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Punishment in grave mentioned in Quran and our ahadith

Q:

Aslam o alikum
Sir we had faced an issue regarding punishment in Grave
Our companion said there is no punishment in Grave and they give different reference in which surah yaseen verse 50 and 51.
Kindly guide us please. That will be very kind of you

A:

Wa Alaikum al-salam

Thanks for your question

Quran and our ahadith(narrations) accepts and acknowledges the afterlife. the afterlife world which starts right after death and continues until the day of judgment(resurrection, or Qiamah) is called barzakh. here are some arguments about barzakh(purgatory):
Narration: there are lots of narrations from masumeen a.s for example prophet sawa said “”The grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a pit from the pits of Hell”; this shows that there are punishments in grave.
Quran:
1. “Do not call those who were slain in Allah’s way ‘dead.’ No, they are living, but you are not aware” 2:154. this aya is about martyrs; according to this aya martyrs are not dead they are living, aya is not saying that they are like living but says they are living even they may seem dead and in grave but Allah swt count them alive
2. “the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. On the day when the Hour sets in, Pharaoh’s clan will enter the severest punishment” 40:46. This aya talks about the end of pharaoh; according to this aya they are getting punished by fire every morning and evening, the term “the day when the Hour sets in” means the day of judgment. the day of judgment hasn’t started yet but aya says they are getting punished every morning and evening, meaning they are getting punished before the day of judgment and in their graves.
3. regarding the aya you asked about, the translation of these ayat is “Then they will not be able to make any will, nor will they return to their folks.* And when the Trumpet is blown, behold, there they will be, scrambling towards their Lord from their graves!” the first part of the first aya is about the death moments and the second part of the first aya talks about that there is no way back, the second aya is about the resurrection and the day of judgment which begins with the trumped getting blown; there is no indication to barzakh(purgatory) world in these two ayat, but it doesn’t mean that there is no punishment or reward in barzakh. like mentioned before there are other ayat in Quran that talks about Barzakh life.

Regards
Sheikh Mahdi Mosayyebi