Causes of the punishment of the grave
Al-ʿAllāma al-Saffārīnī said: “The causes for which the inhabitants of the graves are punished fall into two categories: general and specific.
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The general cause: They are punished for their ignorance of Allah, their refusal to obey His commands, and their persistence in sins. Allah will never punish a soul that truly knows Him, loves Him, complies with His orders, and avoids His prohibitions—nor will He punish the body that once housed such a soul. The torment of the grave and that of the Hereafter are but the effects of Allah’s wrath and displeasure toward His servant. Whoever angers and displeases Allah in this life by committing what He has forbidden, fails to repent, and dies in that state, will suffer in al-barzakh a punishment proportionate to the degree of Allah’s wrath and displeasure: some will receive a small portion, others a great deal; some will affirm this reality, while others deny it.
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The specific causes: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us about the two men he saw being punished in their graves—one for spreading malicious gossip among the people, the other for failing to protect himself from urine. He then mentioned a person who is punished for praying without purification, and one who passes by an oppressed person without