Life in the Grave
The soul of every person leaves their body at the moment of death. Everyone must enter the grave before entering Paradise or Hell (except the martyr). Just as everyone must be in their mother's womb before coming to earth, likewise they will leave this life to take up a new life in the grave. The Qur'an clearly informs people that they were created from earth, that they will be returned to it, and then brought forth from it again on the Day of Resurrection.
In Surah Ta Ha, Allah (s.w.t.) says the following:
"From it (the earth) We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will bring you out another time."
(Qur'an 20:55)
As soon as the soul leaves the body, it will remain above the body until it is placed in the grave (1). The soul will be above the deceased body, whether in the hospital, the morgue, the urn, or in the car during a funeral procession. The soul hears and sees, but it cannot communicate with the living.
When the body is placed in the grave, it is recommended to recite Dua and express the deceased's connection to Allah (2). This means that someone should speak to the deceased and encourage them. He (the deceased) will be informed about (what is happening) and reminded to say the declaration of faith or what he (later) should say when the two angels come to the grave to question him.
The soul goes to its "resting place," which is the Isthmus (Barzakh) (3). However, it must be mentioned that the soul returns from the Isthmus to the body in the grave. This means there is a life in the grave. This life is a life of reward or punishment. Everyone will be questioned by two angels whose names are Munkar and Nakir. People will be questioned by these two angels. Among the numerous questions will be questions about faith, intentions, deeds, actions, God, religion, the Prophet, etc. The most important answers one must give: "Allah is my Lord / God; Islam is my faith, Muhammad is my prophet and al-Qur'an is my book."
The life in the grave is a strange life. At the moment the body is placed into it, the deceased hears the footsteps of the people leaving him. After the two angels have questioned him, they will turn his face to the right if he is to be rewarded. They will show him his place in Paradise. In contrast, for those who will be punished, the face is turned to the left.
During the time in the grave, the soul visits the deceased body, which is being rewarded or punished. One day, the Prophet (s.a.w.) visited a cemetery and heard the people who were being punished in their graves. One was punished because he spread rumors, another was punished because he did not cleanse his body from impurities, and another person was punished because they saw someone being subjected to injustice and did nothing against it.
Those who are good in this world will be rewarded in their graves. They are assured by Allah (s.w.t.) that strength and happiness will be given to them, both in the grave and in the Hereafter. It should be mentioned that no one can hear what happens in the graves. The Qur'an mentions this fact, that no one can hear what happens in the graves except Allah (s.w.t.). It is not about the language, but about the manner in which the angels communicate with the souls of individuals.
In Surah Fatir, Allah says the following:
"And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allah causes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves."
(Qur'an 35:22)
Allah does not want us to hear what happens in the graves, otherwise no one would be willing to bury their loved ones. However, Allah has allowed animals, birds, and other livestock to hear what happens in the graves. Also the deceased who lie next to each other hear what happens around them. Therefore, it is highly recommended that Muslims be buried in a Muslim cemetery. When a Muslim dies as a martyr, then the (dead) neighbors also receive some blessings.
In other narrations, the Prophet (s.a.w.) informed his companions that punishment in the grave will affect the following (groups): those who mistreat their parents; tyrannical dictators; those who do not perform the obligatory prayer; those who do not pay Zakat; those who do not go to Hajj (4); those who cheated, stole, lied, etc. All this means that there is a (temporarily) limited life of reward or punishment before the real life follows, i.e., life in the Hereafter.
Footnotes:
1 In other authentic narrations, it is reported that the soul of the believer ascends to the seventh heaven, accompanied by angels. A pleasant fragrance envelops the soul of the believer. The soul of an evil person will emit a foul odor and the gates of heaven will be closed to them. Both the soul of the believer and the soul of the disbeliever then returns to the grave and waits for the questioning (see e.g. Albani Sahih al Jami' No. 1968).
2 For example, to encourage him to recite the Shahada and to emphasize that this declaration of faith was a "life motto" of the believer, after he has aligned his life accordingly.
3 Allah (s.w.t.) says in the Qur'an: "When death comes to one of them, he says, 'My Lord, send me back. That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.' No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier (Barzakh) until the Day they are resurrected" (Surah 23:99-100). Barzakh is therefore a kind of "barrier" that separates the living and the dead. Ahmad Sakr uses the word "Isthmus," which geographically means a "land bridge," so to speak, between this world and Paradise or Hell.
4 Although they were able to do so.
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