Interrogations in the Grave - Who Is Interrogated and Who Is Not

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘No one is interrogated in the grave except those whose faith and belief is pure or those whose disbelief is total, others, besides these, are left alone.”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the only people who are interrogated in the grave are those whose belief or disbelief is absolute and total, and people other than these are left alone.”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, the only ones interrogated in the grave are those whose belief or disbelief is absolute and total, and people other than such ones are left alone.”

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The only ones interrogated in the grave are those whose belief or disbelief is absolute and total.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a person is interrogated in the grave while he is pressed hard from all sides.”

“I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘Can anyone remain safe from the pressure of the grave?’ The Imam said, ‘I seek protection against it from Allah. How few are those who remain safe from the pressure in the grave! When Ruqiyyah was murdered by Uthman. The Messenger of Allah stood on her grave and raised his head toward the sky, his eyes flooded with tears, and said to people, “I thought of her and her condition in the grave moved me to a weeping state. I pleaded before Allah to give her safety from the pressure of the grave as a gift for me.’” He (the Imam) has said that the Messenger of Allah then said, “O Lord, save Ruqiyyah from the pressure of the grave as gift to me.” Allah then granted him that gift. The Messenger of Allah took part in the funeral of Sa‘d in which seventy thousand angels had also taken part. The Messenger of Allah raised his head to the sky and said, ‘Even (a person like) Sa‘d undergoes the pressure of the grave.’ I then said to the Imam, ‘It is said that he (Sa‘d) would not pay much attention to the uncleanness from his urine.’ He replied, ‘May Allah grant protection, it was due to his harsh manners toward his family (wife).’ The Imam then said that mother of Sa‘d said, ‘How fortunate are you, O Sa‘d!’ the Messenger of Allah then said, ‘O mother of Sa‘d, please do not consider it (granting an opportune) an obligation upon Allah.’”

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the two interrogating angels (Munkar and Nakir) will come to the person who is just buried. Their voice sounds like thunder, their eyes like swift lightening, tearing the earth with their incisors, they strike the earth with their hairs and ask the deceased, ’Who is your Lord and what your religion is?’ The Imam then said, ‘If the deceased is a believer he will say, “Allah is my Lord and Islam is my religion.” They will then ask the deceased, “What do you say about this man who appeared among you?” The deceased will ask, “Are you asking me about Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah?” They then ask, “Do you testify that he is the Messenger of Allah?” He will say, “Yes, I do testify that he is the Messenger of Allah.” They then will say, “Rest to sleep without dreams.” They will open his grave by nine yards and a door to paradise where he can observe his seat. If the deceased is an unbeliever, the two angels will come to him and present before him will also be Satan with his eyes made of brass. The angels will ask him, “Who is your Lord, what is your religion and what do you say about this man who appeared among you?” The deceased will say, “I do not know.” The angels then leave him with Satan who then will expose him to ninety-nine such serpents that even if one of them would blow in earth, no plant thereafter can grow therein. The angels open to him a door to hell wherein he can observe his seat.’”

“I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), ’May Allah grant you well being, who are interrogated in the grave?’ The Imam replied, ‘The only ones interrogated in the grave are those whose belief or disbelief is absolute and total.’ The narrator has said that I then asked, ‘What about the rest of these creatures?’ The Imam replied, ‘They, by Allah, will be left alone.’ The narrator has said that I then asked about the phrase: ‘What will they be asked about?’ The Imam replied, ‘They will be questioned about Divine authority established among you. The believers will be asked, “What do you say about so and so son of so and so?” The believer will say, “He is my Imam.” They then will say, “Rest to sleep; may Allah grant rest to your eyes.’” They will open to him a door to paradise whereby he keeps receiving gifts up to the Day of Judgment. They ask an unbeliever, “What do you say about so and so son of so and so?” He will say, “I have heard about him but I do not know who he is.” The angels will say, “May you never know!”’ The Imam then said, ‘The two angels will open a door of fire to him from which he will suffer up to the Day of Judgment.’”

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), say that a man is interrogated in his grave. If he remains steadfast (in his belief), his grave is then made spacious by nine yards, a door to paradise is then opened for him and it is said to him, ‘Rest to sleep like a newly wedded person with delightful heart.’”

”1 heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), say, ‘When a person is placed in his grave, two angels come to him, one from the right, the other from the left, and Satan whose eyes are made of brass stands before his eyes. The two angels will ask, “What do you say about the man who lived among you?’” The Imam then said, ‘This causes him a terrifying alarm. If a believing person, he says, “Are you asking about Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah?” The two angels will then say to him, “Rest to sleep without dreams therein.” They will make his grave spacious by nine yards. He then observes his seat in paradise.’ This is what Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has mentioned (in His Book), ‘Allah keeps the believers steadfast upon the firmly established word both in this and in the next life.’ (14:26) If he is an unbeliever, the two angels will ask, “Who is the man who appeared among you?” He will say, “I do not know.” The two angels will then leave him with Satan.’”

“Abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.), has said, that a believing person in his grave will be asked, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He will reply, ‘Allah is my Lord.’ He is then asked, ‘What is your religion?’ He will reply, ‘Islam is my religion.’ He is then asked, ‘Who is your prophet?’ He will reply, ‘Muhammad is my prophet.’ He is then asked, ‘Who is your Imam?’ He will reply, ‘So and so is my Imam.’ He is asked, ‘How did you come to know that he is your Imam?’ He will reply, ‘It is a matter to which Allah guided me and kept me steadfast therewith.’ It then will be said to him, ‘Rest to sleep without dreams like the sleep of newly wedded person.’ A door to paradise is then opened to him through which fragrance and happiness of paradise continue to come to him. He will then say, ‘Lord, allow the Day of judgment to come quicker so I can return to my family and property.’ An unbeliever is asked, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He replies, ‘Allah is my Lord.’ He is then asked, ‘Who is your prophet?’ He replies, ‘Muhammad is my prophet.’ He is then asked, ‘What is your religion?’ He replies, ‘Islam is my religion.’ He is then asked, ‘How did you come to know it?’ He replies, ‘People said so and so did I.’ The two angels will then strike him with a war-club on his head such that even all man and Jinn together cannot bear (its pain). The Imam then said, ‘He will melt like lead. Then they will return his soul to his body and place his heart between two boards of fire and he will plead, “O Lord, please delay the coming of the Day of Judgment.’””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when a believing person is taken out of his home, the angels escort him to his grave in a crowded manner until they arrive on his grave. The earth then says to him, ‘You are most welcome. By Allah, I loved that people like you walk on me. You will see what I will do for you.’ His grave will be opened up for him as far as his eyes can see, and then the two angels of grave, the dweller therein, Munkar and Nakir, enter into his grave, send his soul in him up to his loin, make him rise to sit upright and ask him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He then replies, ‘Allah is my Lord.’ They then ask, ‘What is your religion?’ He replies, ‘Islam is my religion.’ They then ask, ‘Who is your prophet?’ He then replies, ‘Muhammad is my prophet.’ They then ask, ‘Who is your Imam?’ He then replies, ‘So and so is my Imam.’ Then someone calls from the heaven, ‘My servant has told the truth. Furnish his grave from the furnishing of paradise and open for his grave a door to paradise, dress him from the dresses of paradise until he will come to Us; what is with Us for him is better.’ Then it is said to him, ‘Rest to sleep like a newly wedded person, rest sleeping without dreams.’ The Imam then said, ‘If he is an unbeliever, the angels escort him to his grave while they all condemn him until they arrive on his grave; and the earth says, “You are not welcome at all. By Allah, I hated that people like you walk on me. However, you will see what I will do to you today.” The grave then presses him with a huge force until his sides join each other. The Imam then said, ‘Then the angels of the grave, the dwellers of the grave, Munkar and Nakir, enter his grave.’ Abu Basir then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in your service, do they (the angels) come to the believer and the unbeliever with the same shape and form?’ The Imam replied, ‘No, they do not do so.’ The Imam then said, ‘They then make him sit upright and send his soul in him up to his loin and ask him, “Who is your Lord?” He will hesitate and say, “I heard people say (so and so).” They will say, “May you never know.” They then will ask, “What is your religion?” He will hesitate. They will say, “May you never know.” They will ask, “Who is your prophet?” He will say, “I heard people say (so and so).” They will say, “May you never know.” They then will ask him about the Imam of his time? The Imam then said, ‘Someone from the heaven then calls saying, “My servant has lied. Furnish his grave with the furnishing of fire, dress him with the dress of fire, open for him a door to fire until he comes before Us and what is with Us for him is much worse.” They then strike him with a war-club three times and each strike sets his grave on fire. The force of each strike can turn the mountains of Makkah into ashes? The Imam then said, ‘Allah then allows serpents to bite him repeatedly and Satan to make him suffer sadness? The Imam also said, ‘All creatures of Allah except man and Jinn hear his punishment. He can hear the sound of their shoes walking and the sound of their fingers being cracked and this is what Allah has mentioned in His book, “Allah keeps the believers steadfast upon the firmly established word in this world and in the next life and Allah causes to mislead the unjust and He does as He wills?”” (14:26)

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when a believing person is placed in his grave, his prayer appears on his right side, Zakat (his paying charity) on his left side, his good manners above him and his patience stands on one side. When the angels, who interrogate him, enter his grave, his patience will say to his prayer and Zakat, ‘Help your friend. If you fail, then I will defend him?”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘When a deceased person is placed in his grave, someone appears before him and says, “O so and so, there were three of us. One was your means of sustenance that is no more because of the coming of the time of your death. The other one was your family who left you and has returned home. I was your deeds and I have remained with you but I was the least important of the three before you?””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a deceased is asked in his grave about five issues. He is asked about his prayer, Zakat (paying charity), his Hajj, his fasting and about our, Ahl al-Bayt’s wilayah (guardianship) over him. Wilayah then from one side of the grave says to the others, ‘If you face any deficiency in your task (of protecting him), leave it for me to suffice?”

“I asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about one who dies because of being hanged, ’Is such a person punished in the form of the pressure of the grave?’ He replied, ’Yes, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, sends the air to place huge pressures on him.’”

The Lord of the earth is also the Lord of the air. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, inspires the air and it applies a pressure on the deceased which is greater than the pressure in the grave.’”

“When Ruqayyah, daughter of the Messenger of Allah passed away, the Messenger of Allah said, ’You now join the people of good deeds of our predecessors like ’Uthman ibn Madh'un and his friends.’ The Imam said, "Fatimah (AS) stood on the edge of the grave with her tears falling into the grave, and the Messenger of Allah allowed his tears to fall in his clothes. While standing he (the Messenger of Allah) prayed saying, 'I am aware of her weakness and pray to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, to grant her protection against the pressure of the grave.'"