The word “Barzakh” has been used three times in the Glorious
Qur’an; Surah al-Momenoon Ayah 100, “…And before them is a barrier (Barzakh)
until the day they are raised.”, Surah al-Furqan Ayah 53, “It is He who has
joined the two seas, one palatable and sweet, and other is bitterly salty, and
has established a barrier between them as a partition.”, Surah ar-Rahman Ayah
20, “but has created a barrier between them so that they will not merge
totally.”
Burzakh literally means a curtain or separation, which lies
between two things and does not allow them to meet each other. Allah has placed
a curtain between this world and the hereafter. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.)
said, “By Allah! I fear a lot for your state in Barzakh.” Barzakh
is also called a corporeal or non-material world (Alame Misali) because while
it seems somewhat like this world, but its nature and matter are totally
different. In Barzakh the physical components of a man will be the same as in
this world but will be independent of matter. In fact, it will be more pleasant
and lighter (Lateef) than air, and it will be transparent. If one looks at
one’s father in the dream, he will surely say that his appearance and bodily
components were the same as when he was alive. But the reality is that his body
and matter lie buried in the grave. According to traditions (Ahadiths), in
Barzakh body consumes the variety of food and drinks, and hears the music, the
likeness of which cannot be found in this world. The spirit (Rooh) also
rejoices in the pleasures along with the corporeal body. The food and drink of
that world are tastier and freer from pollution. According to the wish of the
believer, one thing gets converted to another; like plums turn into grapes.
In the state of Barzakh the intellect of the corporeal
body is very strong. The pleasures which we drive are nothing as compared to
those in that stage because the reality lies there whereas here is the likeness
of it.
Allama Naraqi narrates in ‘Khazaen’ that he along with his
father and friends were passing through a cemetery and his friend asked near a
grave in a humor to invite them and a voice came inviting them next week. When
they went next week near the grave the curtains of the hidden were lifted and
they found themselves in a garden laden with fruits. The man welcomed them,
served sweets and fruits of different types. Upon inquiry about the blessings
of Allah, he said, “ I am a native of your town, a butcher by profession,
and the reasons for these blessings are (1) I never weighed less at the time of
sale, and (2) I always recited the Prayers (Namaz) on time all throughout my
life.”
One of the peculiarities of Barzakh is that it is eternal
and permanent.
In Bihar-ul-Anwar volume three, the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) said, “Before Proclamation of Prophethood, once when I was grazing
the cattle, I suddenly saw that the cattle stopped grazing and looked
frightened. Upon inquiry from Gabriel he said that when people are being
punished in Barzakh scream with pain, while humans and jinn do not hear their
voices, animals can hear it and hence become tense.”
The spirit (Rooh) receives the reward or punishment in
the grave. But due to its long relation with the body, the body also feels
pain. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said that verily the spirit (Rooh) of the
believer is in “Wadi-us-Salaam” but surely it keeps an eye on what is happening
in the grave. It also looks at the people who have come to visit his grave.
Sayyid Ne’matullah Jaza’eri narrates in his book “Anware
No’maniyah” that once Shah Ismail Safawi came to Karbala. He ordered to dig open the grave of Hurr bin Yazid ar-Riyahi
(r.a.). People saw the corpse of Hurr lying afresh! A kerchief was tied on his
forehead which was tied by Imam Hussayn (a.s.) himself. He ordered that
kerchief be removed and given to him for his own grave. As soon as the kerchief
was removed, blood started oozing from his forehead, hence it was tied back.
Continued
Source: Manzil-al-Akhira by Shaikh Abbas Qummi
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