13]

And in the ḥadīth of Fadhālah ibn 'Ubaid, may Allāh be pleased with him, the Prophet ﷺ said: ((وَيَأْمَنُ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْقَبْرِ)) "He is protected from the trials of the grave." [Reported by Abū Dāwūd & Tirmithi; authenticated by Sheikh Muqbil in 'Aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥul Musnad' 1057] As for everyone else; including the Ṣiddīqūn, the insane and the infants, then we cannot exempt any of them without clear evidence. [At-Tuḥfatul 'Aliyyah of Sheikh Muḥammad Bā Jammāl 127-130] BENEFIT: The two angels who will question a person in his grave are known as Munkar and Nakīr, as mentioned in the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah, may Allāh be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said: ((إِذَا قُبِرَ الْمَيِّتُ - أَوْ قَالَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَتَاهُ مَلَكَانِ أَسْوَدَانِ أَزْرَقَانِ يُقَالُ لأَحَدِهِمَا الْمُنْكَرُ وَالآخَرُ النَّكِيرُ)) "When the deceased - or he said when one of you - is buried, two angels, both black and blue come to him. One of them is called Al-Munkar, and the other An-Nakīr." [Reported by Tirmithi 1071; authenticated by Sheikh Albāni in 'Ṣaḥiḥ At-Tirmithi] 4. As for the bliss and the punishment of the grave, then the author alluded to this when he said: "in his grave...are deeds that will accompany him." The Prophet ﷺ said: ((يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلاَثَةٌ، فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ وَيَبْقَى مَعَهُ وَاحِدٌ، يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ، وَيَبْقَى عَمَلُهُ)) "When carried to his grave, a dead person is followed by three, two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with him: his relative, his property, and his deeds follow him; his relatives and his property go back while his deeds remain with him." [Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim, on the authority of Anas, may Allāh be pleased with him] This matter is further clarified in the lengthy ḥadīth of Barā' ibn 'Āzib, reported by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd and others; wherein the prophet ﷺ described the contrasting states of the believer and the disbeliever at the time of death. He ﷺ said regarding the believer: ((...وَيَأْتِيهِ رَجُلٌ حَسَنُ الْوَجْهِ حَسَنُ الثِّيَابِ طَيِّبُ الرِّيحِ فَيَقُولُ أَبْشِرْ بِالَّذِي يَسُرُّكَ هَذَا يَوْمُكَ الَّذِي كُنْتَ تُوعَدُ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ مَنْ أَنْتَ فَوَجْهُكَ الْوَجْهُ يَجِيءُ بِالْخَيْرِ فَيَقُولُ أَنَا عَمَلُكَ الصَّالِحُ...)) " ...and a handsome man in pleasant clothing and smelling pleasantly comes to him, saying: "receive glad tidings of that which pleases you, this is your day, that you had been promised!" So he [the believer] will reply to him saying: "and who are you? for your face is a face that only comes with good!" then he will respond saying: "I am your good deeds, I am your good deeds..." Similarly, when describing the state of the disbeliever and the hypocrite, he ﷺ said: ((...وَيَأْتِيهِ رَجُلٌ قَبِيحُ الْوَجْهِ قَبِيحُ الثِّيَابِمُنْتِنُ الرِّيحِ فَيَقُولُ أَبْشِرْ بِالَّذِي يَسُوءُكَ هَذَا يَوْمُكَ الَّذِي كُنْتَ تُوعَدُ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ أَنْتَ فَوَجْهُكَ الْوَجْهُ يَجِيءُ بِالشَّرِّ فَيَقُولُ أَنَا عَمَلُكَ الْخَبِيثُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّ لا تُقِمْ السَّاعَةَ)) "...a hideous man comes to him in filthy clothing and a repugnant smell, saying: "Receive glad tidings of that which grieves you, this is your day that you had been promised!" So he will reply asking him: "Who are you? for your face is a face that only comes with evil!" Then he will respond saying: "I am your wicked deeds, I am your wicked deeds" So this wretched man will say: "O Lord! do not establish the hour!" This person is going to experience such a terrible punishment in his grave, but despite that, He will beg Allāh not to establish the Hour. That is because the punishment of the Hereafter is far more severe that what he is currently experiencing. The Prophet ﷺ said: ((إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ)) "Indeed the grave is the first stage among the stages of the Hereafter. So if one is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier than it.