Journey of the spirit, Lesson 8,

1. Journey of the spirit, Lesson 8, From stupors of death to the paradise and hell of BARZAKH (these stages are not explicit in the holy Quraan, but explained in the narrations of Ahlul Bayt (AS).

2. Amnesia • It seems that when a the soul is transmitted from one body to another, there is some type of loss of memory, and if the soul is free from a body it remembers, therefore it seems that the body some how coats the memory, such can be observed from following: • In system of ZAR before the creation of the bodies, the spirit knew God, when enters the body it forgets. • After the Infallibles (AS) reminder, when a person is dying and his soul is departing he remembers every thing, but when he enters the ghostly body of BARZAKH he forgets, that is why he is reminded by TALQEEN.

3. Amnesia of the resurrection • Before the day of resurrection the ghostly bodies die, and on the day of resurrection they are given a body which has both properties the ghostly and the material body’s. The person forgets that he has spent some time in the BARZAKH, it seems to him as if nothing happened. • وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ كَذَلِكَ كَانُوا يُؤْفَكُونَ • 30.55] And at the time when the hour shall come, the guilty shall swear (that) they did not tarry but an hour; thus are they ever turned away. • The same is about the our sleep when our souls depart the body and lives a life, but when it comes back we do not feel the time of the night, as it was a moment. • People of cave or KAHF said the same, that we have slept for a day or a part where they slept or were dead for 309. • Same happened to UZAIR / died for 100 years.

4. Story of UZAIR (AS) • أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىَ يُحْيِـي هَـَذِهِ اللّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللّهُ مِئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِئَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

5. A day or a part of a day • [2.259] Or the like of him (Uzair) who passed by a town, and it had fallen down upon its roofs; he said: When will Allah give it life after its death? So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him to life. He said: How long have you tarried? He said: I have tarried a day, or a part of a day. Said He: Nay! you have tarried a hundred years; then look at your food and drink-- years have not passed over it; and look at your ass; and that We may make you a sign to men, and look at the bones, how We set them together, then clothed them with flesh; so when it became clear to him, he said: I know that Allah has power over all things.

6. People of KAHAF or Cave • وَكَذَلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَى طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا • [18.19] And thus did We rouse them that they might question each other. A speaker among them said: How long have you tarried? They said: We have tarried for a day or a part of a day. (Others) said: Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried. Now send one of you with this silver (coin) of yours to the city, then let him see which of them has purest food, so let him bring you provision from it, and let him behave with gentleness, and by no means make your case known to any one:

7. يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِ وَتَظُنُّونَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً • [17.52] On the day when He will call you forth, then shall you obey Him, giving Him praise, and you will think that you tarried but a little (while). • يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ وَنَحْشُرُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ زُرْقًا • يَتَخَافَتُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا عَشْرًا • نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذْ يَقُولُ أَمْثَلُهُمْ طَرِيقَةً إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا يَوْمًا • [20.102] On the day when the trumpet shall be blown, and We will gather the guilty, blue-eyed, on that day[20.103] They shall consult together secretly: You did tarry but ten (centuries).[20.104] We know best what they say, when the fairest of them in course would say: You tarried but a day.

8. “Stay” is used for a period of time • A person comes from the system of AMR to the earth, stays on the earth for a period of time and returns to where he came from. • قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ • قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلْ الْعَادِّينَ • قَالَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ • أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ • [23.112] He will say: How many years did you tarry in the earth?[23.113] They will say: We tarried a day or part of a day, but ask those who keep account.[23.114] He will say: You did tarry but a little-- had you but known (it):[23.115] What! did you then think that We had created you in vain and that you shall not be returned to Us?

9. After the soul departs the body • The following events takes place which are not mentioned explicitly in the Quraan but many narrations speak about it: • ADEELA deviation or distraction from faith. • Soul accompanies the body until it is buried. • While burying the soul observes a strange and fearful system (HOUL ALMOTALA’) fear of what is seen. • After the grave is closed, the spirit feels loneliness. • The TALQEEN and the Questions of MONKAR and NAKEER.

10. Affixation in several places • يُثَبِّتُ اللّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللّهُ مَا يَشَاء • 14.27] Allah confirms those who believe with the sure word in this world's life and in the hereafter, and Allah causes the unjust to go astray, and Allah does what He pleases. • It is mentioned in the narrations of Ahlul Bayt (AS) that God affixes the believer when the devil wants to astray him while the death (ADEELA). • When the Angels ask questions in the grave. • When he is being accounted. • When he walks on the bridge of SIRAAT over the hell fire. • Some narrations mention that the affixation is done by the help of the Prophet (S) and Imam Ali (AS) or any of the Infallibles (AS).

11. Pressure or squeeze of the Grave • وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى • [20.124] And whoever turns away from My reminder, his shall be a straitened life, and We will raise him on the day of resurrection, blind. Imam Sadiq (AS) mentions that the strained life is in grave. • After the grave is closed, the angels squeeze the ghostly body of the spirit from both sides in a way he feels that both walls of the grave are coming out of his opposite sides, it is a very severely painful process, the ghost screams so loudly that some animals hear his scream.

12. Every sinful get the pressure • Story of SAAD son of MAAZ • Any body who dies in the sea, air or is buried in the land gets it. • There are few exempted from it, such as the one who remembers the tragedy of Karbala, and visits Imam Hussain (AS).