Paradise and Fire Before the Day of Resurrection

Here’s a relatively long, yet fascinating authentic tradition. In it various issues are brought to light and quite intriguing facts about life after death are stated. As always, there are a few implicit, yet significant, points present in this tradition. I will, first, post the tradition, then, I will proceed to make my comments in point format.

Arabic Text:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ ضُرَيْسٍ الْكُنَاسِيِ‏ قَالَ:

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع أَنَّ النَّاسَ يَذْكُرُونَ أَنَّ فُرَاتَنَا يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَكَيْفَ هُوَ وَ هُوَ يُقْبِلُ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَ تُصَبُّ فِيهِ الْعُيُونُ وَ الْأَوْدِيَةُ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع وَ أَنَا أَسْمَعُ- إِنَّ لِلَّهِ جَنَّةً خَلَقَهَا اللَّهُ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ وَ مَاءَ فُرَاتِكُمْ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَ إِلَيْهَا تَخْرُجُ أَرْوَاحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ حُفَرِهِمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسَاءٍ فَتَسْقُطُ عَلَى ثِمَارِهَا وَ تَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَ تَتَنَعَّمُ فِيهَا وَ تَتَلَاقَى وَ تَتَعَارَفُ فَإِذَا طَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ هَاجَتْ‏ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَكَانَتْ فِي الْهَوَاءِ فِيمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَ الْأَرْضِ تَطِيرُ ذَاهِبَةً وَ جَائِيَةً وَ تَعْهَدُ حُفَرَهَا إِذَا طَلَعَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَ تَتَلَاقَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ وَ تَتَعَارَفُ قَالَ وَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ نَاراً فِي الْمَشْرِقِ خَلَقَهَا لِيُسْكِنَهَا أَرْوَاحَ الْكُفَّارِ وَ يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ زَقُّومِهَا وَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِنْ حَمِيمِهَا لَيْلَهُمْ فَإِذَا طَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ هَاجَتْ إِلَى وَادٍ بِالْيَمَنِ يُقَالُ لَهُ- بَرَهُوتُ أَشَدُّ حَرّاً مِنْ نِيرَانِ الدُّنْيَا كَانُوا فِيهَا يَتَلَاقَوْنَ وَ يَتَعَارَفُونَ فَإِذَا كَانَ الْمَسَاءُ عَادُوا إِلَى النَّارِ فَهُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ فَمَا حَالُ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ الْمُقِرِّينَ بِنُبُوَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُذْنِبِينَ الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ إِمَامٌ وَ لَا يَعْرِفُونَ وَلَايَتَكُمْ فَقَالَ أَمَّا هَؤُلَاءِ فَإِنَّهُمْ فِي حُفْرَتِهِمْ لَا يَخْرُجُونَ مِنْهَا فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌ وَ لَمْ يَظْهَرْ مِنْهُ عَدَاوَةٌ فَإِنَّهُ يُخَدُّ لَهُ خَدٌّ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي خَلَقَهَا اللَّهُ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ فَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهَا الرَّوْحُ فِي حُفْرَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَلْقَى اللَّهَ فَيُحَاسِبُهُ بِحَسَنَاتِهِ وَ سَيِّئَاتِهِ فَإِمَّا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَ إِمَّا إِلَى النَّارِ فَهَؤُلَاءِ مَوْقُوفُونَ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ قَالَ وَ كَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ وَ الْبُلْهِ وَ الْأَطْفَالِ وَ أَوْلَادِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ فَأَمَّا النُّصَّابُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقِبْلَةِ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُخَدُّ لَهُمْ خَدٌّ إِلَى النَّارِ الَّتِي خَلَقَهَا اللَّهُ فِي الْمَشْرِقِ فَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْهَا اللَّهَبُ وَ الشَّرَرُ وَ الدُّخَانُ وَ فَوْرَةُ الْحَمِيمِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ مَصِيرُهُمْ إِلَى‏ الْحَمِيمِ ثُمَّ فِي النَّارِ يُسْجَرُونَ‏ (40:72)  ثُمَّ قِيلَ لَهُمْ‏ أَيْنَ ما كُنْتُمْ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ‏(7:37)  أَيْنَ إِمَامُكُمُ الَّذِي اتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ دُونَ الْإِمَامِ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَاماً.

English Translation:

Narrated by a number of our companions from Ahmed Ibn Mohamed and Sahl Ibn Ziyad and Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father and all of these from Ibn Mahboub from Ali Ibn Re’ab from Durais Al-Kanasi Who said: 

I asked Abu Ja’far (peace be upon him): “People mention that our freshwater [Euphrates] flows out from paradise; So, how is this when it runs from the west and into it pour springs and valleys.”

Abu Ja’afar (peace be upon him) said as I listened: “Verily, for Allah there is a garden [or paradise] which Allah created in the west. The water of your Euphrates [or your freshwater] flows out from it.  Into it go the spirits [Arwah] of the faithfuls from their graves at the beginning of every night. So they drop [sqt] upon its fruits and eat of them; therein they delight, meet and make acquaintance with another.

When the dawn rises they shake excitedly [or they get frantic], [and as a result depart] from paradise and so [they go] in the air between the heaven [Sama’] and the earth, and they outspread [or fly] readily towards their kept graves at the time the sun rises. In the air they meet and make acquaintance with one another.”

He said, “and verily for Allah there is a fire [hell] in the east that Allah has created to be the resting place for the spirits [Arwah] of the disbelievers. There they eat of its Zaqqum (Trees which grow in hell and bear bitter fruit) and drink from its boiling springs throughout the night. When the dawn rises they begin to shake frantically, heading to a valley in Yemen called Barhout. It is said to be hotter from the fires of this world. There they meet and make acquaintance with one another. When the beginning of the night arrives they return to the fire (the one in the east) and thus shall they be until the Day of Judgment.”

 I said, “May Allah make it peaceful for you! What of the monotheists [Muwahiddin] who acknowledge the prophethood of Mohammad (PBUH), from amongst Muslims who have sinned and died not having an Imam and not knowing of your wilayat?”

He said, “These shall remain in their graves never emerging from them. Those who have done good deeds and sown no enmity, a passage shall be dug for them to the paradise created by Allah in the west, from which The Spirit shall come to them in the grave until the Day of Resurrection, when they shall meet Allah to be judged on their good deeds and bad deeds, from there [they] shall enter [either] paradise or hell. Thus, they are suspended until the Command of Allah is given.”

He said, “and Allah shall do the same with the vulnerable, the feeble-minded and children and Muslim children who have not reached puberty.  As for the deniers [Nossaab] from the people of Qiblah, a passage shall be dug for them to the fire created by Allah in the East. Through it will pass heat, flames, smoke and brimstone until the Day of Resurrection, then their fate will be the boiling water, then in the flames of hellfire, therein shall they be thrown. (40:72)

It shall be said to them, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?" (7:37) Where is the Imam whom you took in disregard to the true Imam whom Allah has appointed for the people?”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Chapter 3, Page 246-247, Tradition #1

I’ll start by stating some of the points that I found to be explicit and readily noticeable. Subsequently, I will write about those that I think would require a closer reading to be noticed. As always, I would love to hear your opinions and feedback. If you feel the translation could be improved, please do not hesitate to let me know how.

Here are the points:

• There is a paradise or a garden on the West, from which the water of Euphrates or freshwater flow. Two important questions appear at this point.

• Is Euphrates meant to be understood as the well-known Euphrates River or is it meant to be understood more generally in terms of fresh water?

• Is “Jannah” in this case meant to be understood as paradise or as a garden?

• Into this garden or paradise in the West, the spirits of the faithful believers go, every night. This is a very significant point.

• If we assume that by “Jannah,” Imam is pointing towards an earthly garden, then he is stating that the spirits of the faithful believers enter an earthly garden every night. They eat from the fruits of an earthly garden. This point is quite significant. It highlights the interaction between supposedly immaterial spirits and material fruits. It leaves us with two options.

• Either spirits are not immaterial and are material like the fruits they eat or they are immaterial and somehow can interact with the material. To accept the latter would be quite dogmatic, since we do not have any reason to think that such interaction is possible. It is, also, metaphysically quite expensive. We must, assume based on faith, that there is perhaps a third type of substance that is neither material nor immaterial, through which spirits can interact with material objects.  If we accept that the spirits are immaterial, another complicated way to explain their interaction with earthly fruits is to say that perhaps they have organs or parts, which are capable of interacting with the material. Of course, these are all based on assumptions; assumptions that are not necessarily.

• A simpler way to approach this interaction is to accept that the spirits are of material substance. However, material does not entail physical. Energy is a material entity, yet it is not a physical entity. So, perhaps spirits are like energy. This is simpler to accept and less metaphysically expensive. We can, also, compare the constitution of spirits to the wind. In a weak tradition, in our books, the terms “Ruh” [spirit] and “Reeh” [wind] have, indeed, been compared.

• The better option of the two to adopt is that spirits are not composed of immaterial substances and are, indeed, material entities.

• If we assume that by “Jannah,” our Imam is pointing towards paradise, then he is stating that our earthly water, and indeed earth, and paradise are linked to one another. What this implies is that paradise is already created and it is physical. It is currently present and touches earth.

• One way to interpret this is that paradise may be a spot on earth, which is hidden from everyone’s view and understanding. It is a place that only after death, the believers learn of its location and “drop” in it to enjoy it.

• It is always possible that this paradise is not the same paradise that the faithful believers will be in, in the hereafter. This paradise is accessible to spirits in the intermediary world, whereas the paradise in the hereafter is accessible to physical bodies and not spirits.

• The term “drop” [sqt] that is used by our Imam is an interesting term to use. The spirits of the faithful believers, from their graves, “drop” into this paradise or garden. Is our Imam, hinting towards the existence of a paradise or garden below the graves of the faithfuls? Inside earth?

• The vertical dimension is highlighted when the Imam informs us that at each morning the spirits move to the air, between heaven [or sky] and earth. Thus, at the beginning of the night, they “drop” into paradise and at the time of the dawn they quickly or anxiously move up to somewhere in the air between heaven and earth. This up and down motion is important. It places the earth in the middle of it. This paradise or garden seems to below the earth. Is it physical location in this world inside earth?

•  After death, before the Day of Resurrection, the spirits of the believers meet one another. Similarly, the spirits of the disbelievers meet one another. The spirits spend time together. An important point that can be taken from this is that, it is not the case that as soon as we expire or die, we suddenly gain knowledge of all things.  The spirits interact with one another and get to know one another. This indicates that there is a process of learning even after we die physically. Of course, we ought not to assume that we learn after death in the same way that we learn in this world. On the same note, we cannot assume that the communication amongst the spirits is the same way as we communicate in this life.

• At the time of dawn, the spirits, good or bad, shake frantically or anxiously and are sent to their next destination.

o   The spirits of the believers move to the air. The spirits of the disbelievers move to the valley of Barhout in Yemen.  

o   The spirits of the believers communicate in the air, once more, and fly towards their graves. The spirits of the disbelievers spend the day at the valley of Barhout, which is extremely hot.  They do not fly or go to their graves. This implies that the spirits of the disbelievers is continuously under torture. At nights they are sent to the fire in the East, and during the days they are sent to the Valley of Barhout, which is extremely hot.

o   It is interesting that, once more, we are given a known place on earth for the Valley of Barhout. It is a location in the country Yemen. This reiterates an important question. Do these locations, paradise and hell, currently exist on or below earth? Considering that earth is a material entity, if these locations are on or below it, then they must be material, too. This point, once more, highlights the fact that the spirits are, most likely, made of material substances and interact with the material world.

• If, as the signs seem to indicate, these places are located on or below earth, now, then so must be the tree of Zaqqum. This tree is often associated with the food source for disbelievers in hell. However, if this fire on the East is a location on earth or below earth, then the tree of Zaqqum is a material entity with which the disbelievers interact and from which they eat.

• The second portion of this tradition pertains to the fate of the people that are neither believers nor disbelievers. This includes Muslims that do not follow the Imams of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them).

• On this spectrum, there are Muslims, who do not follow the Imams of Ahlul Bayt. They have not rejected or denied them either. It may be the case that they do not follow the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt because of their circumstances and environments. There may be many reasons for this, thus, it is best to not speculate. These Muslims may have committed good deeds and did not sow enmity amongst one another. For them a path towards the paradise or the garden on the West will be opened. Their spirits remain in their graves, however, and instead, from this garden or paradise The Spirit comes to them through this pathway. Unlike the faithful followers of the Ahlul Bayt, they do not enjoy their night time in paradise. Nevertheless, they do not seem to receive punishments either. As for the role of The Spirit that visits them, it is unclear what it does.  Their final fate will be determined on the Day of Resurrection.

• This following point is important. Muslims, who do not follow the Imams of Ahlul Bayt but do not and did not consciously and willingly reject them either, can and may, indeed, enter paradise. Thus, it is mistaken to assume that any one, who is not a Shiite of Ahlul Bayt is a disbeliever and will enter the fire, eternally.

• Those Muslims, who did, consciously and willingly, deny and reject the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt, will receive punishments from the time of their death until the Day of Resurrection and after.

If you have some ideas of your own and would like to share or if you can solve some of the mysteries and answer some of the questions, then I would love to read your views. Your feedback is always very welcome.