The third aberrant view is that there is neither bliss nor punishment in the intermediate state between death and resurrection; rather, neither occurs until the great Resurrection takes place. This is maintained by some Muʿtazilites and others who deny punishment and bliss in the grave, on the grounds that the soul does not continue to exist after departing from the body, and that the body experiences neither bliss nor punishment.

All those belonging to these two groups are misguided concerning the intermediate state, but they are better than the philosophers because they acknowledge the great Resurrection.

Once you have understood these three false views, know that the position of “the early generations of this community and its leading scholars” is that, when a person dies, he experiences bliss or punishment, and that this affects both his soul and his body. The soul continues to exist after departing from the body, experiencing bliss or punishment, and at times it reconnects with the body, which then shares in its bliss and punishment. Then, on the day of the great Resurrection, souls will be restored to their bodies, and people will rise from their graves before the Lord of all worlds. Bodily resurrection is agreed upon by Muslims, Jews, and Christians. All of this is agreed upon by the scholars of hadith and the Sunnah.

But can the body experience bliss or punishment without the soul? Some of these scholars affirm this, while most deny it.