Journey of The Soul After Death

Journey of The Soul After Death

by Ustadh Navaid Aziz

Opening Greetings

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Introduction and Praise

All praise is due to Allah, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Rabb, the One who alone is worthy of worship. To Him we bow in praise and to Him we call out for sustenance and for help. Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, our Nabi, our Rasul, whom we all love, whom we all obey, and whose example we all wish to follow.

This evening we have an interesting subject: death, the journey of the soul, the jinn, the afterlife, and we will finish with Jannah, which will make you all feel much better after hearing about the rest of what we'll be talking about this evening, inshallah.

About Al-Maghrib Institute and the Speaker

As most of you have come to know, Al-Maghrib introduced a new instructor. It is from the fadhl of Allah that the course to be taught is on the book Madarij as-Salikeen (The Levels of Those Who Tread the Path).

About the Speaker: Ustadh Navaid Aziz was born in Canada. After completing his studies at the Islamic University of Medina, he obtained a diploma in the Arabic language and is currently working on his Bachelor's degree in the Sharia. He has studied with many great scholars, including Sheikh Salah Al-Sundi, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Raheili, Sheikh Saleh Al-Aqeel, and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hunayman.

The Three Key Emotions in Worship

This book, Madarij as-Salikeen, is the explanation of one ayah in the Qur'an from Surah Al-Fatihah—the surah that each and every one of us recites at least 17 times a day.

The Noble Ayah:

"[English translation here]"

Reference: Quran 1:5

Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) spent a good portion explaining this ayah. In explaining this ayah, he dwells upon worship and what ibadah actually is. In giving a parable to ibadah, he mentions that the emotions of the worshipper of Allah revolve around three key emotions: love, hope, and fear.

These are the three key emotions around which the believer revolves when worshipping Allah. This is something very important to realize and understand.

The Parable of the Bird

Ibn Al-Qayyim mentions that these three emotions are like a bird. The head of this bird is love, and its two wings are hope and fear.

Imagine a bird without a head—it will be unable to fly, it will not be able to do anything, and it will not even exist. Thus is our ibadah. Without love, it cannot exist.

Now, once love is established, the bird is able to fly, it is able to do what it needs to do. But if its two wings aren't balanced—if one is heavier than the other—it will not be able to go in a straight line.

Thus is the parable of hope and fear:

• Too much hope: If you put too much hope and don't put enough emphasis on fear, then we become lackadaisical in our actions. We say, "Allah will forgive us. He is the Most Forgiving, He is Al-Ghafoor, He is Al-Raheem." Now even though this may be true, this doesn't mean that we stop doing actions or stop making tawbah for the sins that we commit.

• Too much fear: If you go to the other extreme, where you focus too much on fear like some of the sects did, then you start to despair of the mercy of Allah, and you fall into things that will lead to your own destruction and the destruction of other Muslims as well.

How the Qur'an Inspires These Emotions

Having said this, we see how Islam has balanced each and every important emotion that we need to hold, need to feel, and need to express. These emotions are found in the Qur'an, and they're often triggered through the Qur'an.

Inspiring Love

When Allah wants to inspire love into human beings, He talks about the blessings that they have been granted: wealth, children, spouses, eyesight, hearing, the ability to touch and to feel. Allah inspires love through these expressions.

Inspiring Hope

To inspire hope into individuals, Allah tells us that He forgives all sins, and that those people who do good and

want to attain the blessings of Jannah—the eternal life of happiness, eternal bliss—Allah inspires hope.

Triggering Fear Through Death

Now, what does Allah do to trigger fear? How does Allah ignite that fear into our hearts?

It is sad to see that in our times, people often talk about love—the love of Allah, the love of the Prophet. We talk about the blessings of Jannah, and how the men desire the Hoor al-'Ayn. Everyone talks about this. But the emotion of fear—why is it that we have left it off?

Fear is something we all dislike. No one likes to feel it. No one likes to be in a position where they have to fear. So it is human nature that we often forget and tend to leave this off, whether intentionally or unintentionally—Allah knows best.

One of the ways that Allah goes about triggering fear and balancing the parable of the bird that we mentioned previously is through death.

Remembering Death

The Hadith of the Destroyer of Pleasures

The Messenger of Allah said:

Hadith: "Remember often the destroyer of pleasures" (meaning death).

Reference: Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2307; Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 1824; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4258

Because indeed it is a reality. You often hear Western philosophers and scholars say that we only have two realities: taxes and death. Everyone hears this. Now how true it is, we all know that there are more realities to life than just taxes and death. But the reason why they mention this is because these are the two things that people usually fear the most.

No one wants to be taxed. No one wants to be audited. And at the same time, everyone fears death—except for the true believer.

The Journey of the Soul: Introduction

Having given this brief introduction, our goal for today is to discuss the journey of the soul.

We all know that we have come into this life. Our very presence in this room is proof of this. We are all alive, we all exist. But we do not know what will happen in the hereafter.

Again, this has been a cause for much controversy amongst the religions, amongst the philosophers, amongst the scholastics. But unlike any other religion, Allah has told us what we need to know. He did not leave anything that we need to know unknown or unexplained.

The Ayah About the Soul (Ruh)

People came to the Prophet asking about the soul. Then Allah revealed the ayah in Surah Al-Isra:

Translation: "And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Ruh (the soul). Say: 'The Ruh is of the affair of my Lord. And you have not been given of knowledge except a little.'""

Reference: Quran 17:85

Allah, when talking about the journey of the soul, only gave us general principles, a general picture, and a general scenario. As for the specifics, Allah kept this for Himself in the knowledge of the unseen (ilm al-ghayb).

The Journey of the Soul After Death

From those things that Allah has revealed to us, either through the Qur'an or through the blessed tongue of His Prophet, are eight authentic ahadith describing the journey of the soul.

Two Main Categories

The journey of the soul has two main scenarios:

1. The soul of the believing person

2. The soul of the disbeliever

That being said, is this the only categorization that we have in Islam? That everyone is either a Muslim or a kafir, a believer or a disbeliever? No, this is not the case.

We saw in the Hadith of Jibril (which most of us have heard) that even Islam is divided into subcategories:

• Iman (faith)

• Ihsan (excellence)

These are on the virtuous end. But on the displeasing end, there are the disobedient or sinful Muslims. They likewise tread a path when they embark on the journey of the soul.

The Journey of the Believing Soul

Let us combine the ahadith to not waste too much time. Because in studying each hadith, you'll find different additions and subtractions. So putting them all together, let us take a general picture from all these ahadith together.

The Descent of the Angels of Mercy

The Messenger of Allah mentions that when the believer dies, the angels of mercy come to him.

These angels of mercy:

• Their faces are radiant like the sun

• They are the purest of white

This is how the Messenger of Allah described them. When the believer dies, the angels descend upon him. Their faces are radiant like the sun, meaning they give off immense light, and their color is the purest of white.

What the Angels Bring

Do they come empty-handed? No, they don't. They are the messengers of Allah, so they always bring something with them.

What they bring when they come to take the soul of the believer:

• A piece of white silk

• Embalmment from the garments of Jannah

They come with a piece of white silk and a garment from the garments of Jannah in which they take the soul.

They come to the believing soul and sit in front of him at a distance at which the eye can see—meaning they don't sit right in front of you, but rather they stay at a distance.

The Angel of Death vs. The Angels Who Take the Soul

There is a key difference between the angel of death and the angels that take the soul. Right now we're talking about the angels that take the soul. They sit at the limit of his eyesight.

Then the angel of death descends upon the believing person.

The Justice of Allah

We see the ultimate justice of Allah. We all know that Allah has blessed the believers with many blessings. But Allah at the same time is just.

Allah didn't grant eternal life to the believers only. He gave everyone a limited amount of time in this dunya. In it we are tested. In it we are asked to worship Allah. In it Allah created us and tests us in different things.

This life is limited, and Allah is just in that and in everything else as well. Allah gave us a limited and appointed amount of time in this dunya.

The Greeting to the Believing Soul

When the angel of death comes, the angels who are here to take the soul (not the angel of death—keep that in mind) say:

"Depart from this body to the happiness of Allah."

The Journey of the Soul

The Soul in the Grave

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud)

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When the dead person is put in the grave, two black and blue angels come to him. One of them is called Al-Munkar and the other An-Nakir. They say: What did you use to say about this man? If he was a believer, he would say: I testify that he is the slave of Allah and His Messenger. It will be said to him: Look at your seat in the Fire. Allah has changed it for you with a seat in Paradise. He will see both of them. Then his grave will be widened for him to seventy cubits, and it will be filled with green, and the soul will be returned to his body. Then a man with a handsome face, handsome clothes, and a good smell will come to him and say: Receive the glad tidings of what will please you. This is your day which you were promised. He will say to him: Who are you? Your face is a face that brings good. He will say: I am your good deed. He will say: My Lord, bring about the Hour so that I may return to my family and my property. If he was a disbeliever, he will say: I do not know. I used to hear the people saying something, so I used to say it. It will be said to him: You did not know, nor did you recite. Then he will look at his seat in Paradise, and it will be said: This is your seat in the Fire. Allah has changed it for you. He will see it. Then his grave will be constricted for him until his ribs are different, and a man with an ugly face, a bad smell, and bad clothes will come to him and say: Receive the glad tidings of what will displease you. This is your day which you were promised. He will say: Who are you? Your face is a face that brings evil. He will say: I am your evil deed. He will say: My Lord, do not bring about the Hour."

The Questions in the Grave

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Prophet ﷺ said: "When a person is put in his grave and his companions leave him, and he hears the sound of their shoes, two angels come to him and make him sit and ask him: What did you use to say about this man, Muhammad ﷺ? He will say: I testify that he is Allah's slave and His Apostle. Then it will be said to him: Look at your place in the Fire. Allah has changed it for you with a place in Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ added: He will see both of them. But the infidel or the hypocrite will say: I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say. Then it will be said to him: You did not know, nor did you recite. Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his two ears, and he will cry with a cry which will be heard by all except the two heavy beings (i.e., men and jinn)."

The Squeeze of the Grave

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad)

"The grave has a squeeze, and if anyone were to be saved from it, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh would have been saved."

The Comforts of the Grave

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased)."

The Torments of the Grave

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"They are punished in their graves with a punishment that the animals hear."

The Day of Resurrection

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised."

The Gathering

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in three ways: some will be riding, some will be walking, and some will be dragged on their faces. Some will be riding on camels, two on a camel, three on a camel, and four on a camel. Ten will be on the Fire, and the rest will be gathered by the Fire, resting with them wherever they say, staying with them wherever they stay, and rising with them wherever they rise, and spending the evening with them wherever they spend the evening."

The Scales

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"A fat, big man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and he will not weigh with Allah the wing of a mosquito."

The Intercession

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"Every prophet has a supplication that is answered. Every prophet hastened to make his supplication, and I have reserved my supplication as an intercession for my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection, and it will reach, Allah willing, those of my Ummah who die without associating anything with Allah."

The Pool

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"I will be at the front of you at the Pool."

The Crossing of the Sirat

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"The Sirat will be set up between the two sides of Hell, and I and my Ummah will be the first to cross it."

The Paradise

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"In Paradise, there are one hundred degrees, and the distance between each two degrees is like the distance between the heavens and the earth."

The Hellfire

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"The most severely punished people on the Day of Resurrection will be a man killed by a prophet or a prophet killed by a man."

The Vision of Allah

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"You will see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection as you see the moon on the night of the full moon, and you will not be harmed in seeing Him."

The Day of Judgement

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"On the Day of Resurrection, the sun will come close to the creatures until it is as far as a mile from them. The people will be in sweat according to their deeds. Some will be in sweat up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to their waists, and some will be choked by sweat."

The Intercession

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"I will be the first to intercede in Paradise."

The Believer's Reward

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, they will look at their Lord, the Exalted and Majestic."

The Disbeliever's Punishment

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

"The people of the Fire will weep until their tears will be on their faces like streams, then they will weep blood."

The Greatest Loss

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

"The most severely punished people in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who was in luxury in the world."

The Reminder

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"There is none among you but will be spoken to by his Lord, and there will be no interpreter between them. He will look to his right and will see nothing but what he has sent forth. He will look to his left and will see nothing but what he has sent forth. He will look in front of him and will see nothing but the Fire facing him. So, protect yourselves from the Fire even if it is with half a date."

The Conclusion

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"Verily, actions are by their endings."

The Squeezing of the Grave

After he is sent back down to his grave, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a hadith about Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), one of the leaders of the Ansar, when he died:

Hadith: "Sa'd ibn Mu'adh would be given the lowest form of the squeezing of the souls. Each and every soul will be squeezed in the grave. Regardless of how righteous it was, regardless of how evil it may have been, they will face some sort of squeezing. They will face some sort of congestion."

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 13407; Sunan an-Nasa'i)

This is something that Allah does to show His authority. Allah shows that He is the One who is in control now. So each and every soul will be squeezed.

Describing the soul of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, the Prophet ﷺ said that he will taste the lowest form of the squeezing, and that was just once.

So depending on the amount of sins you did, depending on how righteous or good you were, or depending on how evil you were, thus you will be squeezed.

The body—now the soul is placed back into the body—and it is squeezed. This is where the true test begins, where the angels known as Munkar and Nakir, or the angels of questioning, come to the soul.

The Angels of Questioning: Munkar and Nakir

But before we get to the questions they ask, let us now step back to the soul of the disbeliever.

In narrating these ahadith and in narrating most stories, you will see that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ often narrate opposites. This is when true perfection is attained.

When you want to incite sadness into someone, you tell them about something evil that has happened. But if you want to incite or ignite even more sadness, you tell them about the good that they're missing out on.

Thus, Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, in infinite and divine wisdom, narrate the stories of the good souls and the bad souls together.

The Good Souls Rejoice

The good souls—Allah has given them glad tidings that they should be happy and they should rejoice that they are attaining Jannah. But they should rejoice and be even more happy over the fact that they will not be of those who are going into the Hellfire.

The Evil Souls Despair

Same thing with the evil souls. Allah doesn't want them to have glad tidings. He wants them to be scared.

So Allah mentions the story of the good souls as well. They're already upset and depressed and frustrated that they're going to the Hellfire. Then Allah increases them in their depression, increases them in their frustration when they find out that they're unable to go to Jannah as well.

The Disbeliever's Soul and the Scrolls of Sijjin

As for the soul of the disbeliever, it is brought up, and we mentioned that it is shown the scrolls known as Sijjin. It's mentioned again in Juz 'Amma.

It's sad that most of us don't reflect and learn the meanings of these ayat. Juz 'Amma is a juz or portion of the Qur'an that most of us have memorized. If we haven't memorized it, it's the one that we listen to most often. If it's not the one that we listen to most often, it's the one that at least we recognize the most.

The very least you can do as an individual is that with the Qur'an you're familiar with, at least learn the meanings of it.

The Ayah About Reflection

Allah says:

Translation: "Do they not then reflect on the Qur'an? Or are there locks upon their hearts?"

(Quran 47:24)

If you do not contemplate the Qur'an and do not learn the meanings of the Qur'an, know that there is something severely and greatly wrong.

The Scrolls of Evil

The scrolls of Sijjin are put forth to this disbelieving soul. He sees everything that he did in his life: the lying, the gossiping, the disbelief, the fornicating, the accumulating of interest, the disobedience to parents. All of this is put in front of him, and he sees all that which he did.

How would the person feel at that time? You had 50 or 60 years of life, if not more, and all you did was evil. Should this person be shown mercy? Should this person be given good? You had that chance. Allah gave you the ability to make tawbah. You were the one who refused.

As they say:

Translation: "The reward is of the same type as the deed."

Meaning the compensation of an act is based on its very intention. Thus, the evil soul is cursed. Bad things are said to it. It is not welcomed.

It too is put into its body eventually again. Then it is squeezed and squeezed and squeezed again.

The Three Questions in the Grave

Then the two angels, Munkar and Nakir, come. The Prophet ﷺ described them as angels which are black and blue.

They come and in different wordings, they ask you three main questions:

1. What was your deen (religion)?

2. Who was the Prophet that was sent amongst you?

3. Who is your Lord?

These are three questions that are repeated in the various ahadith, in various orders and in different wordings, but this is the gist of them.

Allah Grants Firmness to the Believers

Allah mentions in Surah Ibrahim:

Translation: "Allah keeps firm those who believe with the firm word in the worldly life and in the Hereafter."

(Quran 14:27)

Allah grants firmness and steadiness to the believers with that statement of firmness, which is:

Translation: "There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah."

Allah grants steadfastness and firmness through this statement.

The Importance of the Shahada at Death

This is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us:

Hadith: "When you are close to those people who are parting from this life, make them repeat 'La ilaha illallah.' Make them repeat that they testify that they worship no one except Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His slave and messenger."

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 916; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3117)

This is our responsibility towards them.

The Believers Answer with Ease

We mentioned how Allah grants firmness to the believers. They're able to answer these questions with ease.

The Disbelievers Stutter

As for the disbelievers, they will stutter and they will be unable to answer. Thus, each time they stutter and answer incorrectly, they will be hit. They will be hit until they come up with an answer, or they say, "I do not know," or "I did as my people did and I just followed them"—as to why they disbelieved, what caused their disbelief.

Life in the Grave

After these questions are asked, a person will know whether he's going to Jannah or Jahannam. Through this knowledge that Allah grants the souls, they are likewise given the luxuries or the despicableness of the Hellfire.

The Believer's Grave

The good soul is given:

• Coolness and vastness in his grave

• Light

The Disbeliever's Grave

The soul of the disbeliever experiences:

• Darkness

• Congestion

• Eventually devoured by the creatures of the earth

• Allah heats his grave and shows him the fire

• He sees all the other people who are in the fire as well

Punishments for Specific Sins in the Grave

As we mentioned previously, the souls are divided into two main categories: the believers and the disbelievers.

Among the believers, there are also those who have been disobedient to Allah, but not to the extent or degree where they disbelieved.

There are approximately seven or eight punishments that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ specifically described for specific sins that an individual will face in the grave.

By the will of Allah, we will quickly go over them.

1. Punishment for Abandoning the Qur'an

Sin: The person who knew the Qur'an and didn't recite it, rejected it, and did not implement it.

Punishment: The Messenger of Allah has told us that he will be laid on his back, and there will be above him a man who will smash his head with a boulder—a large rock, a very large rock. His head will be smashed and then put together again. It will be smashed and put together again, due to him knowing the Qur'an yet rejecting it, not implementing it, and not reciting it.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1386; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2279)

2. Punishment for Spreading Lies

Sin: The person who lied and spread lies. He heard stories from one place and took them to another. He spread lies amongst the people, whether to entertain them, to make himself look good, or to make others look bad.

Punishment: He will have his mouth, his nose, and his eyes continuously ripped out with a sharp hook. His eyes, his nose, and his mouth will be continuously ripped out with a sharp hook.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1386; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2279)

3. Punishment for Zina (Fornication)

Sin: Men and women who embarked and took part in zina (fornication).

Punishment: Allah will put them in a baking pit, naked, in immense heat, and they will just continue burning and burning and burning until they can't be burnt again. Then Allah gives them new bodies, or refines their bodies into a state where they can be burnt again.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1386; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2279)

4. Punishment for Taking Interest (Riba)

Sin: Those people who used to take interest in this dunya.

Warning: This is something we all need to be cautious of. A lot of us have taken loans. A lot of us have our houses and mortgages. Now it may be due to necessity—we understand that, and it is something that we have to face. But we should also be hasty in paying off these loans and debts.

Punishment: The Messenger of Allah describes them: they will be in a river of blood, and around them are men. Each time you try to get out of this river of blood, someone throws a heavy rock into your mouth, such that you are sent back to the middle of the river. This continues happening over and over and over again.

This is all in your grave. This is just the punishment of interest—of accumulating interest or paying interest. Imagine if you did other sins as well.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1386; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2279)

5. Punishment for Not Purifying After Urination

Sin

Not taking care of oneself when in the bathroom. Meaning they let the urine get over their bodies and they didn't clean it. So they were in a state of impurity at all times.

Hadith

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that the greatest cause of people being punished in the grave is not the sins we just mentioned—the lying, the fornicating, the taking of interest—but rather, it was not taking care of themselves when they were in the bathroom.

This shows the importance of being clean and being pure, and taking care of yourselves, not only in an outward appearance but under your clothes as well.

Importance

Make a conscious effort to clean yourselves. Make a conscious effort to purify yourselves and take care of yourselves. Allah, as human beings, created us in such a state that we have to use the bathroom. But let it be an act of ibadah at the very least, that you take care of yourself and purify yourself for His pleasure.

This way, not only do you attain the ranks of those who are pure and clean and will eventually enter Jannah, but you protect yourself from the Hellfire as well.

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 216; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 292

What Can We Do for Those Who Have Passed Away?

These are specific punishments that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned for the people who go to the grave.

A common question that is often brought up is: What can we do for those people who have already passed away?

This is a common question. We all love our relatives, and we all want to do good for them after they pass away. Likewise, we soon too will pass away. Should we not teach our future generations what they can do to benefit us?

Three Things That Benefit the Dead

From those things that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has explicitly said:

1. Knowledge That You Leave Behind

Hadith: Knowledge that you leave behind that people continuously benefit from.

Examples:

• An article you wrote on Islam
• A lecture you gave about Islam
• Something that you even teach someone

This is why children are such a big blessing towards parents. As parents, we have the responsibility of teaching and educating.

You teach your child how to pray. You teach your child how to read the Qur'an. Now each time your child prays and he reads the Qur'an, not only is he rewarded, but you're rewarded as well for teaching them.

This is one form of knowledge that you benefit from after your death.

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1631

2. The Dua of a Righteous Child

Hadith: The dua of the righteous child.

Which one of us, after our parents pass away, would not want to make dua for their mercy and that they be forgiven? This is the righteous child.

Raise your child upon righteousness, and he likewise will be righteous towards you—not in this dunya alone, but in the akhirah as well, by seeking your forgiveness and asking Allah to engulf you in His mercy.

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1631

3. Sadaqah Jariyah (Ongoing Charity)

Hadith: The sadaqah jariyah, or a charity that you do that people continuously benefit from.

Examples:

• You built a masjid that people continuously pray in
• You put a well in the middle of the desert, so when people pass by, they're able to drink water
• You built a school in which children are educated—people are constantly going there and benefiting from it

These are the types of things that benefit the dead people.

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1631

Important Note About Reciting Qur'an for the Dead

As for the recitation of the Qur'an, people often think that it is something that was established in our times, that this was unknown during the time of the Companions and unknown during the time of the Successors.

But if you look at the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir and go to Surah An-Najm, where Allah says that each soul shall have only that which it put forth, Ibn Kathir narrates a statement—a profound one—by Imam Ash-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy upon him):

He said: In this ayah, Allah explicitly says that each soul shall only have that which it put forth. Meaning, if you didn't have a hand in the original act—meaning you didn't teach the people, you didn't give that charity, you

didn't teach your children to be righteous—then no one can come thereafter and do something to benefit you with it.

Imam Ash-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy upon him) goes on to explicitly mention the recitation of the Qur'an:

"The recitation of the Qur'an after a person has passed away will not benefit the dead, unless it comes from the child who was taught the Qur'an by that very parent."

Conclusion: The Balance of Worship

That having been said, we have come across the journey of the soul. We mentioned the reason why we mentioned all this today is not for the sake of factual knowledge, but rather it is to have that balance in our lives—that balance of worship.

We love Allah. We're hopeful of Allah. We see all of this in our daily lives and we recognize it. But that human characteristic of fear—we tend to leave off that aspect of fear.

Thus, our journey today, our discourse today, was to ignite that fear again.

• Fear death.
• Fear the disobedience of your Lord.
• Fear His punishment.

Because you will be questioned about each and everything. And the only way you can guarantee that you will not die in disobedience is by constantly living a life of sincerity with actions.

Two Important Ahadith on Actions

We all know the famous hadith where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1907)

Translation: "Indeed, actions are by intentions."

But there's a hadith very similar to it that is often not discussed:

Translation: "Indeed, actions are by their endings."

Meaning: By that action that you die upon, it is the action that you will be raised upon. The only way you can guarantee dying on a good action is by being sincere throughout your lives at each and every moment.

• Remembering Allah as often as you can
• Seeking His aid and assistance at all times

Then dying upon that righteous action will be left up to Allah. He will grant it to you, as He does not do injustice to His slaves.

Closing Dua

We end off by asking Allah to grant us deaths upon righteousness, and to make us of those people who are greeted by His angels and are greeted with His pleasure, and not of those souls who are brought out to His displeasure and His anger.

Final Note

May Allah accept this reminder and make it a means of increasing our fear of Him, our consciousness of death, and our preparation for the Hereafter.