shoulders are so broad that the distance from one shoulder to the other, could be covered in a journey of several days. ‘Tenderness and mildness are alien to their nature (but they do not treat the believers harshly, their outward appearance is sufficient to cause dread).
They are called Munker Nakir. Each one of them has so a huge and heavy hammer in his hands that if al] human beings and jinns were to lift it, they would not be able to remove it even, coming near the dead body, they order him to sit down. As soon as the dead body sits down, his coffin loosens and reaches his hips. They put questions as to who is his Creator, what is the name of his Prophet ? The dead body answers that his Creator is Allah, who is One and has no peer. (He is the sole Owner ax! has no Partner). His religion is Islam, his prophet is Mohammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who is the last of the prophets. They both say that he has spoken the truth.
Soon after they remove the barrier from all sides as a result of which the grave expands. After that, the angels order the dead body to raise his head. When he raises his head, he sees a gate through which he is shown paradise. Then they say to the slave of God that that very place was his abode because he had obeyed the commands of God. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is reported to have sworn by Divine Power and the Omnipotent that the dead body feels immense pleasure-e which can never return. After that, the angels ask him to look at his feet where he sees a gate of hell (which shows his condition).
The angels say to the slave of God that he was safe from that door. At that time the dead body feels immense pleasure which can never return. After that, seventy gates open towards paradise through which cool breeze and fragrance enter the grave. This state will continue till the Last Day. The predicament of the other is detailed below :
The Almighty enjoins that the angel of death should approach His sworn enemy, and after taking away his soul he should bring it before Him so that He should punish him because even though He had bestowed His blessings on him (in the world) in abundance, he persisted in His disobedience.
The angel of death makes his dreadful appearance before him. He has twelve eyes. In his hands, he holds a forked mace (a big iron rod) made of Fire of hell. He is accompanied by five hundred angels who have a piece of copper, and hold in their hands huge embers of the Fire of hell and scourges of burning fire As soon as the angel of death comes near him, he strikes him with the mace. Its forks pierce his body. When he draws it out, the other angels begin to lash him on his head and hips and as a result the dead body swoons.
Having extracted his soul from the toes, they stop it in the ankle and give him a sound beating. Then they extract it from the ankle and stop it in the knees and then after extracting it from the knees they stop it in the belly (they stop the soul from joint to joint so as to torture the dead body for a fairly long time). They extract the soul from the belly and stop it in the breast. Then the angels keep the piece of copper and the burning embers of hell below his chin and the angel of death says: ‘‘O the accursed soul! Come out to go to hell”. (For reference, the verse ot Sura Al-Wagqi‘a may be seen in the Holy Qur’an).
The translation of the verse is as under: ‘In scorching wind and scalding water, and shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor refreshing”. When the soul separates from his body, it says to the body, “‘Let the Almighty pay you in the same coins. You were prompt in disobeying the commands of Allah and scorned to obey Him. You have ruined yourself and have ruined me too’. The body also utters the same words to the soul. Those spots of the earth where he committed sins curse him.
The legion of the followers of Satan ran to their ringleader Jdlis to break the news that they had caused a man to suffer eternal Hell-Fire. When he is laid in the grave, the grave straitens to such an extent that the ribs of one side pierce the ribs of the other side. There come black serpents which begin to sting his nose and toe and continue to do so till the serpents of both sides meet in the middle. Then two angels who are called Munker Nakir (whose outward appearance has already been described) come and ask him the question;: Who is his Creator, what is his religion, and who is his prophet?
He expresses his ignorance over each question and the angels strike him with a mace so violently that the sparks of the mace spread in the grave. After that, they order him to Jook up. He looks up to see an opened gate of paradise (through which he seeks a fine spectacle of paradise). The angels say, ‘‘O enemy of Allah, had you obeyed the commands of Allah, you would have been given that abode. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) swore by the Omnipotent that at that time he feels so intense grief the like of which he would not feel at any other occasion. Then the gate of hell is opened and angels say: This is the abode of those who are the enemies of Allah.
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Allah
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