Death: The First Station

By: Ayatullah Shaheed Dastghaib Shiraazi
The root of 'Ma'aad' is 'Aud' which means to return or to come back. As on the Day of Resurrection souls will be made to return to their bodies, it is called Ma'aad.
'Ma'aad' is one of the principles of the Holy religion of Islam and to have faith in it is absolutely essential or obligatory and it is that everyone will, after his death, become alive again and will get reward or punishment according to his belief and deeds.
'Ma'aad' which begins with death and then passes through grave and then Barzakh and then Qiyamat-e-Kubra (the great resurrection) and ends with either paradise or hell cannot be comprehended by the apparent senses and even though the occurring of the original 'Ma'aad' or Resurrection is proved by logic or brain (the details of which will be discussed later on), it is impossible for one to ponder in solitude over it and to understand what will happen after death, and through which stages one will have to pass. For understanding this, there is no way except to rely on and take help from Revelation because man wherever he is, his power of understanding cannot cross the limits of his world. For example, it is impossible for a baby in the womb to get the idea of the outside world and to fathom its vastness. Similarly it is also beyond his powers to understand the endlessness of the space and to know about the things therein. Likewise, the man who lives in this world like a captive of matter and nature cannot have the ability to understand the Aalam-e-Malakoot (the world of angels and spirits) which is hidden from him. To reach that state will be possible only after getting freedom from this material world. In short, a man who is living in this material world, can never be able to know the details of the world after death, unless he puts faith and trust in the truths made known by the Creator of this Universe.

Characteristics of the Hereafter have nothing to do with the Brain
So if anyone says: It is far from my brain that such and such thing will happen after death, then his saying so is absolutely unacceptable because the conditions and events after death have no relation with the bodily brain. Even if all the thinkers and philosophers join together and make collective efforts to understand the conditions beyond death (in the other world) through the materials available to him in this earthly life they can never succeed in their maneuverings at all. So if we do have any source, it is only those things and those words which the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.s.) and His Holy Progeny have shown to us. Hence we also confirm them as all of those great persons who are impeccable are those to whom God Almighty, the Lord of the Universe sends Revelation.

Does A Dead Body Talk?
This discussion will prove that the doubts and distrusts expressed by some senseless fellows are totally baseless. For example, they say that the body of a man who has died is just like dust and stone or like dry wood and so how can it at all be questioned in a grave? In other words, can stones also talk? If we fill up the mouth of a dead body with something and, on the next day, open his grave and see we will find that nothing has gone out of that mouth. (The answer to this question will be given soon).

Talking Is Not Limited To The Tongue
Possibilities and probabilities are essential to brain. An intelligent man (having brain) hears a thing and if it is impossible according to his brain or intelligence, he doubts it's being either true or untrue. But if the one from whom he heard that thing is a sinless impeccable person then the former will at once say that whatever he has said is true. But if the hearer is unwise and ignorant fellow he will exclaim: What kind of talks are these which we fail to understand! So not to accept the words of the impeccable will be based on senselessness and foolishness. Such fellow is like a four-footed animal but has two feet whose sees senses are limited only upto eating, sleeping and having intercourse with the opposite sex. Obviously if it is hold to an ox or an ass that an angel appears before our eyes at the time of death or that there will be a questioning in our graves, they will not be able to agree because their intelligence is limited and cannot go far from their bellies and genitals. Only a higher level of soul can accept such news and matters.
There is no scope here to deal at length and with full details. Therefore, we are mentioning below briefly what has been narrated by Ahle Bayt (Holy Progeny of the Holy Prophet s.a.w.s.) describing what happens right from the first stage (death) up to the last one (Resurrection).
Truth About Death: The dislocation or the breaking of the relation between body and soul is called death. Several examples have been quoted to explain this connection. Some say it is like the relation between a ship and its captain wherein death snatches away the ship from the control and authority of the captain. You say: My hand, my leg and my eye. This means 'I' (my) is something other than the said hand, leg and eye. When you say: I walked, it is true that you moved but you walked through your legs. This shows that 'You' are something other than the limb called leg. Likewise, you say: I saw, I heard, I said. In all these three sentences the word 'I' (my) refers to one person and this person is the same what is your soul and which becomes manifest through the said scenes which have been expressed through the above sentences. It is the soul that sees and hears but through the balls in the eyes and the holes in the ears respectively. These eyes and ears are, of course, the means of seeing and hearing. Soul is a lamp lighted by the Almighty's Might in the dark house of body which shows its light through eyes and ears and other organs.