Addressing an Eid Milan at Ballabgarh in Haryana, the Zonal President Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Delhi & Haryana, Mr. Abdul Wahid leaked the question papers, which indeed are already recorded in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) for over fourteen centuries.
Everybody is bound to face these questions after his demise, irrespective of who he is, how he died or how his funeral rites are performed, and the answers to these questions decide our eternal life of the hereafter i.e. either bliss of heaven or punishment of hell – both for ever. Hence it is essential for us to get adequately prepared to face these critical questions.
These question papers can be divided into two parts: Part A consisting of three questions posed in the grave (i.e. during ‘barzakh’, or period between death and the day of judgement) and Part B consisting of five questions posed in the hereafter.
These questions can be summarised as: Part-A: Who is your Sustainer?; What is your religion?; and, What do you say about this man i.e. Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him)?
The answers are: Allah is my Rabb (Sustainer); My Deen is Islam; and Muhammad is my Nabi, and Imam.
Part-B: How have you utilised your time (of existence in the material world)?; How have you utilised your youth (period of good health)?; How have you utilised your knowledge (in practice)?; How you earned your wealth (income)?; and, How you spent your wealth (expenditure)?
To be able to confound with these questions obviously our utilisation of ‘time’, ‘health’ and ‘knowledge’ as well as our earning and spending of wealth should be legitimate.
We should note that none will be able to answer mechanically to these questions. For, on that day as Allah says ‘We shall put a seal on their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us and their feet shall bear witness to what they had been doing’. (36:65).
The only way to qualify this examination is to pray to Allah to forgive our sins so far and vow to act righteously now onwards. Ahadith say the following are among those exempted from the questioning in the grave: A Martyr: A Muslim soldier who loses his life while guarding his country’s boundaries or one fatally stricken by plague; a Siddique (honest person); Immature children; One passing away on Friday (night or day); and one who recites Suratul Mulk every night.
The process of questioning is invisible to our physical senses as it occurs in the Aalame-Barzakh, which forms part of a Muslim’s basic belief. Allah says: ‘If you avoid major sins, which are forbidden, we will remove from you your evil deeds…’ (4:31)
According to Bukhari and Muslim, major sins are setting up a partner with Allah; sorcery; unlawfully killing a soul; involvement in usury; exploiting the property of an orphan; keeping behind on the day of the fight; slandering chaste and innocent believing women; disobeying one’s parents; and taking a false oath. May Allah give us the taufeeq to seek Allah’s forgiveness for our sins and exert one another to good deeds to please Him. (Ameen.)