| Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice The Complete Layman’s Guide to the Koran Chapter 17 The Living Dead The Koran has little to say about what happens when a person dies except that Allah will decide when his or her time is up. 6.2 It is He Who created you from clay, then decreed a term [for you] and another set term with Him, but still you doubt. For most of what Islam has to say about what happens to a human being after he or she passes away we must look to the sayings (Traditions) of the Prophet Muhammad. If you thought the Compassionate’s description of what He intends to do to unbelievers and sinners when he gets His hands on them was about as bad at it could get, you haven’t read His Messenger’s account of what will be done to them when they die. Don’t try to make sense of what you are about to read, and don’t let it give you nightmares. According to the Traditions the whole death thing starts innocently enough. Forty days before a person dies, a leaf with the soon-to-be-deceased’s name on it falls from a tree in Paradise just beneath Allah’s throne. ‘Izra’il, the angel of death picks it up and schedules a pick-up forty days hence. Even believers, the Prophet said, will be taken aback when ‘Izra’il comes a knocking. When he shows up on their doorstep, even after they have been warned of his coming by the Messenger of God, they will still ask him: “Who are you?” Be that as it may, the last person the soon-to-be-departed will see is not the angel of death, but two angels who have been patiently and anonymously recording their bad and good deeds. These two angels, in the blink of an eye, will present the soon-to-be-deceased with their lifetime of good and bad deeds. With this was your life formalities out of the way, the person’s living, thinking, seeing, able-to-feel-pain soul will sink into the ground where they died, but not before ‘Izra’il has finished extracting it from the still warm body, drawing it out like rough cotton through the eye sockets. Like birth, death in Islamic traditions is meant to be a painful transition. Satan will offer a believer in Allah’s good books to relieve him or her of some of the pain caused by ‘Izra’il appalling soul extraction method. On the threshold of Paradise, if the poor tormented soul can’t stand the pain and accepts Satan’s offer to reduce its suffering, it’s a U-turn to Hell for it and its owner come Judgement Day. If the extracted soul is meant to go to Hell it will be given a glimpse of life in the grave and/or of Hell. The horror-struck soul will then briefly escape ‘Izra’il’s grip and will fly to heaven and try all seven doors to the seven levels of heaven only to be turned back by the angels guarding the entrances to Paradise. It will be forced to return to ‘Izra’il who will then stuff it back into the already decaying corpse and the re-constituted soul-body combo will begin its new life in the grave (the other lives are life in the womb, life in the world and life-after death). The believers who died literally in Allah’s good books will be provided with a spacious grave complete with curtains and a bed. An unbeliever, or a believer who died while in Allah’s bad books, will be confined to a cramped space with walls constantly closing in on them making every breath a laboured one. After the living dead have settled into their zombie-like existence, two black-skin, blue-eyed angels by the name of Munkar and Nakir will burst into their graves and start questioning the decaying remains as to their religious beliefs for forty days non-stop – to what end I do not know, since the Koran states that a believer enters Paradise based on their records of good and bad deeds or at Allah’s discretion. One question the angels will ask will lead to the corpse incriminating itself: “bear witness against themselves”, revelation 7:37. 7:35 “O Children of Adam, when Messengers from you own people come to you reciting to you My Verses – then those who fear God and mend their ways have nothing to fear, and they will not grieve.” 7:36 But those who deny Our Revelations and reject them arrogantly – those are the people of the Fire; therein they shall abide forever. 7:37 For who is more unjust than he who fabricates lies about Allah or denies His Revelations? Those will get their share of the punishment ordained for them. When Our Messenger (the messengers of death in this case, the angels) come to take their souls they will say: “Where are those upon whom you called besides Allah?” They will say: “They have left us” and they will bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers. The corpse will not only be asked about Allah’s Revelations but also whether it ever said anything bad about the Prophet. If it only said good things about him during its living breathing life above ground, the Prophet said, all is forgiven (or so it would seem). Prophet Muhammad said, "When a human being is laid in his grave and his companions return and he even hears their footsteps, two angels come to him and make him sit and ask him: 'What did you use to say about this man, Muhammad?' 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 Hell-Fire. Allah has given you a place in Paradise instead of it.' " Prophet Muhammad added, "The dead person will see both his places. But a non-believer or a hypocrite will say to the angels, 'I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say! It will be said to him, 'Neither did you know nor did you take the guidance (by reciting the Quran).' Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his two ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by whatever approaches him except human beings and jinns." Bukhari, Narrated by Anas The interrogation over, the occupant of the grave will continue to get twice daily visits, until Judgement Day, from another angel. He has not come to chat, but to open those curtains with that pleasing or horrifying view. The Prophet said: "When any of you dies, he is shown his position (in the Hereafter) morning and evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise, he is shown the place of the people of Paradise. If he is one of the people of Hell, he is shown the place of the people of Hell. He is told, ‘this is your position, until God resurrects you on the Day of Resurrection." Bukhari, Sahih Muslim Life in the grave for unbelievers and other sinners will be uncomfortable in the extreme. The Prophet Muhammad said that “we would faint in terror if we could hear the screams of those being tormented” in their graves. If this claustrophobic agonizing existence which combines both physical and psychological terrors to achieve an unprecedented level of horror and pain were not god-inspired, then the Prophet Muhammad would probably be remembered today as one of the greatest sadistic minds the world has ever known. For some Islamic scholars this life in the grave as described by the Prophet was too much even by Koranic standards, and they looked to the Koran for a reason to modify the Prophet horrific description. They found it, they believe, in verse 23:100. 23:99 Yet, when death visits one of them, he says: “Lord bring me back (to the world); 23:100 “That perchance I might act rightly with respect to what I have omitted.” No, it is just a word he is uttering; and behind them is a barrier till the day they are raised from the dead. These soft-hearted scholars of the Koran have interpreted “barrier” as meaning unconsciousness. For these compassionate interpreters of the Will of Allah, the interrogation by Munkar and Nakir will not last more than forty days and then the object of their suspicions will sink into blissful unconsciousness until awaken on Judgment Day. In another Tradition, martyrs and prophets won’t be subjected to the interrogation by Munkar and Nakir but will be admitted directly into Paradise. This is not the view of the majority of eminent Islamic scholars according to Yahiya Emerick. In Emerick, and his like-minded, learned colleagues’ scenario, everyone, even the Prophet Muhammad and the lesser Prophet Jesus, who as mentioned in a previous chapter was taken body and soul to Heaven, must spend time in the grave awaiting Judgment Day. Allah will cause Jesus to die, along with all other human being still walking the earth, after Jesus has successfully lead Allah’s army of uncompromising air-breathing believers against the forces of evil, the unbelievers, in the apocalyptic battles that will mark the End-of-Days. In one Tradition Jesus survives another forty years after having defeated the forces of evil, marries, has children and on his death is buried next to the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad there to await Judgement Day in the company of the greatest Prophet of them all. The Prophet Muhammad, like the other Prophets who will be joining Allah on Judgment Day, and martyrs in the cause of Islam will enjoy a restful and relaxing life in the grave. In addition, God’s Messenger will be visited every day by angels bringing him the blessing of the believers still walking the earth. Unlike the lesser Prophets of the Bible and the Koran, the Prophet Muhammad will be allowed to intercede on behalf of a finite number of believers whom Allah has condemned to the torments of Hell. The believers for whom he will intercede are those who have said the most “the peace and blessings of God be upon him” whenever his name is mentioned. A few revelations, which on the surface (no pun intended) would appear to contradict some of the Prophet’s disclosures about what happens at the time of death, unless they are about Judgement Day. 6:61 He is the Supreme Ruler over His servants, and He sends guardians (angels) to watch over you, so that when death overtakes any one of you, Our Messengers (the angels) carry him off; and they do not fail [to perform their duty]. 6:62 Then they are brought back to Allah, their true Master. Truly the judgement is His and He is the Fastest Reckoner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You will not have to wait until death overtakes you to begin experiencing Allah’s terrorizing merciless Wrath if you have imputed falsehoods to Him or scorned His Revelations. “In the throes of death” Allah reveals, angels, striking a somewhat horrifying stance under the circumstances, will inform the wrongdoers of what awaits them in revelation 6:93. The audience for this revelation are Meccans, the inhabitants of the Mother of Cities in revelation 6:92, whom Allah accuses of not showing the proper reverence for His Greatness. The pre-Islamic Arabs were a practical, sceptical people; gods, as far as they were concerned, did not have conversations with mortals. To try to convince them, Allah tells His Messenger to remind them who revealed the Torah to Moses, the Book in revelation 6:91; if you believe in one, you have to believe in its follow-up, the Koran. 6:91 They do not show proper regard for Allah’s Greatness when they say: “Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal.” Say: “Who revealed the Book which was brought by Moses as a light and guidance to mankind? You put it in scrolls which you reveal, while you conceal much. And [now] you are taught (in the Koran) what neither you nor your fathers knew.” Say: “Allah [revealed it]. Then leave them to revel in their nonsense.” Believe in it, if you believe in it, the Hereafter that is! 6:92 And this is a Book which revealed. [It is] blessed and confirms what preceded it, that you may warn therewith the Mother of Cities (Mecca) and those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it and observe their prayers. 6:93 And who is more unjust than he who imputes falsehoods to Allah, or says: “It has been revealed to me”, while nothing was revealed to him; or who says: “I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed?” If you could see the wrongdoers in the throes of death, and the angels, with arms outstretched, saying: “Give us your souls. This day you receive the punishment of humiliation for what you used to say untruly about Allah, while scorning His Revelations.” What Allah will say when these poor souls are resurrected; no, it’s not a mistake. You are not really dead during your time in the grave but you will be at the beginning of the Last Day when the Trumpet is first blown, and then brought back from the dead i.e. resurrected when the angel Israfil blows his trumpet a second time (see Answering Your Questions about Judgement Day). Of all the things He could say to them about what they did to offend Him to deserve the horrible punishment that He has in store, it is perhaps not surprising that it is their associating other gods with His Greatness. 6:94 You (after being resurrected) have come to Us one by one, just as We created you initially, and you have left behind what We granted you. We do not see with you your intercessors whom you claimed were [Allah’s] partners. Certainly what held you together is now cut off, and that which you claimed has failed you. Wrapping up The Living Dead the way Allah might. 6:95 Allah is truly the Cleaver of the grain and the date-stone; He brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living. That is Allah; how then were you perverted?
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