You try to be mindful not to commit greater sins, but do you watch what you say? The words you speak, the posts you type, and every joke you make at someone’s expense don’t disappear when you do.
In the punishment of the grave, tongues that once spread lies, mocked others, and fueled gossip will now become a source of torment. Some will tear their own faces apart. Others will eat their own flesh. Meanwhile, those who guarded their words will soar, their tongues planting trees of reward in Jannah.
NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.
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Captioning provided by Muhsen.
References:
- Abu Sulayman al-Makki narrated that a group of scholars mentioned: “We passed by a body of water between us and Basra when we heard the braying of a donkey. So we asked, ‘What is this braying?’ They replied, ‘There was a man among us who, whenever his mother spoke to him, would say to her, “Stop braying like a donkey!” After he died, the sound of braying was heard from his grave every night.’” [Ibn Abi ad-Dunya, Kitab al-Quboor; Ibn al-Qayyim, Kitab ar-Ruh]
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah detests the pretentiously eloquent man who wags his tongue like a cow does.” [Sunan Abi Dawud #5005; Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #2853]
- Amr ibn Dinar said: A man from Medina had a sister who fell ill, and he would visit her regularly to check on her. When she passed away, he prepared her for burial and carried her to her grave.
After she was buried and he had returned home, he realized that he had left a pouch in the grave. He asked one of his friends to help him uncover the grave so he could retrieve it. As they did so, the man said, “Step aside so I can see the condition of my sister.” He lifted some of the bricks covering the grave and saw that it was engulfed in flames. He quickly put the bricks back, leveled the grave, and went to his mother and said, “Tell me, what was my sister really like?”
She replied, “Why do you ask about her now, after she has died?”
But he insisted that she tell him.
His mother finally admitted, “She used to delay her prayers and, as far as I know, would pray without proper purification. And at night, she would place her ear against the doors of our neighbors, eavesdropping on their conversations and spreading what she heard.” [Ibn Abi ad-Dunya, Kitab al-Quboor; Ibn al-Qayyim, Kitab ar-Ruh]
- The Prophet ﷺ once came upon a grave whose occupant was being punished and said, “Verily, this person used to eat the flesh of people.” [At-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “When I was taken up to heaven, I passed by people who had nails of copper and were scratching their faces and chests. I asked, ‘Who are those people O Jibreel?’ He answered, ‘Those who consumed the flesh of people and vilified the honor of others.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud #4878]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Last night two persons came to me (in a dream), woke me up, and said to me, ‘Proceed!’ … So we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with an iron hook. And behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck), and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then, he turned to the other side of the man’s face and did just as he had done with the other side. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said, ‘Who are they?’ … [They replied,] ‘As for the man you came upon whose sides of mouth, nostrils, and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that it spreads all over the world.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari #7047]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever sees a fault or something that should remain hidden and conceals it, it is as if he has brought back to life a girl who was buried alive.” [Sunan Abi Dawud #4891]
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “During the Night Journey, I met Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He said, ‘O Muhammad, convey my greetings of salaam to your ummah and inform them that Paradise has pure soil and sweet water. It is a vast, open plain, and its plants are grown by (saying): Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar.’” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #3462]
- The Prophet ﷺ said to Mu’adh: “Shall I not tell you what holds all of this (i.e. the deen) together?” I said, “Yes, O Prophet of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I asked, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?” He replied, “May your mother grieve your loss, O Mu’adh! Is there anything that topples people into the Fire on their faces—or on their noses—other than the harvest of their tongues?” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #2616; Sunan Ibn Majah #3973]
