“Until, when death cometh unto one of them, he saith, My Lord! Send me back, that I may do right in that which I have left behind! But nay! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised.”
[Surah Mumenoon, Verse 99-100]
Life after death is one of the core pillars of Islam. So much so that if one looks at Islam from the view of the afterlife, they will find that ninety-five percent of being a Muslim is doing deeds that make our afterlife easier. When analyzing the belief in the afterlife in Islam, there is the concept of Barzakh. On the surface, Barzakh is the barrier between life and the day of judgment. However, this blog will delve deep into the concept of Barzakh and the different statements, Quranic verses, and hadith that surround it.
What Is Barzakh?
The word ‘Barzakh’ is derived from the Arabic language. It translates to ‘barrier’ or ‘separation.’ In Islam, it is the invisible veil that separates life here on earth from the life of the hereafter. It is a place where the souls of people who have died reside and dwell until the day of judgment.
Where Is Barzakh?
Barzakh isn’t a realm that exists in the sky, but it is situated in the same place as the grave. The life of Barzakh is the life of the grave. As the person dies and is placed in the grave, they live in a state of Barzakh. After the soul is taken from the body, causing death, it is placed back in the body, which resides in the grave. The body and soul then stay united in the state of Barzakh, which is referred to as life in the grave.
The Punishments Of Barzakh
There is a lengthy hadith in Sahih Muslim that lays out in great detail the punishment of Barzakh. This hadith recounts how two people appeared to the Prophet PBUH in a dream and instructed him to proceed. He set out with them and saw the various punishments people were undergoing for their sins.
The Neglector
The first punishment the Prophet PBUH witnessed was of a man lying down as another man stood over his head, holding a large rock. He was throwing the rock at the head of the man lying down, and after the rock hit the man and rolled away, the thrower took the rock and came back to the man, whose head returned to its normal state even after being injured by the rock. The thrower kept repeating this process; each time he would hit his head and injure it, he would go to retrieve the rock, and his head would become perfectly fine. The Prophet PBUH asked the two people who were with him what this was, and they replied as follows:
“The first man you encountered, whose head was being harmed by the rock, represents someone who studies the Qur’an but neither recites it nor follows its guidance and who sleeps while neglecting the obligatory prayers.”
The Liar
The second punishment the Prophet PBUH witnessed was of a man lying flat on his back while another man stood over his head with an iron hook. He would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and drag that hook to the back of his neck, tearing his flesh from the side of his mouth to his nape. He would repeat the same process of pulling the flesh of his nose from front to back, and his eyes from front to back. After one side of the man’s face was torn off, the man would then move to the other side of his face. He would have hardly completed tearing the other side of the man’s face when the already torn-off side became perfectly normal, returning to its original state. After this, the man with the hook would keep repeating this process. Upon asking what the reason for this punishment was, they replied as follows:
“The man you encountered, whose side of mouth, nostrils, and eyes were torn from front to back, symbolizes the individual who leaves his house in the morning and tells so many lies that they spread across the entire world.”
The Adulterers & Adultresses
The third punishment the Prophet PBUH encountered was similar to a tandoor, a type of oven used for baking bread. The Prophet PBUH stated in the hadith that a lot of sound was coming from the oven. When he looked into it, he found naked men and women and a flame of fire that was reaching for them from underneath. And when it reached them, they cried loudly. The reason for this punishment was as follows:
“The men and women you saw, who were naked and situated inside a structure that looked like an oven, are the adulterers and adulteresses.”
Consuming Riba
Moving on, the Prophet PBUH witnessed another punishment. He saw a river as red as blood, and in that river, there was a man who was swimming, and on the bank of that river was another man who had many stones with him. And while the other man was swimming, he went near him, and the swimmer opened his mouth, and the man with the stones threw a stone into his mouth, and the swimmer went swimming again. After he returned, another stone was thrown into his mouth, and the process was repeated over and over again. When the Prophet PBUH asked about this punishment, the people replied as follows:
“The man you saw swimming in the river, given a stone to swallow, is someone who consumes usury (Riba).”
Do The Souls Meet In Barzakh?
Several hadiths state that the souls in Barzakh meet and greet one another. One such hadith is as follows:
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet Muhammad said, When a believer is nearing death, angels of mercy arrive carrying white silk. They say to him, “Come out content and with Allah’s pleasure over you heading towards Allah’s mercy, with fragrance, and a Lord who is not angry.” As he departs, he emits a scent as wonderful as the finest musk. The angels pass him from one to another until they bring him to the gates of heaven, where they say, “How delightful is this fragrance that has reached you from the Earth!” Then, the souls of the believers come to him, and they rejoice more over his arrival than any of you would rejoice when an absent loved one returns to you.