And if one is not saved from it, then what comes after it is worse than it."

[Reported by Tirmithi, ibn Mājah and Aḥmad] 5. The punishment of the grave is something that every disbeliever and hypocrite will experience. But it is not confined to them, because the disobedient ones from amongst the Muslims may also undergo this punishment - if Allāh wills, as proven by the hadīth of ibn 'Abbās; that the prophet ﷺ said whilst passing by two graves: ((أَمَا إِنَّهُمَا لَيُعَذَّبَانِ، وَمَا يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي كبير: أَمَّا أَحَدُهُمَا فَكَانَ يَمْشِي بِالنَّمِيمَةِ وَأَمَّا الآخَرُ فَكَانَ لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنْ بَوْلِهِ)). "...Certainly they are being punished, but not for [something] great [in the eyes of the people or something difficult to avoid]; as for the first of them, then he would go round with malicious gossip, and the other would not take care of himself from being soiled with his own urine." However, the punishment of the disbelievers and hypocrites is endless, whereas the punishment of the disobedient Muslims may cease due to a supplication, or acts of charity done on their behalf, and so on. 6. Furthermore, a large number of scholars have said that the punishment of the grave is what is intended by the saying of Allāh: {النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا...} "They (fir'awn and his people) are exposed to the Fire in the morning and evening." i.e. in their graves {...وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ} "And on the Day the Hour will be established ˹it will be said˺, “Admit fir'awn's people into the harshest punishment ˹of Hell˺." [Sūrat Ghāfir 46] 7. There are various forms of punishments in the grave; from them is that a person will be struck with an iron hammer between his ears, and he will scream a scream which everything around him will hear except for mankind and jinn (ḥadīth of Anas reported by Bukhāri 1222); and in the ḥadīth of Al-Barā' (reported by Ahmed and Abu Dāwūd), the Prophet ﷺ said, if a mountain were to be struck with this hammer, it would turn to dust. In this same ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ said that, he will have furnishings from Hell prepared for him, he will be clothed with fire, a door to Hell will be opened for him, and his grave will be made so narrow that his ribs will interlock. And alongside these physical punishments, this person will undergo a mental punishment when he is shown his place in Paradise - had he obeyed his Lord; so when he sees its delights, this will only increase him in pain and regret. In the same way, there are various forms of delights in the grave; from them is that a person's grave is furnished from Paradise, he is clothed in garments of Paradise, a gate to Paradise is opened for him and he smells its fragrances and feels delight in what he can see of its blessings. Likewise, his grave is made wide and spacious for him. He is given the glad tidings of Allāh’s pleasure and Paradise, and so he longs for the Hour to be established (ḥadīth of Al-Barā'). He will be so happy and comfortable that he will sleep like a bridegroom (ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah, reported by Tirmithi; authenticated by Sheikh Albāni in Aṣ- Ṣaḥīḥaḥ - 1391). And aside from these physical delights, He will be happy when he is shown - what could have been his place in Hell, had Allāh not favoured Him. 8. So it is obligatory upon us all to believe in all of the aspects of creed that we have been informed of by Allāh ﷻ and His messenger ﷺ; we must believe in them with full and firm conviction, free of any doubt. But not only that, our beliefs must push us towards doing good and righteous deeds and prevent us from engaging in evil and shameful deeds. We suffice with this much in today's class, and we ask Allāh by His beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes to save us from His punishment and grant us a pleasant and blissful life in our graves.