Torture of the Grave
- philhoraia
- Dec 10, 2021
- 4 min read
'A'isha reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) entered my house when a Jewess was with me and she was saying: Do you know that you would be put to trial in the grave? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) trembled (on hearing this) and said: It is the Jews only who would-be put to trial. 'A'isha said: We passed some nights and then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do you know that it has been revealed to me:" You would be put to trial in the grave"? 'A'isha said: 1 heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seeking refuge from the torment of the grave after this.
'Aishah said:
"A Jewish woman entered unto me and said: 'The torment of the grave is because of urine.' I said: 'You are lying.' She said: 'No, it is true; we cut our skin and clothes because of it.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out to pray and our voices became loud. He said: 'What is this?' So I told him what she had said. He said: 'She spoke the truth.' After that day he never offered any prayer but he said, following the prayer: 'Rabba Jibril wa Mika'il wa Israfil, aiding min harrin-nar wa 'adhabil-qabr (Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, grant me refuge from the heat of the Fire and the torment of the grave).'"
'A'isha reported:
There came to me two old women from the old Jewesses of Medina and said: The people of the grave are tormented in their graves. I contradicted them and I did not deem it proper to testify them. They went away and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to me and I said to him: Messenger of Allah I there came to me two old women from the old Jewesses of Medina and asserted that the people of the graves would be tormented therein. He (the Prophet) said: They told the truth; they would be tormented (so much) that the animals would listen to it. She ('A'isha) said: Never did I see him (the Holy Prophet) afterwards but seeking refuge from the torment of the grave in prayer.
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:
"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Most of the torment of the grave is because of urine.'"
Ibn ‘Abbas told that the Prophet came upon two graves and said, "Their occupants are being punished, but not for a great sin. One of them did not keep himself from being defiled by urine. (A version by Muslim has "did not keep himself undefiled by urine”.) The other went about spreading slander.” He then took a fresh palm branch, split it in two parts, and planted one on each grave. On being asked why he did this, he said, "Perhaps their punishment may be mitigated as long as they remain fresh.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Narrated Amr ibn al-'As:
AbdurRahman ibn Hasanah reported: I and Amr ibn al-'As went to the Prophet (ﷺ). He came out with a leather shield (in his hand). He covered himself with it and urinated. Then we said: Look at him. He is urinating as a woman does. The Prophet (ﷺ), heard this and said: Do you not know what befell a person from amongst Banu Isra'il (the children of Israel)? When urine fell on them, they would cut off the place where the urine fell; but he (that person) forbade them (to do so), and was punished in his grave. Abu Dawud said: One version of Abu Musa has the wording: "he cut off his skin". Another version of Abu Musa goes: "he cut off (part of) his body."
Now you can understand the concept of 'chibut hakever' [torments of the grave]. After a person dies and is buried in the dust of the earth, four angels immediately arrive and deepen his grave to the height of the man1, as it says in treatise Perek Chibut Hakever. Then they restore his soul to his body just like during his lifetime, since the kelipa remains connected to both.
Then these angels take him by the corners and shake and beat him with fire...
Then these angels take him by the corners and shake and beat him with fire - just as a garment is held from the ends and shaken to remove dust2 - until the kelipa leaves him completely. This is called chibut hakever, which is like the beating and shaking of a garment. They deepen the grave in order to create an area within which to shake and beat him.
However, the judgment is not the same for everyone. Righteous people distance themselves from the yetzer hara during their lifetimes and humble themselves and use their suffering as self-affliction. Torah and mitzvot as well weaken the kelipot until the day comes for them to die. Such righteous people do not need much suffering, just a minor beating to separate the yetzer hara from them.
It is just the opposite for evil people. Through indulging in the pleasures of this world they become even more strongly connected to the kelipa of their bodies and souls. This is the secret of why a person is not saved from chibut hakever, as mentioned in Perek Chibut Hakever.
...there is no other way to remove and rectify other than through death and chibut hakever.
As we said regarding those people who died only because of the bite of the snake, there is no other way to remove and rectify other than through death and chibut hakever. The only exception is for those people mentioned in Perek Chibut Hakever who performed certain mitzvot which accomplish this. However, the rest require chibut hakever and it is only a question of how much will be necessary. Each person receives what he needs based upon the level of his kelipa and the extent to which it adheres to him.
However, even for those people who do not require chibut hakever, having performed specific mitzvot that remove the kelipa without the need for suffering after death, death is still inevitable, as we mentioned regarding those who died from the "bite of the snake."
[Translation and commentary by Perets Auerbach.] Chibut Hakever - Gate of Reincarnations: Chapter Twenty-Three, Section 3 - Gate of Reincarnations
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