Islamic Beliefs on Afterlife: Questions asked after a person’s death

Concept of Afterlife in Islam

According to Islamic beliefs, a person will be held accountable for all his deeds after the person moves on to the next life. According to hadith, the following are first of the many questions that a person will be asked.

First Stage of questioning (In the Grave)

A person’s first stage of reckoning (accountability) will be in the gravewhere he will be asked three questions. Allah will help reinforce the person’s answers based on his deeds in this world. The three questions are the following:

• Who was your Lord?
• What is your religion?
• Who is this man who was sent amongst you? (referring to Prophet Muhammad (S))

[Based on the hadith Narrated by al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him), which was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan (4753) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2979.]

Second Stage of Questioning in the Grave (On the Day of Judgement)

The second stage of the person’s reckoning will be on the Day of Resurrection (Day of Qiyamah) when he will be brought to account for every major and minor action, even though he has already been brought to account for that in the grave. The first thing for which he will be brought to account for then will be his prayer.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels, although He knows best, ‘Look at My slave’s prayer, is it complete or lacking?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete, but if it is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether my slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he had done voluntary prayers, He will say, ‘Complete the obligatory prayers of My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be examined in a similar manner.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 770). (Get the Islamic Book on Day of Judgement in Islam)