Q136 :Could you please explain what happens to
believers and non-believers when they die?
A136 : Death is a stage which occurs when the
spirit departs from the body to make it lifeless. As Muslims, we
believe in the resurrection when the body and the spirit will be
reunited in the hereafter. This life is a stage for action, but the
life to nete after the resurrection is a stage of reward. Human beings
will either be in pure happiness or in total misery. It is part of the
basic Islamic beliefs that after resurrection, we will account for our
deeds and we will be judged accordingly. Those on whom Allah bestows
His mercy will be in heaven, while those who are denied it will abide
in hell, the place of absolute misery. It is also clearly stated by the
Prophet that the deeds of even the best person will not be enough to
send him to heaven without Allah’s grace. Allah’s grace is guaranteed
by none other than Allah Himself to those who believe in Him and do
well in their lives. However, the time between a person’s death and
resurrection is an intermediate stage of life of “barzakh”, which means
intermediate stage. Relying on authentic Hadiths, scholars mention that
angels are sent to people in their graves to question them about their
beliefs. In a Hadith related by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet tells us that
when a believer is buried, his prayers sit over his head, fasting to
his right, zakah to his left and other good deeds are positioned below
his feet. Each prevent any harm from neting to him from that direction.
He is then sat up and asked about his view of Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him). A believer will say: “Muhammad (peace be upon him), I
believe that he was Allah’s messenger who came with the message of the
truth from Allah.” He is then reassured of his fate by the questioning
angels and his place is pointed out to him. A wide expanse is opened to
him in his grave and he is given light. His body is then returned to
its state. The Hadith mentions the opposite of all this in the case of
a non-believer. At the end, we are told that his grave is made too
narrow for him that his ribs almost crack. That is the hard life
mentioned in the Qur’an All this applies to people who are buried,
cremated, drowned or eaten up by wild beasts. It is easy for Allah to
resurrect these in the same way as He resurrects those who are buried.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )