One of the most intriguing and poignant lessons for all of mankind or those willing to testify to the factual evidence that the Spirit of truth represented in the Gospel of John came to tell ‘ALL THE TRUTH AND ABOUT THE FUTURE INCLUDING THE AFTERLIFE’ can be found in the 10 recorded lessons of the Barzakh (many hours of strategically important information and a must needed instruction by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi giving a fairly deep level of instruction on this issue and the 17 recorded lectures concerning the Day of Judgment) on YouTube.
Applying John chapter 16 verse 13 to the above paragraph and comparing it to a Jewish/Christian response from their highest eminent scholars will show the absurdity that the Spirit of truth is anything other than Prophet Muhammad (pbh). This is direct and measurable evidence in proving the superiority of Islam over the other Monotheistic religions. Or as they say in the street: ‘If the shoe fits, wear it’!
Others might say: ‘Put your money where your mouth is’! This is to show up the ‘bags of wind’ who blow with nothing but think they are creating a whirlwind. In other words, when truth arrives, falsehoods perish!
And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its {very} nature) bound to perish.” Quran (17:81)
However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into All TRUTH; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears {as in Revelation} he will speak; and he will tell you things to come {as in future events}. John (16:13)
After watching the taped lessons from Sheikh Qadhi concerning the Barzakh and the Day of Judgement, one gets answers from a possible myriad of questions which the Jews and Christians are basically in the dark about or can’t answer in a coordinated fashion. If one can’t get good, solid answers, then where is the Spirit of truth which was promised by no less a champion of the believers – Jesus the Christ?
Yet with all of their fluff and flutter concerning salvation and the ‘soul’, why can’t they use their own scriptures to give a ton of details especially when they (or the Christians at least) have the benefit of having the Spirit of truth on their side? I think this shows that they, the common folk, are trapped in their own net of floundering deceptions!
And to think that religion is supposed to be an honest field of endeavor!!! Yet one more reason to turn to Islam in order to be guided to the truth and find reality that has depth to it rather than just meaningless, fluffy, inconsequential words as if magical incantations or a false show of praise, especially in front of others will lead to anything but derision in the Hereafter!
Some may throw up false objections that my writings contain a touch of Hinduism but that is a falsehood. In truth, Dr. Zakir Naik formerly of Peace TV gave lectures showing that originally the Hindu religion had about 15 or more references to Islam, Prophet Muhammad (pbh) and where this religion was going to emanate from and this religion’s worldwide importance.
However, over time, the priest-class destroyed that religion and turned it into a false belief system featuring countless gods, goddesses and other such drivel which turned hard to understand concepts into fiction and fairytales for the profit of those peddling that junk! Talk about cyclical occurrences when one compares different cultures and time periods but producing similar foolishness.
The Barzakh is the first step after death whereby the person will be put in a positon of somewhat of ease in their hopeful quest (here meaning steps in a journey) for Paradise or will be tortured and tormented for the life that he has led.
Passing this step with only a few but some difficult consequences and the journey of the soul is put in a goodly position for the final stage which is the traumatic and worrying event called the Last Day of Judgement.
The big test with the important three questions asked to those in the ‘grave’ with one of them being about who ‘this man (Muhammad) is’ in essence covering the knowledge of Prophet Muhammad’s role in spreading the truth tells us something very vitally important. How would a non-Muslim react by being asked a question he really couldn’t answer? That wouldn’t be fair at all.
The three questions that will be asked each person in the grave are: Who is your LORD? What is your religion and who is your prophet? The non-believer will not be able to answer them while the hypocrite Muslim gives the reply of ‘I heard it said’ which indicates a form of non-belief!
Therefore, being that this is a universal test, one could assume that it is done when one comes to his final resting place or term of appointment AFTER knowing about Muhammad (pbh) in the first place. Otherwise such a thought would make no sense at all for those who never heard of Prophet Muhammad (pbh) or heard of him just in passing!
Another thought concerning these matters is the showing of the preeminence of Prophet Muhammad (pbh) in front of the entire creations of ALLAH. This is shown by giving him the ‘Fount of Abundance’ and the accumulative blessings from the Believers when they follow his advice, sayings, etc. such that the reward given to the Believer for his/her actions will also be forwarded to him as he might be likened to the headwaters from whence the spring pours forth.
Jarir b. Abdullah reported that some desert Arabs clad in woolen clothes came to ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh). He saw them in sad plight as they had been hard pressed by need. He (the Holy Prophet) exhorted people to give charity, but they showed some reluctance until (signs) of anger could be seen on his face. Then a person from the Ansar came with a purse containing silver. Then came another person and then other persons followed them in succession until signs of happiness could be seen on his (sacred) face. Thereupon ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) said: He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without theirs being diminished in any respect. (Muslim)
So, in effect, Prophet Muhammad (pbh) is truly the Fount of Abundance as well as a mercy for all creatures.
To you {O Muhammad} have WE granted the Fount (of Abundance).
Therefore to your LORD turn in Prayer and Sacrifice.
For he who hates you, he will be cut off (from Future Hope). Quran (108:1-3)
We sent you not, but as a Mercy for all creatures. Quran (21:107)
With the knowledge of the two future kingdoms yet to come as my writings talk about there appears to be no difficulty in that issue because there will be the separation of these kingdoms by two factors. One, the change over from one kingdom to another when the last person’s soul is taken which has the belief of faith in it the size of only a mustard seed and secondly, the lifting up of the Quran in total such that nothing of it remains on the face of the Earth.
Therefore, having passed through the ‘Glorious Sate’ or FIRST KINGDOM whereby all living humans will believe on Jesus (pbh) before he finally dies and be placed in his burial spot in Medina, we will see the decay of that earthly paradise turn into a period whereby no human is alive but those who do not worship in truth! Hence, the lifting up of the Quran and the savage behavior of those faithless souls that remain behind who don’t even know what the Kabbah is used for!
Two of the many vital pieces of evidence for this can come from the Book of Revelation and Islam of course:
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
And will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle {to be disruptive against the truth}, whose number is as the sand of the sea. Revelation (20:7-8)
And from the Islamic point of view:
And there is None of the People of the Book but must believe in him {Jesus} before his {final} death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them {those who believed not}. Quran (4:159)
Failing this universal test in the Barzakh and the resulting torment and wails of the dead in that special dimension would verily curdle one’s blood if a person could hear what goes on in that ‘other’ dimension before the Day of Judgment.
Anas reported ALLAH’s Apostle (pbh) as saying: If you were not (to abandon) the burying of the dead (in the grave), I would have certainly supplicated ALLAH that HE should make you listen to the torment of the grave {to hear the loud cries of anguish the soul makes as it is being painfully tormented} (Muslim)
As Prophet Muhammad (pbh) is the universal prophet for all of mankind like Jesus (pbh) is the universal Messiah for mankind and mankind has been on this planet for a lot longer than 100 thousand years in one capacity or another, it makes sense that the Barzakh is for all of mankind whether they understand it or not!
So when does the Barzakh occur?
The Barzakh occurs, in my opinion, when one reaches their ‘term of appointment’ which can be acknowledged as when the body takes its final earthly breath. Scientifically speaking, the term of appointment begins when the soul first enters the body in the womb and finishes when the soul will be ‘locked up’ in the Barzakh or grave. Some may declare that this definition can span ages, or maybe just an age or maybe even a certain time frame between a human’s lifespan lasting less than 120 years.
Whatever the case may be, a deep look at the records will show that individuals are with planned groups in this earthly life or dimension but that gives no time periods.
However, people generally, in their limited version of reality, do have a tendency to put a timeline on it according to their understanding and might feel uncomfortable with the idea that when the soul first enters into earthly life till when it exits earthly life can have more than one definition to it.
Most people don’t even study the Holy written records and think basically about their own concepts of timelines as the only reality. Hence, their definitions are often skewed to what they think that is directly in front of them such as born today and gone tomorrow. With that type of attitude, the earthly life becomes one of immediacy rather than contemplative!
On the Day that the HOUR (of RECONING) will be established, the transgressors will swear that they tarried not but {only} an hour: thus were they used to being deluded!
But those endued with knowledge and faith will say: “Indeed you did tarry within ALLAH’s Decree to the Day of Resurrection and this is the Day of Resurrection but you – you {you in your haste} did not know!” Quran (30:55-56)
Islamically, this laissez-faire attitude is combated and minimized through various acts including the 5 daily prayers, dhikr (invocations) to ALLAH and a right guided soul imbued with a moral consciousness.
Being precise about an individual’s ‘term of appointment’ can’t be known because, like snowflakes, each person is different from the others. However, due to Islamic investigation one finds that Abu Huraira, ‘Aisha and Ubayy ibn Ka’b did talk about souls as groups or troops having familiarity with each other (both positive and negative) before birth resulting in the attraction, affinity or repulsion or dislike in this current world or dimension.
This explains a type of ‘grouping’ as opposed to length of time for the souls existence that people fall into which would suggest a trial of sorts on how people are moved through the muck of the complexities of life and either fall further into the hole of the destitution of the soul or rise above the average stink of crassness in a step by step manner.
You shall surely travel from stage to stage. Quran (84:19)
Abu Huraira reported ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) Saying: Souls are troops collected together and those who familiarized with each other (in the Heaven from where these come) would have affinity, with one another (in the world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in the Heaven) would also be divergent (in the world). (Muslim)
This step by step manner is reflected in the Quran when ALLAH declares that HE opens up a way for those truly desirous of it and HE also provides a way to further establish certain people for a guaranteed home in the Hell-Fire by opening up a way where they are easily mislead further into darkness by their own willful crass desires and rejection of the truth.
In other words, HE makes the highway of the Hereafter easier respectively for those desiring in their inner most soul the following of the WAY versus the one who believes that the going of one’s own way by way of arrogance proves how important that individual soul is.
For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of ALLAH. ALLAH does not change a people’s lot unless they change what is in their hearts. But when (once) ALLAH Wills a people’s punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides HIM, any to protect. Quran (13:11)
Furthermore, the example of Jim Jones who was a false prophet/fanatic drawing people from various far away cultures into his cult shows an example of spiritual magnetism which people don’t control but which is a dynamic ‘heavenly’ Law enforced by the angels showing that only ALLAH is cognizant of all things (HE is THE AWARE) and is in TOTAL CONTROL of HIS creations whether it be time, place, people, destiny or events. We go by ALLAH’s WILL or one can say Spiritual Laws and not by our fantasies.
Why do the angels enforce this upon the human? Because, according to Islam, it is the angels that bring the RUH or soul, in this case, into the woman’s womb whereas our father Adam had his RUH breathed into him by ALLAH and not by the angels.
The HOLY NAME AL-JABAR, for example, is not just a name to be put on a page and in a book and left on a shelf and forgotten!
Life then becomes a regulated and systematic existence for an original created purpose and that, willingly or unwillingly, all things WILL BOW DOWN TO HIS WILL! There is no escape from HIS JUSTICE although men who are in the dark due to their obnoxious pride believe that they are beyond reach or repercussions. These are the disbelievers who are like cattle or worse because they have no common sense or thought for their creation and what that actually entails.
Whatever beings there are in the heavens and the earth do prostrate themselves to ALLAH (Acknowledging subjugation), with good-will or in spite of themselves: so do their shadows in the morning and evenings. Quran (13:15)
But because ALLAH is THE GOD of MERCY, HE gives mankind numerous chances to get their souls back on track, if and only if there is a concerted effort by that soul to do so. If not, that miserable soul will be led further into darkness and destruction as it would voluntarily, with the help of an unseen devilish friend (Jinn), race forward to its own judgment of final humiliation. And all of us according to the Prophet (pbh) have a whispering Jinn inside of us (hadith).
On the authority of Ibn Masood the Messenger of ALLAH (pbh) said: There is not any one of you except that he has been assigned his companion from among the Jinn and his companion from among the Angels. They the Companions said, “Even you, O Messenger of ALLAH,”? He replied, “Even me, except that ALLAH has helped me against the Jinn, so that I am unharmed, and so he orders me to do nothing but good”. (Muslim)
When we take a look at various cultures like the people of Noah, the people of Abraham and Lot, the people of the Woods, the Ad and the Thamud, and the people of Madyan, concerning how many were saved versus how many were destroyed we find that the vast majority of those people were destroyed because they would not listen to their own appointed prophet. And that gives us a kind of generic law concerning the times.
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet (pbh) said, “On the day of Resurrection ALLAH will say, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik our LORD, and Sa`daik ‘Then there will be a loud call (saying), ALLAH orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the (Hell) Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘O LORD! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?’ ALLAH will say, ‘Out of each thousand, take out 999.’ At that time every pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but severe will be the torment of ALLAH.” (When the Prophet (pbh) mentioned this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed (in color) whereupon the Prophet (pbh) said, “From Gog and Magog nine-hundred ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you. You Muslims (compared to the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will be one fourth of the people of Paradise.” On that, we said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be) one-third of the people of Paradise.” We again said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-half of the people of Paradise.” So we said, Allahu Akbar.” (Bukhari)
It also gives one a sense of groups being marched to the Hell-Fire. But giving one a sense of these things is not equivalent to having perfect knowledge so one must keep an open mind about these events without being dogmatic.
In other words, to a small child the sun gives off heat and light but the small child does not know how to express these things scientifically and with precise mathematical measurements. He just goes on with his daily existence without a deep thought of his surroundings.
Such is what is called FAITH! But a faith based on dull-wittedness, chronic stupidity and a lack of future significance is a type of faith that is perhaps a little shallow and not held too much in importance. That could be one reason that a call to reason is not heard by all and sundry.
He {ALLAH} will say: “Enter you in the company of the peoples who passed away before you – men and jinns, – into the Fire.” Every time a new people enters, it curses its sister-people (that went before), until they follow each other, all into the Fire. Says the last about the first: “Our LORD! It is these that misled us: so give them a double penalty in the Fire.” HE will say: “Doubled for all” but this you do not understand {in full at this time.} Quran (7:38)
It is true you will not be able to guide every one, whom you {Muhammad} love; but ALLAH guides those whom HE Will and HE knows best those who receive guidance. Quran (28:56)
So verily you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away. Quran (30:52)
Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle, nay more misguided: for they are heedless ({and don’t pay attention to any clear}warning). Quran (7:179)
Those whom ALLAH (in HIS Plan) Wills to guide, HE opens their breast to Islam; those whom HE wills to leave straying, HE makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus does ALLAH (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe. Quran (6:125)
As to Muhammad’s station:
Narrated Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri: that the Messenger of ALLAH (pbh) said: “I am the chief of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgement and I am not boasting, and in my hand is the banner of praise and I am not boasting, and there has been no Prophet since Adam or other than him, except that he is under my banner. And I am the first for whom the earth will split open, and I am not boasting.” He said: “The people will be terrified by three things. So they will come to Adam {the original Adam} saying: ‘You are our father Adam, so intercede for us with your LORD. So he says: ‘I committed a sin for which I was expelled to the earth, so go to Noah.’ So they will come to Noah and he will say: ‘I supplicated against the people of the earth, so they were destroyed. So go to Ibrahim.’ So they will go to Ibrahim (Abraham), and he says: ‘I lied three times.'” Then the Messenger of ALLAH (pbh) said: “He did not lie except defending ALLAH’s religion.” “So go to Moses.’ So they will come to Moses, and he will say: ‘I took a life. So go to Jesus. So they go to Jesus and he says: ‘I was worshiped besides ALLAH. So go to Muhammad (pbh).'” He said: “So they will come to me, and I will go to them.” (One of the narrators) Ibn Ju’dan said: “Anas said: ‘It is as if I am looking at the Messenger of ALLAH (pbh), and he is saying: “So I will take hold of a ring of a gate of Paradise to rattle it, and it will be said: ‘Who is there?’ It will be said: ‘Muhammad.’ They will open it for me, and welcome me saying, ‘Welcome.’ I will fall prostrate and ALLAH will inspire me with statements of gratitude and praise and it will be said to me: ‘Raise your head, ask and you shall be given, intercede, and your intercession shall be accepted, speak, and your saying shall be heard.’ And that is Al-Maqam Al-Mahmud about which ALLAH said: It may be that your LORD will raise you to Maqaman-Mahmud – Quran (17:79).” Sufiyan said: “None of it is from Anas except this sentence: ‘I will take hold of a ring of a gate of Paradise to rattle it.'” Jami’ at-Tirmidhi
And So It Goes!
Sahih al-Bukhari 4741
