Seek Refuge in Allah From the punishment of the Grave
A1-Bara' b. 'Azib said :
We went out with the Prophet to the funeral of a man of the Ansar and came
to the grave. It had not yet been dug, so Allah's messenger sat down and we
sat down around him quietly. He had in his hand a stick with which he was
making marks on the ground. Then he raised his head and said, "Seek refuge
in Allah from the punishment of the grave saying it twice or thrice.
He then said, "When a believer is about to leave the world and go
forward to the next world, angels with faces white as the sun come down
to him from heaven with one of the shrouds of paradise and some of the
perfume of paradise and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then
the angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, 'Good soul, come
out to forgiveness and acceptance from Allan.' It then comes out as a
drop flows from a water-skin and he seizes it; and when he does so,
they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, •but take it and place it in that
shroud and that perfume, and from it there comes forth a fragrance like that
of the sweetest musk found on the face of the earth.
They then take it up and do not bring it pass a company of angels without
their asking, "Who is this good soul?' to which they reply, 'So and so, the son of
so and so,' using the best of his names by which people called him on the
earth. They then bring him to the lowest heaven and ask that the gate should be
opened for him. This is done, and from every heaven its archangels escort him
to the next heaven till he is brought to the seventh heaven, and Allah who is
great and glorious says, 'Record the book of my servant in 'Illiyun and take
him back to earth, for I created mankind from it, •l shall return them into it, and
from it I shall bring them forth another time.' His soul is then restored to his
body, two angels come to him,
and making him sit up say to him, 'Who is your Lord?' He replies, 'My
Lord is Allah.' They ask, 'What is your religion?' and he replies, 'My religion is Islam.'
They ask, 'Who is this man who was sent among you?' and he replies, 'He is Allah's
messenger. They ask, 'What is your [source of] knowledge?' and he replies, 'l have
read God's Book, believed in it and declared it to be true.'
Then one cries from heaven, 'My servant has spoken the truth, so spread out
carpets from paradise for him, clothe him from paradise, and open a gate for
him into paradise.' Then some of its joy and fragrance comes to him, his grave is
made spacious for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with a beautiful face,
beautiful garments and a sweet odour comes to him and says, 'Rejoice in what
pleases you for this is your day which you have been promised.' He asks,
'Who are you, for your face is perfectly beautiful and brings good?" He replies, 'l
am your good deeds.' He then says, 'My Lord, bring the last hour; my Lord, bring
the last hour, so that I may return to my people and my property.'
But when an infidel (kafir) is about to leave the world and proceed to the
next world, angels with black faces come down to him from heaven with
hair-cloth and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then the
angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, 'Wicked soul, come
out to displeasure from God.' Then it becomes dissipated in his body, and he
draws it out as a spit is drawn out from moistened wool. He then seizes it, and
when he does so they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, but put it in
that hair-cloth and from it there comes forth a stench like the most offensive
stench of a corpse found on the face of the earth.
They then take it up and do not bring it past a company of angels without
their asking, 'Who is this wicked soul?' to which they reply, 'So and so, the
son of so and so,' using the worst names he was called in the world.
When he is brought to the lowest heaven request is made that the gate
be opened for him, but it is not opened for him. (Allah's messenger then
recited, 'The gates of heaven will not be opened for them and they will not
enter paradise until a camel can passm through the eye of a needle.) Allah
who is great and glorious then says, 'Record his book in Sijjin in the lowest
earth,' and his soul is thrown down. (He then recited, 'He who assigns partners
to God is as if he had fallen down from heaven and been snatched up by
birds, or made to fall by the wind in a place far distant.')
His soul is then restored to his body, two angels come to him, and making him sit up
say to him, 'Who is your Lord?'. He replies, 'Alas, alas, I do not know.' They ask, 'What
is your religion?' and he replies, 'Alas, alas, I do not know.' They ask, 'Who is this man
who was sent among you?' and he replies, 'Alas, alas, I do not know.' Then one cries
from heaven, 'He has lied, so spread out carpets from hell for him, and open a gate
for him into hell.' Then some of its heat and hot air comes to him, his grave is
made narrow for him so that his ribs are pressed together in it, and a man with an
ugly, face, ugly garments and an offensive odour come to him and says, 'Be grieved
with what displeases you, for this is your day which you have been promised.' He
asks, 'Who are you, for your face is most ugly and brings evil?' He replies, 'l am your
wicked deeds.' He then says, 'My Lord, do not bring the last hour.' '
[Mishkat al-Masabih 1630]
DUA FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE TORMENT OF THE GRAVE
Allaahumma 'innee 'a'oothu bika min 'athaabil-qabri
O Allah,l seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave
A1-Bukhari 1/202, Muslim 1/412
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