Topic: WHAT hAPPENS AFTER DEATH
Hadrat Bar'a bin Azib (Allah be pleased with him) reports:
"(One day) we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to a graveyard with the bier of an Ansari. When we reached the graveyard we found that the grave was not yet ready. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) therefore sat down and we also followed him and sat down in a manner as if birds were sitting on our heads." (That is to say, we sat so motionless as if we were lifeless because birds use to sit on a motionless object).
At the time the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a stick in his holy hand and he was scratching the earth with that (as a sad person does). In the meantime he raised his head and observed:
"Seek refuge from the torment of the grave." He repeated these words twice or thrice, and then added:
"Undoubtedly, when a Believer is to leave the world and move towards the Hereafter, angels come to him from the heaven whose faces look bright like the sun. They carry scented Heavenly shroud with them. These angels are in such a large number they look sitting as far as his sight could work.
Thereafter Hadrat Izra'il (the angel of death) arrives and sits down at the head of his bedstead and says: "O pure and virtuous soul! Move towards the forgiveness and favour of Almighty Allah. Thus his soul comes out of his body so easily and smoothly as drops of water come out flowing of the water container.
However, the angel of Death takes it (soul) in his hand and the sitting angels get up and all of them soar towards the heaven with the scented shroud. About this perfume, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has remarked: "It is like the nicest musk perfume that could be found on this earth."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) further observed:
"When the angels start ascending the heaven, the groups of the angels falling in the way enquire about the virtuous soul and the angels carrying the soul reply in well-chosen nice words revealing he is the son of so and so.
Thus they reach the first layer of the heaven and ask for opening the door.
The door is opened and they go up with the soul and after crossing one layer of heaven after another reach the seventh one. At this point Almighty Allah commands that his name be written in the book of Virtuous Men and take him back to the earth because he has created man from the earth. I shall take him out from the same earth.
Thus his soul is returned to the body. Thereafter, two angels come to him, make him seated and ask him,
"who is your lord?"
He replies, my lord is Allah." Then they ask him,
"which is your deen (religion)?"
He replies, "My deen is Islam." Then they ask,
"who is this who was sent towards you?"
He replies, "This is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." Thereafter they ask him,
"what is your deed?"
He replies, "I read the book of Allah, believed and affirmed that." At this a proclaimer (of Allah) proclaimed from the heaven "My servant spoke the truth. Hence do spread the Heavenly bed for him, make him wear Heavenly garments and throw open the door towards Heaven for him." Thus the door towards Heaven is thrown open which brings fragrance of Heaven for him. And his grave is widened so much so that he could see as far as his sight could go."
Thereafter a man with handsome face, fine dress and nice fragrance turns up and tells him to have a good news that this is the day he had once been promised for. "Who are you?" He will ask adding that "your face is worthy of seeing and bringing good news." He will say, "I am your righteous deed."
After that he says out of utmost joy, "O Lord! Establish the day of resurrection so that I come in contact with my family and goods."
but this is the believer, what of the fate of the ignorant, the disbeliever?............
