The Punishment of The Interspace (2/2)

Part of the hadith of the Night Journey   is...

“Some people were cracking open their heads with a stone.   Every time they   did this, their heads were restored to what they were like in the first place. This went on and on without stopping. I said, "Jibril, who are they?" Jibril replied, “They are people who turned away from the prayer."

One  of the  Prophet's  dreams - and  the  dreams  of the Prophets   are true  and a  part  of revelation  which  gets right to the  heart  of the  matter - was  related   as follows. He said:

“Last  night,  I saw two men  who  came  to me and  took me by the  hand  and  brought   me to the  Holy Land.  I could  see one man  sitting  and  another   man  standing holding  an iron  hook  which  he stuck  into  the  side of the sitting  man's  mouth  so that  it came out at the back of his neck.  Then he did the same to the other side. After  his  mouth   had  healed   itself  and  gone  back  to normal,  he did the  same  thing  all over  again.  I asked what this was and they told me to go on.

We went on until we came to a man lying on his back.  Another man was standing   at his head with a stone or a rock with which he smashed   it. When he hit the head, the stone rolled away and he went to recover it. He did not  get back  to the  man  until  his head  had mended   and  returned   to normal,  then  he smashed   it again.  I asked what this was and they told me to go on.

We came  to a hole like a furnace  which  was narrow at  the  top  and  wide  at  the  bottom.   There was a fire burning   under   it and   there   were   naked   men   and women in it.  The flames   leapt   up   to   them   from underneath.    When  the  fire  came  near,  they  rose  up until they  almost  came  out. When it abated, they went back into it again. I asked what this was and they told me to go on.

We went on until we came to a river of blood with a man standing in it. On the bank of the river there was a man with some stones in front of him. The man  in the river came forward  and when  he was about  to get out, the  man  threw   a stone  at  him  and  he went  back  to where  he had been before. Every time he went to come out, the man threw a stone at him and he went back to where he had been before.  I asked what this was and they told me to go on.

We went on until we came to a green garden with an enormous tree in it, under which there was an old man and some children.   Near the tree there   was a man kindling a fire in front of him. They took me up the tree and into a house more beautiful than any I had ever seen. There were old men and youths in it. Then  they took  me up and brought  me into another   house  which was  even  more  beautiful.   I said to my companions, "You have been with me for the whole night, so now tell me about what I have seen."

'They replied, "Certainly!  The  man  you  saw  whose mouth  was  being  pierced  was  the  originator of a lie, which  spread  from him to all parts  of the earth.  He will suffer like that until the Day of Rising. The one whose head  was being smashed  was a man  who had  learned the Qur'an  but had  spent  his nights  asleep  and  did not act  according   to it during  the  daytime.  He will suffer like that until the Day of Rising. The people in the hole were fornicators.  The   man   you saw in the   river devoured   usury.  The old man at the foot of the tree was   Ibrahim and the children around him were mankind's children.   The one kindling the fire was Malik, the Guardian of the Fire. The first house was that of the ordinary   believers and this house is the house of the martyrs.  I am Jibril and this is Mika'il."

'He lifted his head and I did likewise. I saw a castle like a cloud and they told me that it was my dwelling. I asked them to let me enter my dwelling. They replied that my life was not yet completed,   but that when my life had come to an end, I would enter my dwelling. ' "

The Prophet, may Allah  bless  him  and  grant  him  peace, said  regarding   seeking  refuge  from  the  punishment of the Interspace   or the  Grave:

 “When  any  of you  finishes  the  final  tashahhud, he should seek refuge with Allah from four things: from the punishment  of Jahannam,  the punishment  of the Grave, the trials  of the living and the  dead, and the trials of the Dajjal.”

All of this shows that the punishment of the Grave is true beyond any doubt. We will add what Allah says about the two punishments - the punishment of the Interspace and the punishment of the Day of Rising:

 “… the Fire, to which they will be exposed morning and evening, and on the day when the Hour comes, 'Admit the people of Pharaoh to the most severe punishment!” [Surah Ghafir (40): 46]

And also:

 “Whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a life of narrowness and We shall gather him blind on the Day of Rising.” [Surah Taha (20): 124]