Part 12

That is for what you did. Allah does not wrong His slaves.' ) (8: 51-52) 38 al-Bukhari, 11 / 357; Muslim, 17/9; Al-Tirmidhi, 4 / 287; Al-Nasa'i', 4/10. Allah also says: ( If you could only see the wrongdoers in the throes of death when the angels are stretching out their hands, saying, Disgorge your own selves!' ) (6: 94) Commentators on the Quran say, "Allah's words, stretching out their hands, means 'stretching out their hands to inflict punishment', because the soul of a disbeliever still permeates the body when the news of the Fire and the anger of the Lord is given. Then the angels smite the face and back of the disbeliever, saying, 'Disgorge your own self.'" We seek refuge with Allah from His punishment and anger. As for the believer, his or her tongue should be repeating the shahada, because the Prophet said, "Whoever says La ilaha Allah — there is no god only Allah — at the moment of death will enter the Garden."39 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said, "Remind the dying of the words La ilaha 'illa' Allah — there is no god only Allah — because they see what you cannot see." It is also recommended to visit righteous people when they are in the throes of death and to make dua for them, as these may benefit them. It is also recommended for a dying person to hope for good from Allah, because of the hadith of Jabir Ibn Abdillah who said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say, three days before his death, 'None of you should approach death without only hoping for good from Allah.'"40 Anas said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'Allah A has said, "Son of Adam, as long as you ask of Me and hope in Me I will pardon you in spite of what you have done — and I do not care. Son of Adam, even if your wrong actions were piled as high as the clouds in the sky, and then you asked My forgiveness, I would forgive you — and I do not care. Son of Adam, even if you were to approach Me with enough sins to fill the earth, and then you met Me, not associating anything with Me, then I would grant you just as much forgiveness.'"41 39 Abu Dawud, 3100; Al-Hakim, 1/351; Ahmed, 5/233. 40 Muslim, 17/209; Abu Dawud, 2097. 41 Al-Tirmidhi, 13 /59-60, who classified it as hasan gharib; Ahmed, 5 /154; Ad-Darami, 2/322. FOUR PUNISHMENT AND BLESSINGS IN THE GRAVE The Salaf and the 'ulama' believe that after death a person is either punished or blessed in the grave. On the Day of Rising, souls are returned to their bodies and they rise from their graves to stand before their Lord to be judged. The proofs of this from the Quran and ahadith are numerous. From the Quran Allah says: ( 'O self at rest and at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleasing and well-pleased! Enter among My slaves! Enter My Garden.' ) (89: 30-32) Allah also says: ( So Allah safeguarded him from the evil things they plotted and a most evil torment engulfed Pharaoh's people — the Fire, morning and night, to which they are exposed; and on the Day the Hour takes place: 'Admit Pharaoh's people to the harshest punishment!' ) (40: 45-46) And again, He says: ( Leave them until they meet their Day when they will be struck down by the Blast: the Day their ploys will not profit them at all and they will not be helped. And those who do wrong will have a punishment besides that but most of them do not know it. ) (52: 43-45) And He says: (We will give them a taste of lesser punishment before the greater punishment, so that hopefully they will turn back. ) (41 32: 21) Ibn Abbas referred to this verse as confirmation and proof indicating that punishment in the grave does take place. From the Ahadith Ibn Abbas related "Once the Prophet was passing by the graves of Madinah when he heard the cries of two people who were being punished in their graves. The Prophet t said, 'They are being punished, but they are not being punished because of a major wrong action — and yet their wrong actions are serious. One of them used not to avoid (being soiled with) urine, and the other used to go about spreading false rumours.' Then the Prophet t asked for a green palm tree branch and split it into two and placed one piece on each grave, saying, 'May their punishment cease for as long as these pieces of branch do not dry out.'"42 Zaid Ibn Thabit said, "The Messenger of Allah was riding with us towards the dwellings of Banu an-Najjar when his mule shied so that he nearly fell off. He saw that there were four or five or six graves there. He said, 'Which of you knows about who is buried in these graves?' Someone said, 'I do.' So the Prophet asked, 'What state were they in when they died?' He replied, 'They died as mushrikun.' He said, 'These people are being punished in their graves.