Beliefs

When a person dies, we bury him in the grave. Two angels come to him and put his soul back in his body by the orders of Allah. These angels will then ask him some questions. If he gives the right answers, the angels give him the good news of jannah and return back from whence they came. The blessings of jannah will start for him. If he answers wrongly, then the angels give him the news of jahannum. The sufferings of jahunnum will start for him. The angels who come to the kafirs (enemies of Ahlqul Bayt as) are named Munkir and Nunkir.

The angels who come to momin are named Mobashir and Bashir. Ameerul Momineen (as) comes in the graves to help His Shia with the answering of the questions. Moula Ali (as) does not pay attention to thos e who were His enemies. Here are the questions which will be asked in the grave and their correct replies.

1. Who is your Lord?

Allah is my Lord.

2. What is your religion? Islam is my religion.

3. Who is your prophet? Muhammad (as) is my prophet.

4. Who is your Imam & wali? Ali (as) ibn Abi Talib (as) is my imam and wali.

5. What is your book?

Quran is my book.

6. What is your Qibla?

Kaaba Khana is my Qibla.

Punishment in the grave

The punishment of the grave is when both corners of the grave come together and crush the body of the deceased. There is no punishment of the grave for momin.

Barzakh

The period from the time of death until the Day of Judgment is called Barzakh. The human lives there with such a body that is extremely light and cannot be seen.

Scale and Bridge

Mizan is scale. According to some narrations a scale will be fixed on the day of judgment. The actions of the people will be measured upon that scale. If one s good deeds is heavier than he will go to jannah. If one s bad deeds are heavier than he will go to jahannum (hell).

Regarding bridge there are some narrations which say it is such a bridge that will be sharper than the sword and thinner than the hair. The momin will easily cross this bridge, but the kafirs (enemies of Ahlul Bayt as) will be unable to cross it and will fall into the jahannum (hell). These are traditions, but Masoomeen (as) have told us what is the truth regarding the scale and bridge.

Moula Ali (as) says, "I am the scale." RasoolAllah (saw) said, "O Ali (as)! You are Siratul Mustaqeem." So you must remember the scale and bridge both are our Moula (as), Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) ibn Abi Talib (as). On the day of judgment, the acts of every person will be measured against the love and marifat of Moula Ali (as).

Intercession

The meaning of shifaat (intercession) is to take one s right of ownership. So on the day of judgment, Masoomeen (as) will send all of Their lovers into the jannah (paradise). Shaitan will also take all of his followers into jahannum (hell) with him.

Orders

Allah has ordered us to perform certain acts. These acts are called awamer (lawful acts). He ordered us to refrain from doing certain acts. These acts are called nawahi (forbidden acts). Within the acts which are compulsory and which are forbidden, there are two different kinds each.

Kinds of Awamer (lawful acts)

1. Wajib: These acts are wajib (compulsory). If we do these, we get rewarded. If we abandon them, we become sinful. For example, namaz (prayer), fasting, obedience of one s parents, etc.

2. Mustahab: These acts are those which if you do them you will be rewarded, but if you do not do them, then you will not become sinful. For example, mustahab prayers, fasting during the days other than Ramadan, etc.

Kinds of Nawahi (forbidden acts)

1. Haram: This is the opposite of wajib. If you refrain from doing these acts, you will be rewarded. If you do these acts, you will become sinful. For example, drinking alcohol and eating pork.

2. Makrooh: This is the opposite of mustahab. If you refrain from doing these acts, you will be rewarded, but if you commit these acts, you will not be punished. For example, doing wudhu with such water that is hot from the sunshine.

There is another thing which is between awamer and nawahi. It is called mubah. Another name of this is halal.

This is only a permission. It has nothing to do with reward or sin. For example, eating the meat of cow etc. You have understood the difference between awamer and nawahi. You should know these are only applicable upon those who have reached the age of adulthood.

The conditions of adulthood are different for men and women. A boy becomes an adult (baligh) when one of these three signs appears; when he is 15 yrs old, he has wet dreams, or when the hair grows under his belly. A girl becomes an adult (baligh) when one of these two signs appears; when she reaches 9 yrs old or sees the blood of menses (children should consult their parents for the details of these signs).

Adopted from the book: "Kashaful Salat" by: "Seyyed Baqir Nisar Zaidi"