a storm of stones. Then you will soon know how My warning was.” End quote.
The eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“Souls vary tremendously in their stations within the Barzakh (the intermediate realm):
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Among them are souls in the Highest Heights (ʿIlliyyīn), in the highest assembly. These are the souls of the prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, and they themselves occupy differing ranks, as the Prophet ﷺ observed on the Night of the Ascension.
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Among them are souls that lodge in the crops of green birds, roaming about in Paradise wherever they wish. These are the souls of the martyrs—but not all martyrs. Some martyrs have their souls kept back from entering Paradise because of an outstanding debt or some other impediment; some are detained at the gate of Paradise; and some are confined to their graves, as in the report of the man who stole a shamla (cloak) and was then martyred. The people said, ‘Congratulations to him for Paradise!’ but the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, the cloak he stole is burning him as a fire in his grave.’
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Among them are those whose abode is at the gate of Paradise, as in the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘The martyrs are at the Barīq River, at the gate of Paradise, in a green pavilion; provisions from Paradise are brought to them morning and evening.’
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Among them are souls that remain confined to the earth and never ascend to the highest assembly; these were lowly, earthly spirits. Earthly souls do not mingle with the heavenly souls, just as they did not mingle with them while in this world. A soul that, during its earthly life, failed to acquire knowledge of its Lord, love for Him, remembrance of Him, intimacy with Him, and nearness to Him is an earthly, lowly soul; after departing from its body it will stay only in that realm. By contrast, the lofty soul that, in this world, devoted itself to loving Allah, remembering Him, drawing near to Him, and finding comfort in Him will, after separation, be with the lofty spirits akin to it. A person, therefore, will be with those he loves in the Barzakh and on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah, Exalted is He, will pair souls with one another