Abbas said: “That is, He honored him by burying him.” The term may also refer to the barzakh—the intermediate state between a person’s death and the coming of the Hour—even if he is not buried. Allah Most High says:

“And behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” [Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:100]

That is, behind those who have died; for the beginning of the verse indicates this. Allah Most High says:

“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, send me back, that I may do righteousness in that which I left behind.’ No! It is only a word that he speaks; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” [Surah al-Mu’minun]

So, when one who supplicates seeks refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave, does he mean the punishment of the burial place of the dead, or the punishment of the barzakh between his death and the coming of the Hour?

The answer: He means the latter, because a person does not truly know whether he will die and be buried, or die and be devoured by wild beasts, or be burned and turned to ashes. Allah Most High says:

“No soul knows in what land it will die.” [Surah Luqman, 31:34]

Therefore, when you say, “from the punishment of the grave,” understand it to mean: from the punishment that befalls a person after his death until the coming of the Hour.

The discussion of the punishment of the grave is approached from several angles:

The first: By what is the punishment of the grave established?

The answer: It is established by the explicit Sunnah, the apparent meaning of the Quran, and the consensus of the Muslims.

As for the explicit Sunnah: this includes the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib and others. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave. Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave. Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave.” (1)