The Terrors of the Grave by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

About the Author of "Horrors of the Graves"

Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali was born in Baghdad in 736 AH to a scholarly family known for their religious leadership. At a young age, he moved to Damascus from Baghdad in 744 AH and received an ijazah (permission to transmit knowledge) from Ibn Al-Naqeeb. Afterwards, he traveled to Mecca where he studied under Al-Fakhr Uthman bin Yusuf, and diligently listened to hadith from his father. He also received numerous narrations from Muhammad bin Al-Khabbaz, Ibrahim bin Dawood Al-Attar, and Abu Al-Haram Muhammad bin Al-Qalanisi. Later, he traveled to Egypt and studied under Sadr Al-Din Abi Al-Fath.

About the Book "Horrors of the Graves"

I found myself in the desert, contemplating the greatness and power of God. Suddenly, I saw a large white bird resembling an ostrich descending onto a white rock. As the bird held some organs in its beak and regurgitated them onto the rock, I noticed that each organ quickly joined the others. After each regurgitation, a pecking sound from the bird was heard, and then it would sever the organs it held. Although this scene astonished me, it increased my faith in the greatness of God.

After that, I learned that these bodies we see have a life after death, and that the man who caused the death of Ali ibn Abi Talib was sentenced to torment until the Day of Judgment. In one vision, I saw that the king ordered his body to be moved to an island in the Black Sea, and that he would be tormented until the Day of Judgment. This strengthens my belief that souls transfer from one place to another, without settling in a specific location on Earth.

It is interesting that the story I recounted at the beginning has been mentioned in several sources in different ways, but all point to the same main idea. Finally, all these stories are attested to by the fact that they evoke astonishment and increase our faith in the mighty power of God.

Key Topics in "Horrors of the Graves"

Regarding the state of the deceased when entering the grave / Regarding the talk of the grave / Regarding the gathering of the dead to the deceased and their questioning of him / Regarding the torment and blessings of the grave / Regarding what has been reported about the meeting and visiting of the dead in the Barzakh / Regarding the location of the souls of the dead in the Barzakh, the souls of the prophets.