Barzakh and the Day of Resurrection

By: Allama Husayn Ansariyan
Barzakh is the interval between this life and the afterlife according to the view of the Qur'an. The persons, who leave this world, enter the world of barzakh at the beginning and live there a special life according to their beliefs, deeds and morals. Their lives there are like neither the worldly life nor the afterlife.
“Until when death overtakes one of them, he says: Send me back, my Lord, send me back. Haply I may do good in that which I have left. By no means! It is a (mere) word that he speaks; and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised.” Qur'an, 23:99-100
But since the law of c reation does not allow anyone whether good or bad to come back, so they are answered: “Certainly not! It is impossible for you to go back to the worldly life!”
Of course this speech comes out of a sinful’s tongue and not Heart. This speech is said by every sinful person when seeing himself tied with the chains of punishment and said by every killer when seeing the stage of hanging. Anyhow it is the speech of one when being afflicted with misfortunes but when the storm calms down and the crises disappear, this one returns to his previous state as if nothing has happened.
At the end of the verse there is Alittle token but with a big meaning referring to the world of barzakh and its secrets. The verse has said, “And before them is a barrier until the day they are raised.”
The word “barzakh” originally means an obstacle that partitions between two (material) things but then it is said to refer to everything lying between two matters and therefore the world between the worldly life and afterlife is called “barzakh”.
The evidence on the existence of this world, which is called somet imes the world of grave or the world of spirits, is derived from the verses of the Qur’an. It has been mentioned apparently sometimes and metony mically other times. This verse “and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised” refers to this world clearly. But there are other verses talking about this world meto ny mically like the verses concerning the martyrs as this one: “And reckon not those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance near their Lord.” Qur'an, 3:169
This state is not limited to the martyrs in the world of barzakh but also the disbelievers and tyrants like the Pharaoh and his men enter into the world of barzakh as this verse declares, “The fire; they shall be brought before it (every) morning and evening and on the day when the hour shall come to pass: Make Firon's people enter the severest chastisement.” Qur'an, 40:46
In the famous books of the Shia and other than the Shia many traditions and with different wordings have been mentioned about the world of barzakh and the world of spirits and with the statement “the separating world between this world and the afterworld”. It has been mentioned in Nahjol Balagha that when Ameerul Mo’mineen (as) had come back from the battle of Siffeen and arrived at a graveyard near Kufa, he turned towards the graves and said, “O people of desolate lands, dreary places and dark graves! O people of soil, O people of estrangement, O people of loneliness, O people of desolation! You have preceded us and we will follow you! As for the houses they have been inhabited and as for the wives they have got married and as for the monies they have been distributed. This is the news we have so what is the news you have?!”
Then he turned towards his companions and said, “If they were permitted to speak, they would tell you that, “The best provision is toward off evil34.”
Imam Zaynol Aabideen (as) has said, “The grave is either a garden of paradise or a hole of Fire35.”36
Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “The barzakh is the grave and it is the reward and the punishment between the worldly life and the afterlife by Allah, we do not fear for you except the barzakh37.”
Someone has asked Imam as-Sadiq (as) about the barzakh and Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “It is the grave since death until the day of resurrection38.”
It has been mentioned in al-Kafi that Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “In chambers in paradise they eat from its (paradise’s) food, drink from its drinks and say: our Lord, bring the (hour) to an end and carry out what You have promised us39!”
Believing in the barzakh has been mentioned by the clear Qur’anic verses and holy traditions. It gives to the believers special moral beauty with paying attention to the states of the believers and the disbelievers in the world of the barzakh and it has us eful effects on the state of man in the worldly life and it leads him towards piety, perfection and purification of the inward and out ward.

The day of resurrection
The day of resurrection, which is the day when all the creatures will be rewarded for their good and bad deeds, is a definite fact in all the divine books and in the teachings of the Prophets and the infallible Imams (as).
Believing in the day of resurrection is a part of faith and denying this greatevent is equal to disbelief.
The holy Qur’an has mentioned the day of resurrection in more than one thousand verses and the hereafter has been mentioned in details in the many traditions concerning this matter. Here are some of them: “Then how will it be when We shall gather them together on a day about which there is no doubt, and every soul shall be fully paid what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.” Qur'an, 3:25
“And if indeed you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together.” Qur'an, 3:158
“And be careful of (your duty to) Allah, to Whom you shall be gathered.” Qur'an, 5:96
“Most certainly He will gather you on the resurrection day, there is no doubt about it.” Qur'an, 6:12
“And (as to) the dead, Allah will raise them, then to Him they shall be returned.” Qur'an, 6:36
“And now Allah and His Messenger will see your doings, then you shall be brought back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He will inform you of what you did.” Qur'an, 9:94
“Then after that you will most surely die. Then surely on the day of resurrection you shall be raised.” Qur'an, 23:15-16
“Nay! I swear by the day of resurrection. Nay! I swear by the self-accusing soul. Does man think that We shall not gather his bones. Yea! We are able to make complete his very fingertip.” Qur'an, 75:1-4
Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “One day Gabriel came to the Prophet (S) and took him to al-Baqee” graveyard. They came near one of the graves and Gabriel shouted at the dead one in the grave, “Get up by the will of Allah!” Then a man with white head and beard came out of the grave wiping the dust away from his face and saying, “Praise be to Allah and Allah is great.” Gabriel said, “Go back by the will of Allah.” Then he came with the Prophet (S) to another grave and said (to the dead one in the grave), “Get up by the will of Allah!” A black-faced man came out of the grave saying, “Alas! Alas!” Then Gabriel said, “Go back to where you have been by the will of Allah!” Then Gabriel said, “O Muhammad, such they will be resurrected on the day of resurrection. The believers will say so and those will say as you heard40.”
Luqman41 the wise said to his son, “My son, if you doubt about death, prevent yourself from sleep and surely you cannot and if you doubt resurrection, prevent yourself from waking and surely you cannot. If you think of that, you will know that your self is in the hand of other than you. In fact (wakening from) sleep is like Resurrection after death42.”
Anyhow the matter of the Doomsd ay and its a spects has been mentioned in the holy Qur'an too much and repeatedly with confirmation, oath and insistence. The day of resurrection is seldom mentioned with an evidence or a proof unlike the matter of monotheism which has often been mentioned with evidences and with showing the signs of the power and wisdom of Allah the Almighty because when man accepts the matter of monotheism, the matter of the afterlife will be easy to him to believe in it.
Sometimes the afterlife has been mentioned with details, description and signs that show the power of Allah. In fact the evidences that prove the existence of Allah are the same to prove the existence of the afterlife too.
The Qur’an has mentioned some examples as practical applications on the matter of the afterlife and res urrecting the dead and made them as evidences on the existence of the day of resurrection. No one says: why there is afterlife? Because forming a fair court to distinguish the innocent from the sinful, to reward the good-doers and to punish the sinful and oppressors cannot be objected by anyone but the objection and the paradox that those, who deny the afterlife, mention is: is it possible to resurrect rotten bodies and decayed bones? How is it possible to collect the scattered parts of man and restore him to life? Therefore Allah has declared that with the evidences of monotheism and through showing the aspects of the afterlife and the day of resurrection to make the disbelievers and the deniers understand that power that has beenable to create these creatures from nothing is the same that will resurrect them again and the same Creator Who has created the universe and given life to man will give life to the dead again43.
The holy Qur’an replies to the suspicion of those, who deny the afterlife, in the sura of Yaseen by saying, “Does not man see that We have created him from the small seed? Then lo! he is an open disputant. And he strikes out Alikeness for Us and forgets his own creation. Says he: Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten. Say: He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first, and He is cognizant of all creation.” Qur'an, 36:77-79
In these verses the Qur'an guides man to think of the beginning of his life when he was as insignificant seed and then he grew and became powerful until he dared to dispute with his Creator and objected to Him openly!
First the Qur'an stresses on the concept of man; every man of any belief or Religion, with any level of knowledge; every man can perceive the truth. Then it talks about the insignificant sperm which is the o rigin of man to make the proud man ponder on his beginning and what he has been. The origin of man is just one very minute cell which cannot be seen with the naked eye from among thousands of c ells in one drop of sperm and then this c ell coheres with a very minute c ell in the wo mb of woman and then these two cells form man to grow and to put his feet in the field of life.
Then the Qur'an mentions the other stages of man’s growth one after the other. They are six stages as mentioned at the beginning of the sura of al-Mo’minoon. These stages, since man is in the mother’s womb, are: seed, clot, lump of flesh, appearance of bones, covering the bones with flesh and then inspiration of spirit in him.
When the infant is born, it is too weak and then it grows until it reaches the stage of adulthood bodily and rationally.
This weak and powerless being soon gets strong and powerful to a degree that he permits himself to stand before Allah the Creator objecting and resisting His invitation and being inattentive to his past and future. He indeed becomes an “open contender” to his Creator.
That ignorant man set forth an example to Allah while he imagined that it was an evidence to refute the afterlife whereas he had forgotten the beginning of his creation when he said, “Who will restore life to these decayed bones?”
Yes, this “open contender” brought a piece of rotten bone that he had found in the desert and it was unknown whose bone it was; whether to one that had died naturally or in the war or of hunger or thirst! Anyhow he took this piece of bone as an irrefutable evidence to deny the matter of the afterlife. He, with delight mixed with rage, brought the bone and said to himself, “With this evidence I will refute Muhammad and he will not beable to reply!”
He hastened to the Prophet (S) and shouted at him, “O Muhammad, tell me who can restore life to this decayed bone!” Then he crumbled a piece of the bone with his hand and spread it on the earth while thinking that the Prophet (S) would be unable to reply to his ignorance.
How nice it was when the Qur’an answered him with a very short phrase “and forgets his creation” though it detailed the answer after that and mentioned evidences on the afterlife.
The Qur’an says: o ignorant, inattentive and forgetful man! Go back Alittle and ponder on the beginning of your creation when you were an insignificant seed and then you put on a new dress of life day after day! You are always between death and life. In the past you were dead solid and then you became a plant and died and then you became an animal and from the world of animals you moved to the world of man. O forgetful man, you have forgotten all these and now you have come to say, “Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?”
When these bones become rotten, they turn into soil. Have you not been soil before your creation? Allah has ordered the Prophet (S) to say to that proud and ignorant man, “He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first.”
If nowadays some bones have remained from man, one day he himself was nothing and so were these bones and so was the soil it self. He, Who was able to create man from nothing, is able now to restore life to his rotten bones easier than before.
One may think: when these bones become rott en, turn into soil and scatter every where, then would it be possible to gather these scattered parts from the different points of the world? The Creator is more a ware of His creatures and He knows everything about everything, “And He is cognizant of all creation.” Qur'an,36:79
The Creator Who has had all this knowledge and wonderful power will not face a bit of difficulty with the matter of the afterlife.
If we put a piece of magnet in the soil which has small pieces of scattered iron and when we move this piece of magnet in the soil, the small pieces of iron will soon gathered on it where this piece of ma gnet has no mind nor does it have any kind of life. Allah the Almighty can gather the scattered parts of man’s body from every point in the world easily with just one order.
The knowledge of Allah is not limited to the very creation of man only but also He knows man’s intentions and deeds and He will punish him for that because everything is recorded in a book near Him.
Punishing man for bad deeds, intentions and beliefs also does not cause any difficulty: “And whether you manifest what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will callyou to account according to it.” Qur'an, 2:284
On the basis of this Allah has ordered Prophet Moses (as) to answer the Pharaoh, who doubted about the matter of the afterlife, about resurrecting the ancient nations and punishing them, by saying, “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a book, my Lorderrs not, nor does He forget.” Qur'an, 20:52
AnyHow the matter of resurrection and doomsday when all the human beings are gathered to be rewarded for their deeds and intentions is a matter of the unseen. Believing in this matter does not become easy except by the help of the Qur’anic verse and holy traditions. It gives to man moral beauty that leads him to high morals and perfection and it has many useful effects on man’s life.

The accounting
The matter of accounting man’s deeds, morals and beliefs on the day of resurrection and inquiring the book of man’s life is a fact from among the Qur’anic facts and divine knowledge mentioned widely in the holy Qur’an and Prophetic traditions.
It is not reasonable that the lives of the good people, who have spent their lives with truthfulness, fidelity, purity and morality and who have helped the others, end by death forever and they will not be rewarded for their deeds and conducts.
Also it is not reasonable that the lives of the disbelievers, polytheists and tyrants, who have spent their lives with injustice, oppression, vices, crimes, cheating, aggression, inadvertence and ignorance and that people have suffered their injustice and evils and who have deprived many people of their rights, end with death forever and they will not be punished for their sins, crimes, oppression and violating the rights of the others.
The divine justice, wisdom, mercy and wrath require that all the creatures should gather on one day to be rewarded for their deeds, morals and beliefs and each of them should be rewarded according to what he has done.
Allah has said about the good people and about the matter of their accounting on the day of resurrection: “And there are some among them who say: Our Lord! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire. They shall have (their) portion of what they have earned, and Allah is swift in reckoning.” Qur'an, 2:201-202
“Then are they sent back to Allah, their Master, the True one; now surely His is the judgment and He is swiftest in taking account.” Qur'an, 6:62
“Then as to him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall be reckoned with an easy reckoning.” Qur'an, 84:7-8
Imam Musa bin Ja’far (al-Kadhim) (as) has narrated from his fathers that the Prophet (S) had said, “One’s feet will not move on the day of resurrection before he will be asked about his age how he has spent it, his youth how he has passed it, his money where he has gained it from and how he has spent it and about loving us AhlulBayt (as)44.”
There is no doubt that the accou nting of the faithful persons, who have spent their youths and ages in worshipping and obedience, gained money as Allah has ordered and have loved and followed AhlulBayt (as), will be easy and simple and they will not suffer pains on the day of resurrection and they will not face hardship or delay in their accounting.
One day a man has come to Imam al-Baqir (as) and said, “O son of the messenger of Allah, I have arequest.” Imam al-Baqir (as) said to him, “Wait until you meet me in Mecca.” The man said, “O son of the messenger of Allah, I have a request.” Imam al-Baqir (as) said, “Wait until you meet me in Mina.” The man said, “O son of the messenger of Allah, I have a request.” He said to him, “Say what request you have!” The man said, “O son of the messenger of Allah, “I have committed a sin between me and Allah and no one has ever known about it. It has become too hard for me and I respect you too much that I cannot tell you about it.” Imam al-Baqir (as) said to him, “On the day of resurrection Allah will ask His faithful slave about his sins one by one and then He will forgive them and He will inform neither a close angel nor a Prophet about them45.”
An important tradition concerning the accounting of the faithful people has been mentioned by Sheikh at-Toossi in his book al-Amaali and quoted by All amaal-Majlisi in his book Biharul Anwar that Imam Ali (as) had said, “Man will be brought (on the day of resurrection) before Allah and Allah will say (to the angels), “Compare between my blessings on him and his deeds.” They (the angels) will say, “The blessings have absorbed the deeds.” Allah will say, “My blessings are up to Me. compare between the good and bad of his deeds.” If the good deeds and bad deeds were equal, Allah will omit bad deeds for good deeds and enter that man into paradise. If he has had some favor, Allah will reward him for that favor and if there is a favor (by Allah) on him and he is pious and has never associated a partner with Allah, Allah will pardon him and forgive him with His mercy46.”
Al-Majlisi, in his book Biharul Anwar, quoted from al-Kafi a tradition that Imam as-Sadiq (as) had said, “On the day of resurrection there will be a divan (big record) of blessings, a divan of good deeds and a divan of bad deeds. It will be compared between the blessings and one’s good deeds and the blessings will a bsorb one’s good deeds. The divan of bad deeds will remain. Then a faithful man will be called to the accounting. The Qur’an will advance before him in the most beautiful shape and will say, “O my Lord, I am the Qur’an and this is Your faithful slave. He has been tiring himself with reciting me and spending long nights with hymning me and his eyes crying when watching with me. My Lord, please him as he has pleased me.” Allah the Almighty will say to that man, “Stretch your right hand.” He will fill his right hand with His contentment and his left hand with His mercy. Then it will be said, “This is paradise open to you. Recite and ascend!” With every verse he will recite, he will ascend a step47.”
The holy Qur’an has mentioned many verses about the accounting and punishing the evil-doers, criminals and disbelievers. Here are some of them: “And whoever disbelieves in the communications of Allah then surely Allah is quick in reckoning.” Qur'an, 3:19
“Aand (as for) those who do not respond to Him, had they all that is in the earth and the like thereof with it they would certainly offer it for a ransom. (As for) those, an evil reckoning shall be theirs and their abode is hell, and evil is the resting-place.” Qur'an, 13:18
“And how many a town which rebelled against the commandment of its Lord and His messengers, so We called it to account severely and We chastised it (with) a stern chastisement.” Qur'an, 65:8
“But whoever turns back and disbelieves, Allah will chastise him with the greatest chastisement. Surely to Us is their turning back. Then surely upon Us is the taking of their account.” Qur'an, 88:32-26
Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said when interpreting this verse, “Surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these, shall be questioned about that,” Qur'an, 17:36
“The hearing will be questioned about what it has heard, the sight will be questioned about what it has seen and the Heart will be questioned about what it has intended.”
One day a man has come to Imam Zaynol Aabideen (as) and said, “O son of the messenger of Allah, if a believing man has been wronged by a disbelieving man, then what will be taken (on the day of resurrection) from that disbelieving man where he will be among the people of hell?” Imam Ali bin al-Husayn Zaynol Aabideen (as) said, “Bad deeds will be deducted from the Muslim as much as his right on the disbeliever and then the disbeliever will be punished, besides his disbelief, with them as much as the Muslim has been wronged by him48.”
Ameerul Mo'mineen (as) has said, “Injustice is three kinds; one is not forgiven, one is not omitted and one is forgiven without being asked for. As for the injustice that is not forgiven it is polyt heism. Allah has said, “Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him.” Qur'an, 4:48
As for the injustice that is forgiven it is the injustice of one against himself with some minor sins. And as for the injustice that is not omitted it the injustice of people against one another. The punishment there will be too severe. It is not wounding with daggers nor beating with whips but it is something that these things are deemed little beside it49.”
It is narrated that Imam al-Baqir (as) or Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “On the day of resurrection a debtor will be brought compl aining of loneliness. If he has had good deeds, some of his good deeds will be taken to the creditor and if he has not had good deeds, some of the bad deeds of the creditor will be thrown on him50.”
We see that the matter of accounting, reviewing the record of man’s deeds and rewarding him for his deeds on the day of resurrection are from among the matters of the unseen. Believing in them on the bas is of the Qur’anic verses and Prophetic traditions forms a firm basis for the beliefs of a faithful person besides that they are among the good principles of man.

The scales
The matter of the “scales” and weighing people’s deeds on the day of resurrection is one of the important religious matters in the intellectual systems of the Muslims and one of the important events on the day of resurrection. Allah has mentioned this fact in His holy Book and it has been mentioned in the traditions of the Prophet (S) and AhlulBayt (as) and it has been detailed in the Islamic teachings.
Allah has said, “The weighing on that day is the true (weighing). As for those whose scale is heavy, they are the successful.” Qur'an, 7:8
“And We will set up a just scales on the day of resurrection, sono soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least.” Qur'an, 21:47
Hisham bin Salim narrates that he has asked Imam as-Sadiq (as) about this verse and what was meant by the “scales” on the day of resurrection and Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said, “It means the prophets and the guardians51.”
The beliefs, morals and deeds of people will be measured on the day of resurrection by the scales of the prophets and the Imams. It means that they will be measured according to the beliefs and deeds of the Prophets and the Imams (as). If one’s beliefs, morals and deeds agree with the beliefs, morals and deeds of the prophets and the guardia ns, this one will succeed and be saved and his sca les will be heavy but if his beliefs and deeds do not agree with theirs, he will be among the people of hell because his pair of scales will be light then. The holy Qur'an has referred to this matter in many verses.
“And the measuring out on that day will be just; then as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is heavy, those are they who shall be successful, and as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is light those are they who have made their souls suffer loss because they disbelieved in Our communications.” Qur'an, 7:8-9
“And We will set up a just scale on the day of resurrection, sono soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account.” Qur'an, 21:47
“Then as for him whose measure of good deeds is heavy, he shall live a pleasant life, and as for him whose measure of good deeds is light, his abode shall be the abyss. And what will make you know what it is? A burning fire.” Qur'an, 1016-11
True beliefs, good morals and good deeds have a weight in the divine scale on the day of resurrection. We cannot imagine this meaning with our minds in our environment of this world. These beliefs, morals and deeds will save man on the day of resurrection and in those terrible situations.
Imam al-Baqir (as) narrated from his fathers that the Prophet (S) had said, “Loving me and loving my family will benefit in seven situations whose terrors will be great: at dying, in the grave, at resurrection, at the book (record of one’s deeds), at the accounting, at the scales and at the straight path (siraat)52.”
We know well that loving one’s beloved is considered as an important motive leading to imitate that beloved. This love benefits one in seven situations. It is the love that requires obeying the orders of the Prophet (S) and the orders of AhlulBayt (as).
Imam Zaynol Aabideen (as) narrated that his grandfather the Messenger of Allah (S) had said, “Nothing will be put in one’s scale on the day of resurrection better than good morals53.”
Imam ar-Ridha’ (as) has said in a letter to al-Ma’moon the Abbasid caliph, “And you should believe in the torment of the grave, Munkar and Nakeer (angels), resurrection after death, the scales and the straight path.”
The fact of the “scales”, as the previous facts, is among the facts of the unseen and believing in it according to the Qur’anic verses and the holy traditions is an obligation on everyone. Believing in this matter has many positive effects on man in this worldly life too.
34. Nahjol Balagha, maxim no.130.
35. It depends on the dead person’s deeds.
36. Noor ath-Thaqalayn, vol.2 p.553.
37. Ibid.
38. Ibid., vol.2 p.554.
39. Biharul Anwar, vol. 6 p.269.
40. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.39.
41. He might be Aesop.
42. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.42.
43. Tafsir an-Noorayn, 19.
44. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.258.
45. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.260.
46. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.262, al-Amaali, p.132.
47. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.267.
48. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.270.
49. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.271.
50. Ibid.,274.
51. Ma’ani al-Akhbar by as-Sadooq, p.13, Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.249.
52. Biharul Anwar, vol. 7 p.248.
53. Al-Kafi, vol. 2 p.99.