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'''Punishment of the grave''' (Arabic: {{ia|عذاب القبر}}) consists of postmortem hardships and pressures suffered by humans in the world of [[barzakh]] (the intermediary world between this world and the afterlife). According to [[hadith]]s, punishments of the grave are occasioned by acts such as gossiping, carelessness about cleanliness and uncleanliness, a | '''Punishment of the grave''' (Arabic: {{ia|عذاب القبر}}) consists of postmortem hardships and pressures suffered by humans in the world of [[barzakh]] (the intermediary world between this world and the afterlife). According to [[hadith]]s, punishments of the grave are occasioned by acts such as gossiping, carelessness about cleanliness and uncleanliness, a man's mistreatment of his wife, mistreatment of one's family, and taking the prayers lightly. On the other hand, punishments of the grave are removed by [[Ziyara|pilgrimage]] to [[Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)|Imam al-Husayn's shrine]], being buried in [[Najaf]], [[Tawalli|love of the Prophet’s household]], dying between Thursday noon and [[Friday]] noon, and so on. | ||
Except [[Dirar b. 'Umar]], a student of [[Wasil b. 'Ata']], all Muslims unanimously believe in the punishment of the grave. To prove such punishment, [[theologian]]s have made recourse to the [[verse]], | Except [[Dirar b. 'Umar]], a student of [[Wasil b. 'Ata']], all Muslims unanimously believe in the punishment of the grave. To prove such punishment, [[theologian]]s have made recourse to the [[verse]], "They will say, ‘Our Lord! Twice did You make us die, and twice did You give us life."<ref>Qur'an 40:11.</ref> There is a dispute over whether one's the imaginal body suffers the punishment or one's this-worldly body does so, but the majority of theologians believe that punishment of the grave is suffered by one's body in barzakh. | ||
[[Muhammad b. Isma'il al-Bukhari]], a [[Sunni]] scholar, cites a hadith from the [[Prophet (s)]] in his book, ''[[Sahih al-Bukhari|Sahih]]'', to the effect that a deceased person would be punished when his or her relatives and friends cry for him or her. According to Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi, a commentator on ''[[Sahih Muslim]]'', the hadith has been interpreted away by Sunni scholars, since the punishment of the dead on account of the | [[Muhammad b. Isma'il al-Bukhari]], a [[Sunni]] scholar, cites a hadith from the [[Prophet (s)]] in his book, ''[[Sahih al-Bukhari|Sahih]]'', to the effect that a deceased person would be punished when his or her relatives and friends cry for him or her. According to Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi, a commentator on ''[[Sahih Muslim]]'', the hadith has been interpreted away by Sunni scholars, since the punishment of the dead on account of the living's weeps would be at odds with verse 18 of [[Quran 35]] according to which no bearer shall bear another's burden. Moreover, according to [[Ayisha]], this hadith was not accurately transmitted from the Prophet (s). | ||
==The Notion== | ==The Notion== | ||
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According to a hadith from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] cited in ''[[Kitab Man la yahduruh al-faqih (book)|Man la yahduruh al-faqih]]'', punishment of the grave is not limited to those who are buried in the Earth. Indeed, it includes all those who die, even if they are not buried under the ground.<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 279.</ref> Moreover, according to another hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) cited in ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'', most humans suffer the punishment of the grave.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 261.</ref> In some supplications transmitted from the [[Infallibles (a)]], the suppliant takes refuge in God from the punishment of the grave.<ref>See: Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 2, p. 526; Ibn Ṭāwūs, ''Iqbāl al-aʿmāl'', vol. 1, p. 338, 439.</ref> Based on certain hadiths, when the Prophet (s) buried his daughter [[Ruqayya Daughter of the Prophet (s)|Ruqayya]], he prayed for the removal of her punishment in the grave.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 261.</ref> In her will to [[Imam ʿAli (a)]], [[Fatima al-Zahra (a)]] asked him to recite the [[Qur'an]] and supplicate to [[God]] over her grave after her burial.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 79, p. 27.</ref> | According to a hadith from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] cited in ''[[Kitab Man la yahduruh al-faqih (book)|Man la yahduruh al-faqih]]'', punishment of the grave is not limited to those who are buried in the Earth. Indeed, it includes all those who die, even if they are not buried under the ground.<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 279.</ref> Moreover, according to another hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) cited in ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'', most humans suffer the punishment of the grave.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 261.</ref> In some supplications transmitted from the [[Infallibles (a)]], the suppliant takes refuge in God from the punishment of the grave.<ref>See: Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 2, p. 526; Ibn Ṭāwūs, ''Iqbāl al-aʿmāl'', vol. 1, p. 338, 439.</ref> Based on certain hadiths, when the Prophet (s) buried his daughter [[Ruqayya Daughter of the Prophet (s)|Ruqayya]], he prayed for the removal of her punishment in the grave.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 261.</ref> In her will to [[Imam ʿAli (a)]], [[Fatima al-Zahra (a)]] asked him to recite the [[Qur'an]] and supplicate to [[God]] over her grave after her burial.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 79, p. 27.</ref> | ||
In collections of hadiths, there are sections in which hadiths concerning the punishment of the grave are compiled. In the section on | In collections of hadiths, there are sections in which hadiths concerning the punishment of the grave are compiled. In the section on "states of barzakh and the grave and its punishment and interrogation and other pertinent matters" of his ''Bihar al-anwar'', [[al-Allama al-Majlisi]] cited 128 hadiths in this regard.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 282.</ref> | ||
==Occasions of Punishment of the Grave== | ==Occasions of Punishment of the Grave== | ||
According to a hadith transmitted in ''[['Ilal al-shara'i']]'' from [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], punishment of the grave is occasioned by gossiping, urination, and a | According to a hadith transmitted in ''[['Ilal al-shara'i']]'' from [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], punishment of the grave is occasioned by gossiping, urination, and a man's withdrawal from his wife.<ref>Ṣadūq, ''ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ'', vol. 1, p. 310.</ref> In a footnote in ''Bihar al-anwar'', a man's withdrawal from his wife is interpreted as misconduct and mistreatment, and urination is interpreted as carelessness about cleanliness. | ||
In reference to these hadiths, [[Shaykh 'Abbas Qumi]] believes that much of the punishment of the grave arises from these three factors.<ref>Qummī, ''Manāzil al-ākhira'', p. 138</ref> Other things that might occasion such punishment include: | In reference to these hadiths, [[Shaykh 'Abbas Qumi]] believes that much of the punishment of the grave arises from these three factors.<ref>Qummī, ''Manāzil al-ākhira'', p. 138.</ref> Other things that might occasion such punishment include: | ||
* '''Mistreatment of | * '''Mistreatment of one's family:''' according to a hadith from the [[Prophet (s)]], the reason for [[Sa'd b. Mu'adh]]'s punishment in the grave was his mistreatment of his family.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 261.</ref> | ||
* '''Taking the prayer lightly:''' according to a hadith cited in [['Ali Mishkini]] | * '''Taking the prayer lightly:''' according to a hadith cited in [['Ali Mishkini]]'s ''al-Mawa'iz al-'adadiyya'', indolence in performing the prayers leads to the tightness and pressure of the grave.<ref>Mishkinī, ''Taḥrīr al-mawāʿiẓ al-ʿadadīyya'', p. 232-233.</ref> | ||
* '''Wasting | * '''Wasting God's blessings:'''<ref>Ṣadūq, ''ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ'', vol. 1, p. 309.</ref> according to a hadith, a [[believer]]'s punishment in the grave is an expiation of the blessings he has wasted.<ref>Ṣadūq, ''al-Amālī'', p. 50.</ref> | ||
Moreover, based on hadiths, punishment of the grave is occasioned by gossiping,<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 245.</ref> not being protected by the guardianship of the [[Infallible Imams (a)]],<ref>See: Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 262.</ref> failure to help the oppressed,<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 58.</ref> and saying the [[prayer]]s without [[wudu']] (ritual washing).<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 58; Ṣadūq, ''ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ'', vol. 1, p. 309.</ref> In the book ''[[Jami' al-sa'adat]]'', if | Moreover, based on hadiths, punishment of the grave is occasioned by gossiping,<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 245.</ref> not being protected by the guardianship of the [[Infallible Imams (a)]],<ref>See: Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 6, p. 262.</ref> failure to help the oppressed,<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 58.</ref> and saying the [[prayer]]s without [[wudu']] (ritual washing).<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 58; Ṣadūq, ''ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ'', vol. 1, p. 309.</ref> In the book ''[[Jami' al-sa'adat]]'', if one's mother is not satisfied with him, his throes of death and punishment of the grave will be more intense.<ref>Narāqī, ''Jāmiʿ al-saʿādāt'', vol. 2, p. 263.</ref> | ||
==Alleviation of Punishment of the Grave== | ==Alleviation of Punishment of the Grave== | ||
In books of hadiths, factors are mentioned that contribute to the alleviation of, or emancipation from, punishment of the grave, including: | In books of hadiths, factors are mentioned that contribute to the alleviation of, or emancipation from, punishment of the grave, including: | ||
* '''Love of the | * '''Love of the Prophet's Household (a):''' according to a hadith from the Prophet (s) in ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'', love of the Prophet (s) and his Household is useful on seven occasions, one of which is in the grave.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 7, p. 248.</ref> | ||
* '''Performing particular supererogatory prayers:''' according to hadiths cited by [[Sayyid b. Tawus]] in his ''[[Iqbal al-a'mal]]'', performing particular [[supererogatory prayers]] in [[Rajab]] and [[ | * '''Performing particular supererogatory prayers:''' according to hadiths cited by [[Sayyid b. Tawus]] in his ''[[Iqbal al-a'mal]]'', performing particular [[supererogatory prayers]] in the months of [[Rajab]] and [[Sha'ban]] months removes punishment of the grave.<ref>See: Ibn Ṭāwūs, ''Iqbāl al-aʿmāl'', vol. 2, p. 629, 664, 656, 665, 683, 723.</ref> | ||
* '''Being buried in Najaf:''' according to [[Hasan b. Muhammad al-Daylami]] in his ''[[Irshad al-qulub]]'', there are hadiths to the effect that the soil of Najaf removes punishment of the grave and the interrogation by [[Munkar and Nakir|Nakir]] (the Denier) and [[Munkar and Nakir|Munkar]] (the Denied).<ref>Daylamī, ''Irshād al-qulūb'', vol. 2, p. 439.</ref> | * '''Being buried in Najaf:''' according to [[Hasan b. Muhammad al-Daylami]] in his ''[[Irshad al-qulub]]'', there are hadiths to the effect that the soil of Najaf removes punishment of the grave and the interrogation by [[Munkar and Nakir|Nakir]] (the Denier) and [[Munkar and Nakir|Munkar]] (the Denied).<ref>Daylamī, ''Irshād al-qulūb'', vol. 2, p. 439.</ref> | ||
* '''Recitation of the Quran:''' there are hadiths about virtues of [[Quran]]ic [[sura]]s to the effect that | * '''Recitation of the Quran:''' there are hadiths about virtues of [[Quran]]ic [[sura]]s to the effect that [[recitation]]s of certain suras remove the punishment of the grave, including the persistent recitation of [[Quran 43]] and [[Quran 4]] on each Friday<ref>Qummī, ''Safīnat al-biḥār'', vol. 2, p. 397.</ref> and recitation of [[Quran 102]] when sleeping.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 89, p. 336.</ref> | ||
'''Other cases that lead to the alleviation or removal of punishment of the grave include:''' | '''Other cases that lead to the alleviation or removal of punishment of the grave include:''' | ||
{{cb|3}} | {{cb|3}} | ||
* Visiting [[Imam al- | * Visiting [[Imam al-Husayn's shrine]]<ref>Ibn Qūlawayh, ''Kāmil al-zīyārāt'', p. 142-143.</ref> | ||
* Performing the full [[ruku']] in the prayer<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 3, p. 321.</ref> | * Performing the full [[ruku']] in the prayer<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 3, p. 321.</ref> | ||
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* Dying between Thursday noon and Friday noon<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 83.</ref> | * Dying between Thursday noon and Friday noon<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh'', vol. 1, p. 83.</ref> | ||
* A | * A woman's tolerance of her bad-tempered or poor husband<ref>Mishkinī, ''al-Mawāʿiẓ al-ʿadadīyya'', p. 75.</ref> | ||
* A | * A woman's renouncement of her right to the [[mahr]] (dower) in favor of her husband<ref>Mishkinī, ''al-Mawāʿiẓ al-ʿadadīyya'', p. 75.</ref> | ||
* A | * A child's good deeds after his or her parent's death.<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 6, p. 3-4.</ref> | ||
{{end}} | {{end}} | ||
According to [[Imam Khomeini]] in his book, ''[[Sharh chihil hadith]]'', the criterion for how long punishment of the grave would last is the extent of | According to [[Imam Khomeini]] in his book, ''[[Sharh-i chihil hadith]]'', the criterion for how long punishment of the grave would last is the extent of one's this-worldly attachment and one’s love of this world. Accordingly, the less the worldly attachment the wider the grave (or barzakh) and the shorter the stay therein.<ref>Mūsawī Khomeinī, ''Sharḥ-i chihil ḥadīth'', p. 124.</ref> | ||
==Does the | ==Does the Weep over the Dead cause Punishment of the Grave?== | ||
In [[Sunni]] sources of hadith, a hadith is attributed to the [[Prophet (s)]] to the effect that a deceased person would be punished in the grave when his or her family and relatives cry for him or her.<ref>Bukhārī, ''Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī'', vol. 2, p. 80.</ref> The hadith was transmitted by the [[Second Caliph]] and his son [['Abd Allah b. 'Umar]]. However, [[Aisha]] said that they did not accurately transmit the hadith from the Prophet (s),<ref>Nawawī, ''al- | In [[Sunni]] sources of hadith, a hadith is attributed to the [[Prophet (s)]] to the effect that a deceased person would be punished in the grave when his or her family and relatives cry for him or her.<ref>Bukhārī, ''Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī'', vol. 2, p. 80.</ref> The hadith was transmitted by the [[Second Caliph]] and his son [['Abd Allah b. 'Umar]]. However, [[Aisha]] said that they did not accurately transmit the hadith from the Prophet (s),<ref>Nawawī, ''al-Minhāj fī sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ Muslim b. Ḥajjāj'', vol. 6, p. 288.</ref> since what the Prophet (s) had actually said was: "the deceased person is punished for his sins in the grave, while his close ones are crying for him at the time."<ref>Nawawī, ''al-Minhāj fī sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ Muslim b. Ḥajjāj'', vol. 6, p. 288.</ref> According to al-Nawawi, a commentator on ''[[Sahih Muslim]]'', Sunni scholars dispute over how this hadith should be interpreted. Some take it to pertain to those deceased persons who willed that people cry for them after their death, while others believe that punishment of the dead because of what the survivors do does not square well with the verse, "No bearer shall bear another's burden."<ref>Qur'an 6:164; Nawawī, ''al-Minhāj fī sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ Muslim b. Ḥajjāj'', vol. 6, p. 288.</ref> | ||
==Punishment of the | ==Punishment of the Barzakh body or Worldly body?== | ||
There is a controversy over whether the punishment of the grave is suffered by the worldly body or by a [[barzakh body]]. According to the majority of theologians and philosophers, upon death, the human soul will attach an imaginal body (a body resembling the worldly body, except that it lacks its matter and its features such as weight and mass).<ref>Malāyirī, ''Naẓarīyya-hā-yi badan-i barzakhī - barrasī wa naqd'', p. 109-115.</ref> Nevertheless, [[Sayyid al-Murtada]] and Sadid al-Din Himmasi al-Razi, two [[Imami]] theologians, allegedly hold that upon death the soul returns to the physical body, and the pressure of the grave is experienced by the worldly body.<ref>Malāyirī, ''Naẓarīyya-hā-yi badan-i barzakhī - barrasī wa naqd'', p. | There is a controversy over whether the punishment of the grave is suffered by the worldly body or by a [[barzakh body]]. According to the majority of theologians and philosophers, upon death, the human soul will attach an imaginal body (a body resembling the worldly body, except that it lacks its matter and its features such as weight and mass).<ref>Malāyirī, ''Naẓarīyya-hā-yi badan-i barzakhī - barrasī wa naqd'', p. 109-115.</ref> Nevertheless, [[al-Sayyid al-Murtada]] and Sadid al-Din Himmasi al-Razi, two [[Imami]] theologians, allegedly hold that upon death the soul returns to the physical body, and the pressure of the grave is experienced by the worldly body.<ref>Malāyirī, ''Naẓarīyya-hā-yi badan-i barzakhī - barrasī wa naqd'', p. 113-115.</ref> According to [['Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji]], those who believe that the soul does not survive the physical death hold that punishment of the grave is solely experienced by the body, but those who believe that the soul survives the physical death maintain that upon death the soul returns to the body, and punishment of the grave is either experienced by the soul only or by the soul and the body both.<ref>Lāhījī, ''Gawhar-i murād'', p. 649-650.</ref> | ||
According to [[Abu l-Hasan al-Ash'ari]], the founder of [[Ash'arite]] School, there is a dispute among Muslims as to the punishment of the grave. In his view, the majority of Muslims believe in such punishment, while he attributes the denial of this punishment to [[Mu'tazilite]]s and [[Khawarij]].<ref>Ashʿarī, ''Maqālāt al-Islāmiyyīn'', p. 430.</ref> In his ''Tabaqat al- | According to [[Abu l-Hasan al-Ash'ari]], the founder of [[Ash'arite]] School, there is a dispute among Muslims as to the punishment of the grave. In his view, the majority of Muslims believe in such punishment, while he attributes the denial of this punishment to [[Mu'tazilite]]s and [[Khawarij]].<ref>Ashʿarī, ''Maqālāt al-Islāmiyyīn'', p. 430.</ref> In his ''Tabaqat al-Mu'tazila'', [[Ibn Abi l-Hadid]] quotes Qadi-l-Qudat as saying that since [[Dirar b. 'Umar]], a student of [[Wasil b. 'Ata']], did not believe in the punishment of the grave, the view came to be attributed to all Mu'tazilis, while they generally endorse such punishment, with only a few of them having doubts about the punishment of the grave. However, the majority of Mu'tazilis who believe in the punishment of the grave attribute it to the soul rather than the physical body.<ref>Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, ''Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha'', vol. 6, p. 273.</ref> | ||
==Quranic Evidence== | ==Quranic Evidence== | ||