Introduction
Al-barzakh in linguistic terms: The Arabic word barzakh refers to a barrier or obstacle. Every barrier between two things is a barzakh.

Al-Barzakh in Islamic terminology: Al-barzakh is what is between this world and the hereafter before the gathering, from the time of death until the resurrection.

People’s souls vary in status in al-barzakh: Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Then why do you not intervene, when the soul of the dying person reaches the throat, whilst you are looking on, when We are nearer to him than you, but you do not see? So why do you not, if you think you will not be requited, bring back that soul, if you are telling the truth? Then if he is one of the foremost who are brought near to Allah, for him there will be rest, fragrance and a garden of bliss. If he is one of those on the right, it will be said to him: Peace be upon you, for you are one of those on the right. But if he is one of the misguided deniers then he will be welcomed with scalding water and he will burn in hell.
Verily, this is absolute truth." (al-Waqi‘ah 56:83-95)

Ibn Kathir said, “These are the three conditions in which people may be when they are dying. Either they are among those brought near to Allah, or they are among those of lower status, those on the right, or they are among the misguided deniers who went astray from true guidance and were ignorant of the command of Allah.”

i. The souls of the Prophets
The souls of the Prophets will enjoy the best status in the highest place, with those on high. It was narrated from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saying in the last moments of his life, “O Allah, with those on high.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi said, “What is meant by those on high – and Allah knows best – is the noble assembly of the angels and the prophets.”

Ibn Rajab said, “As for the prophets (peace be upon them), there is no doubt that their souls are with Allah, in the highest place. It is proven in al-Sahih that the last words the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke at the time of death were, 'O Allah, with those on high,' which he repeated until his soul was taken.

ii. The souls of the martyrs
Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Do not think of those who are slain in Allah’s cause as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision." (Al ‘Imran 3:169)

Ibn Kathir said, “Here Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, tells us about the martyrs, that even though they were killed in this world, their souls are alive, receiving provision in the permanent abode.”

Al-Sa‘di said, “That is, it should not enter your mind that they are dead and lost, and that they are no longer enjoying the pleasures of the life of this world that those who are too cowardly to fight and have no desire for martyrdom may be worried about losing. Nay they have attained something greater than that for which people in this world compete, for they are alive with their Lord in the realm of honour. The phrase with their Lord is indicative of their high status and their closeness to their Lord receiving provision of various kinds of delights that cannot be known or described, except by the One Who blessed them with it.”

Masruq asked ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) about this verse, and he said, "We also asked about that, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'Their souls are in green birds, which have lamps hanging from the Throne, and they roam freely wherever they want in Paradise, then they return to those lamps.'" (Muslim)

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Souls vary greatly with regard to where they settle in al-barzakh… Some of them are in the crops of green birds which roam freely wherever they want in Paradise. These are the souls of some of the martyrs, but not all of them; rather the souls of some of the martyrs are prevented from entering Paradise because of debts that they owe or other matters… Some of them are detained in their graves, as in the hadith about the man who stole a garment from the war booty, then he was martyred. The people said: Congratulations to him, he is in Paradise! But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'Nay, by the One Whose hand is my soul, the garment that he stole from the war booty has become a flame of fire burning him in his grave.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Rajab said, “The souls of the believers and the martyrs will only enter Paradise if there is nothing to prevent that, such as major sins that deserve punishment or rights owed to other people, until the matter is settled.”

iii. The souls of the believers
It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka‘b ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that he said, “The soul of the believer is a bird that is nourished from the trees of Paradise, until Allah returns it to its body on the Day when he is resurrected.” (Al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Malik; Sahih)

So the souls of the martyrs are in the crops of green birds which roam freely in the gardens of Paradise and go back to lamps hanging from the Throne. As for the souls of the believers, they are birds which are nourished from the trees of Paradise and do not roam.

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “There is no contradiction between the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “The soul of the believer is a bird that is nourished from the trees of Paradise” and “When one of you dies, he is shown his place morning and evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise then (he is shown his place) in Paradise, and if he is one of the people of Hell, then (he is shown his place) in Hell.” This refers both to the one who dies in his bed and the martyr, just as the words, “The soul of the believer is a bird that is nourished from the trees of Paradise” refer to both the martyr and others. Even though he is shown his place morning and afternoon, his soul still drinks from the rivers of Paradise and eats from its fruits. As for his own place and the house that is prepared for him, he will only enter it on the Day of Resurrection. This is indicated by the fact that the places, houses and palaces of the martyrs which Allah has prepared for them are definitely not in those lamps to which their souls return in al-barzakh. They see their places in Paradise, but where they settle in al-barzakh is in those lamps that are hanging from the Throne, for the perfect, complete admission to Paradise will only happen on the Day of Resurrection, and the souls’ admittance to Paradise in al-barzakh it is something less than that. The counterpart to that is those who are doomed; their souls are exposed to the Fire morning and afternoon, then on the Day of Resurrection they will enter their places which were shown to them in al-barzakh. Thus the joy of souls in Paradise in al-barzakh is one thing, and their joy when they are restored to their bodies on the Day of Resurrection will be something else. The nourishment of souls in Paradise in al-barzakh is inferior to their nourishment once they are reunited with their bodies on the Day of Resurrection. Hence he said “nourished from the trees of Paradise”, meaning that they eat from the trees. As for eating, drinking, wearing clothes and enjoying pleasure in a complete and perfect sense, that will only come when the souls are restored to their bodies on the Day of Resurrection.”

Ibn Kathir said, “ ‘The soul of the believer is a bird that is nourished from the trees of Paradise, until Allah returns it to its body on the Day when he is resurrected.’ The word ‘nourished from’ refers to eating. In this hadith, it says that the soul of the believer exists in the form of a bird in Paradise. As for the souls of the martyrs, they are, as noted above, in the crops of green birds. They are like stars in relation to the souls of the ordinary believers.”

Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz said, “The soul has five types of connection to the body, that are subject to different rulings. They are:
i. Its connection to the body when the person is a foetus in his mother’s womb.
ii. Its connection to it after being born and coming into the world.
iii. Its connection to it when the person is asleep; it is connected to the body in one way and is separate from it in another way.
iv. Its connection to it in al-barzakh: even though the soul has left the body and is disconnected from it, it is not completely separated from it, to the extent that there is no connection to it at all, because there is a hadith which says that the soul goes back to the body when someone greets the person with salaam, and it was narrated that the deceased hears the sound of the people’s sandals when they leave after burying him. This return of the soul is specific to those instances, and it does not mean that life is restored to the body, which will not happen until the Day of Resurrection.
v. Its connection to it on the Day when bodies will be resurrected. This is the most perfect type of connection to the body, and there is no comparison to the other types of connection mentioned above, because this will be a connection as a result of which the body will never die, never sleep and never ail, for sleep is akin to death. Reflect on that, for it may remove a great deal of confusion about this matter.”

The souls of the believers meet one another after death
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “… The angels take the soul of the believer, and take it up to heaven, where the angels say: ‘How good is this soul that has come to us from the earth!’ Then they take him to where the souls of the believers are, and they rejoice more than one of you rejoices when his absent loved one returns to him. They ask him: ‘What news is there of So-and-so? What news is there of So-and-so?’ Then they say: ‘Let him be, for he went through a great deal of difficulty in the previous world.’ Then he says to them: ‘So-and-so died; didn’t he come to you?’ And they say: ‘He was taken to his abode, the abyss.’”

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Souls are of two types: souls that will suffer punishment and souls that will enjoy bliss. Those that suffer punishment will be preoccupied with this punishment and will not visit and meet one another. Those that enjoy bliss will be free to wander about and will not be detained, so they will meet and visit one another, and discuss matters of this world and what is happening to the people of this world. Each soul will have a companion whose deeds are similar to his.”

iv. The souls of the sinners
It was narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) often used to say to his companions, 'Did any of you see a dream last night?' And someone would tell him whatever Allah willed he should tell him. One morning he said, 'Last night two people came to me in a dream. They woke me up and said to me, 'Let’s go!' So I set out with them, and we came to a man who was lying down, and another man was standing over him with a rock, and he threw the rock at his head, splitting it open. Then the rock rolled away, so the man followed it and picked it up, then he went back to him, and found that the other man’s head had been restored to its former condition. Then he did the same thing to him as he had done the first time. I said to them my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who are these two men?’ They said to me, 'Move on, move on.' So we moved on, and we came to a man lying flat on his back, and another man was standing over him with an iron hook. He would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and tear that side of his face to the back of his neck, and tear his nose from front to back, and his eye from front to back. Then he went to the other side of the man’s face and did the same as he had done to the first side. No sooner had he finished with that side but the first side was restored to its former condition. Then he went back and did the same as he had done the first time. I said, 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two men?' They said to me, 'Move on, move on.' So we moved on, and we came to something like an oven – the narrator said, 'I think he said, 'And in it would come to them from underneath, and when that flame reached them they would scream.' I said to them, 'Who are these people?' They said to me, 'Move on, move on.' So we moved on, and we came to a river – I think he said, 'Red like blood – and in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank of the river there was a man who had collected many stones. Whilst the other man was swimming, he came near the one who had collected the stones and opened his mouth, and the other one threw a stone into it, then he swam away. Then he came back to him, and every time he came back he opened his mouth and the other one threw a stone into it. I said, 'Who are these two men?' They said to me, 'Move on, move on.' … I said to them, 'I have seen many wonders tonight; What is the meaning of what I have seen?' They said to me, 'Now we will tell you. As for the first man, to whom you came when his head was being split open with the rock, he is a man who learns the Qur’an then neglects it, and he sleeps, neglecting the obligatory prayer. As for the man to whom you came when the sides of his mouth, his nose and his eyes were being torn from front to back, he is a man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells a lie which goes so far that it spreads to the horizons. As for the naked men and women who were in something like an oven, they are the men and women who commit zina. As for the man to whom you came when he was swimming in the river and stones were thrown into his mouth, he is the one who consumes riba…'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Hajar said, “This indicates that some sinners will be punished in al-barzakh.”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) passed by one of the gardens of Madinah or Makkah, and he heard the sound of two people being punished in their graves. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid.” Then he said: “Nay, one of them did not protect himself from his urine and the other used to walk around spreading malicious gossip.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said, "When we conquered Khaybar, we did not acquire any gold or silver as booty; rather we acquired cattle, camels, goods and gardens as booty. Then we set out with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to Wadi al-Qura. He had with him a slave of his who was called Mid‘am; he had been given to him by one of the tribe of Banu’l-Dibab. Whilst he was removing the saddle of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a stray arrow came and struck that slave. The people said, "Congratulations to him, he has attained martyrdom! The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, the garment that he took on the day of Khaybar from the booty that had not yet been shared out has become a flame of fire that is burning him.' On hearing that from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a man brought one or two sandal straps and said, 'This is something that I took unlawfully.' The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'A sandal strap – or two sandal straps – of fire.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The ninth question: if someone were to ask, what are the reasons why people are punished in their graves? The answer is twofold, in general terms and in detail.

In general terms, they will be punished for their ignorance of Allah, neglect of His commands and committing acts of disobedience. Allah will never punish any soul who knew Him, loved Him, obeyed His commands and heeded His prohibitions, or any body in which that soul resided, for the punishment of the grave and the punishment of the hereafter result from Allah’s anger and wrath towards His slave. So whoever incurs the wrath and anger of Allah in this realm, then does not repent and dies in that state, he will receive punishment commensurate with the degree of Allah’s anger and wrath towards him, to a greater or lesser extent.

As for the detailed answer, it is: the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke of the two men whom he saw being punished in their graves. One of them used to walk around spreading malicious gossip and the other did not protect himself from his urine getting onto his body and garment. The latter failed to purify himself as required, and the former did something that stirred up enmity among people by his words, even if what he said was true. This serves to highlight the fact that the one who stirs up enmity among people by telling lies, speaking false words and fabricating things will be punished more severely. The fact that the one who did not protect himself from his urine was punished indicates that the one who does not pray, since one of the conditions of prayer is being free of any urine on his body or clothes, will be subject to a more severe punishment… We have noted above the hadith of Samurah in Sahih al-Bukhari, which speaks of the punishment for telling a lie that spreads to the horizons; and the punishment for the one who learns the Qur’an then neglects it and sleeps at night and does not act upon its teachings by day; and the punishment of the men and women who commit zina; and the punishment of the one who consumes riba, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw them in al-barzakh (al-Bukhari)… And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also told us about the man who stole a garment from the war booty, which became a flame of fire burning him in his grave. In the latter case, even though he had some right to a share of the booty, he took it in an unlawful manner and was subject to punishment as a result, so how about one who wrongs others by keeping something to which he has no right at all? For the punishment of the grave results from sins of the heart, eye, ear, mouth, tongue, stomach, private part, hand, foot and the entire body… All of these people and others like them will be punished in their graves for these sins, according to how many or how few they were, whether they were minor or major.

As most people are like that, most of the occupants of the graves will be punished and those who are saved from that are few. The surface of the grave is dust, but inside the grave there is regret and punishment. The surface of the grave is dust, engraved stones and built-up structures, but inside the grave there is trouble and turmoil, as its occupant seethes with regret. No wonder that is the case, because the soul is no longer able to follow its whims and desires.”

He also said, “Souls vary greatly with regard to the places in which they settle in al-barzakh. Some souls are in the highest place with those on high; these are the souls of the prophets (peace be upon them), and they vary in their positions, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw on the night of the Isra’.

Some of them are in the crops of green birds which roam freely wherever they want in Paradise. These are the souls of some of the martyrs, but not all of them; rather the souls of some of the martyrs are prevented from entering Paradise because of debts that they owe or other matters, as it was narrated in al-Musnad from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Jahsh that a man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, what will I have if I am killed in Allah’s cause? He said, 'Paradise.' When the man turned away, he said, 'Except what Jibril whispered to me just now.'" (Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Tabarani; Sahih) … Some of them are detained in their graves, as in the hadith about the man who stole a garment from the war booty, then he was martyred. The people said, "Congratulations to him, he is in Paradise! But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'Nay, by the One Whose hand is my soul, the garment that he stole from the war booty has become a flame of fire burning him in his grave.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Some of the souls settle at the gate of Paradise, as is mentioned in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, "There are some martyrs at Bariq – a river at the gate of Paradise – in a green tent, and provision is brought out to them from Paradise every morning and afternoon." (Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim; sahih)

Some of them are detained on earth, and their souls did not go up to those on high, for they are lowly, earthbound souls. The earthbound souls do not meet the heaven-bound souls, just as they do not meet them in this world. The soul that did not come to know its Lord in this world, and did not love Him, remember Him, find comfort with Him or seek to draw near to Him – rather it was earthbound and lowly – will only remain on earth after it leaves its body. By the same token, the heaven-bound soul, which was devoted to loving Allah and remembering Him, sought to draw close to Him and found comfort with Him will, after it leaves the body, be with other heaven-bound souls that are compatible with it. So a person will be with those whom he loves in al-barzakh and on the Day of Resurrection… Some of them will be souls in the oven containing the men and women who committed zina, and the souls swimming in the river of blood, with stones being thrown into their mouths. The souls, whether blessed or doomed, will not all be in one place; rather one soul will be in the highest place, and another will be earthbound and lowly, and will not ascend from the earth.

If you reflect on the hadiths and reports which speak of this topic, and spend time examining them, you will realise that they are sound, and you will not think that there is any contradiction between the sound reports regarding this matter, for they are all true and confirm one another. Rather what matters is understanding them, and understanding the soul and the rulings to which it is subject, and realising that the soul is of a different nature than the body, for even though it is in Paradise, it is also in heaven, and is also connected to the inside of the grave and the body that lies in it. The soul moves very quickly from one place to another, when ascending and descending. The souls may be divided into those that roam freely and those that are detained, those that are heaven-bound and those that are earthbound. After leaving the body, the soul may be healthy or sick; it may be enjoying pleasure or suffering great pain many times greater than when it was connected to the body. Hence the soul may suffer detention, pain, torment, sickness and sorrow, or it may enjoy pleasure, comfort, bliss and the freedom to roam. How similar is the situation of the soul when it is still in the body to the situation of the body when it is still in the mother’s womb, and how similar is the situation of the soul after it has departed from the body to the situation of the body after it exits the womb and comes to this world.”

Is the torment of the grave ongoing or will it cease?
Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz said, “Is the torment of the grave ongoing or will it cease?

The answer is that it is of two types, one of which is ongoing, as Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "The fire, to which they are exposed morning and afternoon." (Ghafir 40:45-46)
Similarly, in the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, it says regarding the disbeliever, “Then a door is opened for him to Hell, and he looks at his place in it until the Hour begins.” (Abu Dawud, Ahmad, al-Tabari; Sahih)

The second type will cease; it will go on for a while and then stop. This is the punishment of some of the sinners who sins were minor; they will be punished commensurate with their sin, then they will be granted relief.”

Ibn Baz said, “As for the sinner, he is subject to Allah’s will. He may be punished in his grave; he may be tormented, or he may be pardoned; he may be punished at some times and not at other times. It is up to Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that he passed by two graves, the occupants of which were being punished. One was being punished for spreading malicious gossip, and the other was being punished for not taking precautions to avoid getting urine on himself.

So the sinner is at risk if he dies persisting in sin without having repented, and he is subject to punishment. But he may be pardoned because of doing many righteous deeds or for other reasons, and if he is punished, Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, knows best how his punishment will be and whether it will be ongoing or will stop. That is up to Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, Who knows all things.”

v. The souls of the disbelievers
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, describing the situation of the disbeliever and what he experiences when he is dying and after his soul is taken, “There comes out of him something like the worst stench, until the angels bring him to the gate of the earth, then they say: How awful is this stench! Until they bring him to join the souls of the disbelievers.” (Al-Nasa’i, Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim; Sahih)

Ibn Taymiyah said, “There are many hadiths from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which say that souls are taken and will be in a state of bliss or torment, and it is said to them, ‘Come out, O good soul that was in a good body’ or, ‘Come out, O evil soul that was in an evil body. It is said to the former: ‘Receive glad tidings of rest and fragrance’; and it is said to the latter: ‘Receive tidings of scalding water and pus,’ and other similar punishments, of various kinds (cf. 38:57-58). The souls of the believers ascend to heaven but the gates of heaven are not opened for the souls of the disbelievers… Imam Ahmad said, according to the report of Hanbal: ‘The souls of the disbelievers are in Hell and the souls of the believers are in Paradise.’”

Ibn Baz said, “As for the souls of the disbelievers, they are in Hell – we ask Allah to protect us. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, said regarding the people of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning), "The fire, to which they are exposed morning and afternoon." (Ghafir 40:45-46)
The scholars differed as to where their souls will settle. It was said that they will settle in Hell itself, or in the graves of their owners, or elsewhere. But whatever the case, they are tormented – we seek refuge with Allah – and are exposed to the fire, and their ultimate destination will be the Fire; we ask Allah to protect us.”

4.2.2. Does the torment in al-barzakh affect the soul, the body or both of them?
Ibn Taymiyah said, “Torment and bliss will affect both soul and body, according to the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah. The soul will experience bliss or torment separate from the body, and it will experience torment when it is connected to the body, and the body is connected to it. So bliss and torment will be experience by both in this situation, just as they will be experience by the soul when it is separate from the body."

Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz said, “You should understand that the torment of the grave is the torment of al-barzakh. Everyone who dies deserving punishment will receive his share of it, whether he is buried or not, whether he is eaten by wild animals, or burned until he turns into ashes which are scattered in the air, or is crucified or drowns in the sea. The same punishment will be experienced by his soul and body as for one who is buried.

What was narrated about the deceased being made to sit up in his grave, and his ribs interlocking when he is squeezed in the grave, and so on, must be understood as the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) meant it, without exaggerating or falling short in understanding it. His words should not be misinterpreted or understood in a manner other than the apparent meaning, and we should not fail to understand what he said in the way in which he meant it, for his words are clear guidance.”

Ibn Baz said, “Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah believe in the torment and bliss of the grave, and that they will be experienced by both soul and body, but the share of the soul will be greater, as Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, said regarding the people of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning), "The fire, to which they are exposed morning and afternoon." (Ghafir 40:46)

Thus the deceased who was righteous will enjoy bliss in his grave and the deceased who was not righteous will suffer torment in his grave, and on the Day of Resurrection both the torment and the bliss will become greater, after the resurrection.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Will this bliss or torment be experienced by the body or the soul, or both body and soul together? We say: What is known from the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah is that it will primarily affect the soul, but it will have a secondary impact on the body, just as punishment in this world primarily affects the body, and it has a secondary impact on the soul. For example, in this world, the rulings of sharia are based on how things appear to be, but in the hereafter it will be the opposite, so in the grave the torment or bliss will be experienced by the soul and will have a secondary impact on the body. Or perhaps the torment will be experienced by the body and the soul will feel pain as a result, but this happens only rarely; rather the principle is that in al-barzakh torment will be experienced by the soul and will have a secondary impact on the body, and bliss will be experienced by the soul and will have a secondary impact on the body.”

4.3. Will a person be aware of anything in this world after he dies?
It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “When a person is placed in his grave and his companions turn to leave, he hears the sound of their footsteps…” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

It was narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) left the slain of Badr for three days, then he came to them and stood over them and called out to them, “O Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, O Umayyah ibn Khalaf, O ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, O Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, have you not found what your Lord promised you to be true? For I have found what my Lord promised me to be true.” ‘Umar heard what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said and he said: O Messenger of Allah, how can they hear and respond when they have started to decay? He said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you cannot hear what I am saying any better than they can, but they are not able to respond.” Then he ordered that they be dragged and thrown into the dry well of Badr. (Muslim)

Ibn Taymiyah said, after quoting these texts and others, “These and similar texts indicate that the deceased may hear the words of the living, but it does not necessarily mean that he hears them all the time; rather he may hear in one situation and not in another, just as happens to one who is alive: sometimes he hears what people say to him, and sometimes he may not hear him because of some distraction.”

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed his ummah, when they greet the occupants of the graves with salaam, to greet them as they were addressing them directly. So the Muslim should say: ‘Al-salaamu ‘alaykum dara qawmin mu’minin (peace be upon you, abode of believing people).’ These are words that are addressed to people who can hear and understand. Where that not the case, then this would be like addressing something non-existent or inanimate. The early generations were agreed on that, and mutawatir reports were narrated from them stating that the deceased is aware of the visit of the living person and he rejoices at that.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that when the deceased is buried and the two angels come to him, ‘he hears the sound of your sandals,’ meaning the sandals of those who are leaving him. This hearing occurs shortly after the time of burial. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stood over the slain of Quraysh in the dry well of Badr, calling them by their names and the names of their fathers. When the Sahabah asked him about that, he said, ‘You cannot hear what I am saying any better than they can’… But assuming that they can hear, they cannot benefit others, meaning that they do not pray to Allah for the one who greets them, and they do not pray for forgiveness for him, and they cannot intercede for him.”

4.4. People vary in status in al-barzakh
The believers will vary greatly in status in al-barzakh. The best of them in status in al-barzakh are the prophets (peace be upon them). The souls of the prophets are in the highest place, among those on high. This is indicated by the hadith of the Isra’ and Mi‘raj (Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven), in which it says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) met the prophets in the heavens at different levels, and that he saw Musa standing and praying, and he saw ‘Isa standing and praying, and he saw Ibrahim standing and praying, and he saw Ibrahim leaning his back against al-Bayt al-Ma‘mur (the Much-Frequented House).

In the hadiths about the Isra’ and Mi‘raj there are two indications:
i. That the prophets have the best life of the believers in al-barzakh.
ii. That the prophets vary in status in their life in al-barzakh.

‘Iyad said, “The fact that our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoys elevated status that surpasses the status of all the other prophets, and that he reached where he reached in the kingdom of heaven, indicates that his status is very high and is superior to that of others.”

It was narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said regarding the prophets, “Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets.” (Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah; da‘if)

One example of the variation in status of the believers in al-barzakh is what was proven about the virtue of the martyrs, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, when he was asked about the verse (interpretation of the meaning), "Do not think of those who are slain in Allah’s cause as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision." (al ‘Imran 3:169) “Their souls are in green birds, which have lamps hanging from the Throne, and they roam freely wherever they want in Paradise, then they return to those lamps. Their Lord looked down upon them and said: ‘Do you desire anything?’ They said: ‘What could we desire, when we can roam freely wherever we want in Paradise?’ He asked them three times, and when they saw that they would not be left until they answered, they said: ‘O Lord, we want You to restore our souls to our bodies so that we may be killed for Your sake again.’ When He saw that they had no need, they were left alone.” (Muslim)

And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “No one who enters Paradise will want to return to this world even if he were to be given all that is on earth, except the martyr, who wishes that he could return to this world and be killed ten times, because of what he sees of honour bestowed on him by Allah.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

The martyr has a special quality of life in al-barzakh by which he is distinguished from other believers.

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Souls vary greatly with regard to the places in which they settle in al-barzakh. Some souls are in the highest place with those on high; these are the souls of the prophets (peace be upon them), and they vary in their positions, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw on the night of the Isra’.

Some of them are in the crops of green birds which roam freely wherever they want in Paradise. These are the souls of some of the martyrs, but not all of them; rather the souls of some of the martyrs are prevented from entering Paradise because of debts that they owe or other matters, as it was narrated in al-Musnad from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Jahsh that a man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, what will I have if I am killed in Allah’s cause? He said: “Paradise.” When the man turned away, he said: “Except what Jibril whispered to me just now.” (Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Tabarani; Sahih)… Some of them are detained in their graves, as in the hadith about the man who stole a garment from the war booty, then he was martyred. The people said: Congratulations to him, he is in Paradise! But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Nay, by the One Whose hand is my soul, the garment that he stole from the war booty has become a flame of fire burning him in his grave.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Some of the souls settle at the gate of Paradise, as is mentioned in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas: “There are some martyrs at Bariq – a river at the gate of Paradise – in a green tent, and provision is brought out to them from Paradise every morning and afternoon. (Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim; sahih). This is in contrast to Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib, as Allah replaced his arms with two wings with which he flies wherever he wants in Paradise.

Some of them are detained on earth, and their souls did not go up to those on high, for they are lowly, earthbound souls. The earthbound souls do not meet the heaven-bound souls, just as they do not meet them in this world. The soul that did not come to know its Lord in this world, and did not love Him, remember Him, find comfort with Him or seek to draw near to Him – rather it was earthbound and lowly – will only remain on earth after it leaves its body. By the same token, the heaven-bound soul, which was devoted to loving Allah and remembering Him, sought to draw close to Him and found comfort with Him will, after it leaves the body, be with other heaven-bound souls that are compatible with it. So a person will be with those whom he loves in al-barzakh and on the Day of Resurrection. Allah will put souls of similar calibre together in al-barzakh and on the Day of Resurrection, as stated in the hadith above. He will put the believer’s soul with another good soul of similar quality, for after departing the body, the soul will join others like it who did similar deeds, so it will be with them there…

Some of them will be souls in the oven containing the men and women who committed zina, and the souls swimming in the river of blood, with stones being thrown into their mouths. The souls, whether blessed or doomed, will not all settle in one place; rather one soul will be in the highest place, and another will be earthbound and lowly, and will not ascend from the earth.