Hundred Questions - Grave and Resurrection
Grave and Resurrection
Q9 Will an account of our deeds be taken from our soul on the day of resurrection, or will it be interrogated in the grave? Does the soul enter the grave after death?
A9 With respect to the order [of the question] let us first discuss the grave. Grave is of two kinds: external or physical, and internal or spiritual. As for the external grave, everybody knows about it. However, it is not easy for everyone to know about the internal grave. Thus, it should be understood that the internal or the spiritual grave is the human body itself. The holy Prophet says: "Between my grave and my pulpit there is a garden among the gardens of Paradise". Explaining the ta'wil of this tradition Pir Nasir-i Khusraw, in his famous book Wajh-i din, says: "The grave of the Prophet is his asas, i.e. `Ali (May peace be through him), and his pulpit is qa'imu'l- qiyamat, may the most excellent greeting and peace be upon him".
When according to the Isma`ili point of view, the ta'wil is correct that the grave of the Prophet is his successor, namely `Ali-yi Murtaza (May peace be through him), it implies that for every soul there is a living grave, that is, a living body – one's own or someone else's, good or bad, depending on one's deeds. In any case all religious teachings and instructions regarding the grave, according to ta'wil, pertain to this living grave, not that of dust. This means that the human soul immediately after death is transferred to some living body and then some questions are asked of it consciously or unconsciously. Then, when the time of the rising of souls from graves comes, that is, when an internal and spiritual resurrection occurs, the people are asked for an account of their deeds.
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