what comes after death, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“As for ‘Uthmān ibn Maz‘ūn, certainty has come to him from his Lord.”

Otherwise, death itself—considered apart from what follows it—is common knowledge and has never been disputed, so there would be no reason to call it “certainty.”

Allah has mentioned the punishment of the Resurrection and that of the intermediate state after death together in several places. He mentioned them in the account of Pharaoh’s people, saying:

“And a terrible punishment engulfed Pharaoh’s people: the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. And on the Day the Hour is established: ‘Admit Pharaoh’s people to the severest punishment.’”

He said in the account of Noah’s people:

“Because of their sins they were drowned and then admitted into a Fire, and they found no helpers against Allah.”

This is alongside Noah’s warning to them about the Resurrection in his words:

“And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth. Then He will return you to it and bring you forth again.”

We have explained elsewhere, in several places, that the messengers before Muhammad warned of the major Resurrection, refuting those speculative philosophers who deny this. Allah said of the hypocrites:

“We will punish them twice; then they will be returned to a tremendous punishment.”

Several scholars have said that the first punishment is in this world and the second in the intermediate state after death; “then they will be returned to a tremendous punishment” in the Hereafter.

Allah, Most High, said in Sūrat al-An‘ām:

“If only you could see the wrongdoers in the throes of death, while the angels stretch out their hands, saying: ‘Give up your souls! Today you will be repaid with humiliating punishment for saying things about Allah that were not true and for being arrogant toward His signs.’”

“And you have come to Us alone, just as We created you the first time, leaving behind you all that We bestowed upon you.”

This describes the state at death. His words: