Lasting Pleasure in the Realm of Barzakh

Another specialty of the realm of Barzakh is its eternity or everlasting nature. Here (in this material world) nothing is everlasting. Beauty fades out soon. Food remains tasty only upto the time it is in the mouth, that is, only for a few moments. Same is the case with marriage and marital joy. These foods and fruits are also not long lasting. After some time they become rotten and useless and distasteful and foul. Nothing here is everlasting. But nothing gets deteriorated or corrupted in the realm of Barzakh because that world (in the Hereafter) does not depend on matter. Everything is everlasting there. As a testimony to what I have mentioned here, I would like to mention a case involving the great scholar and religious jurisprudent Allamah Shaykh Mehdi Naraqi. By the way, let me also say that presenting some truths while narrating an event in a nice way makes it easily comprehensible. That is why actual events and true happenings are also presented during the discussion of religious beliefs and doctrines.

A Clock Full Of Rice

Shaykh Mehmood Iraqi, at the end of his book Daar-us-Salaam, quotes the late Naraqi (r.a.). He said: When I was a Mujawar (living near) Najafe Ashraf there, fell a severe famine. One day, I came out of my house. My children were hungry and crying for food. I went to Waadi Ye Salaam with a view to seek the removal of our sorrow and gloom through the medium of the visit to the dead among the faithful. There I saw that some people brought a dead body and also asked me: You may also accompany us. We have come here for making this body join with pious souls of this Holy place. Then they took that corpse to a wide big garden and placed it in one of the palaces situated in that garden. All means of comfort were available in those palaces. When I saw all this, I also followed them and entered that palace along with them. There I saw a young man dressed in royal clothes sitting on a golden throne. When he saw me, he called me by my name and made me sit by his side very respectfully. Then he told me: You do not recognize me. I am the same body which has been just brought here. My name is so and so. I was a resident of such and such city. The group which you saw in my funeral procession was that of the angels who brought me from my city upto this garden. This is one of the heavenly gardens. Hearing these things my gloom disappeared and I desired to see that garden thoroughly. When I got out of that palace I saw a number of such palaces. When I looked into them I found my parents and many other near and near ones. They made me their guest. I thoroughly enjoyed the eatables served by them. In the midst of these comfortable and luxurious moments, I suddenly remembered my family members and imagined how much hungry they were. This thought made me gloomy once again. My father asked: What happened to you all of a sudden? I replied: My family members are restless due to hunger. My father said: Here is a heap of rice. My father asked me. Take out of it. I took off my clock and filled it with that heavenly rice. My father asked me. Take it up and carry it to your family. When I lifted up the clock, I found myself in the aforesaid Vaadiyus Salaam. My clock was, of course, full of that rice. I took it to my house. My wife asked: From where have you brought this? I replied: What have you to do with this question? Briefly speaking we ate that rice for quite a long time but it never finished. At least my wife forced me to tell her what had happened. Thereafter when went to take out that rice we found nothing.

A similar event has been written in the book Daar Us Salaam. Interested readers may refer to it.

Animals Hear The Voice Of The Dead

The aim of my talk is to throw light on the everlastingness of the other world (Barzakh), be it regarding bounties or of about their tastefulness or joy. On the other hand, the calamities of that world are also very hard and everlasting. May God protect! If a man gets entangled the torture in Barzakh and if we hear anyone of his terrible shrieks, all the terrible things of our world will appear nothing to us compared to that in Barzakh.

It is mentioned in Beharul Anwaar, Vol: 3, that the Holy Prophet said: I was grazing sheep before I was made His messenger by Almighty God. During those days I used to observe (as you might have also) that goats and sheeps were becoming still all of a sudden as if shocked deeply by something. You might have also observed that sometimes poultry birds like hen jump off and stop picking their food even when no danger (like animal) is seen anywhere near them. After I began getting revelations, I asked for the reason of such unusual happenings and Jibreel told me that in the realm of Barzakh, sinners get divine punishments. Their cries are heard by all except men and jinns. Such voices shock animals and they stop taking food etc.

Cries Raised By A Hashimi Murderer In His Dream

It is mentioned in Daarus Salaam of Noori that, as per a narration in the book Sawab Al Aamaal by Sadooq (r.a.), an exceptionally handsome and good-looking youth who was a solider in the army of Umar bin Saad in Karbala, was also the killer of one of the brothers of Imam Hussein (a.s.). The narrator says that, I could see that the face of that fellow had become very black after the event of Karbala. He had also become very thin and extremely weak. I inquired about his conditions from his neigbours. They told that ever since he returned from Karbala, every night, he shrieks and cries loudly in his dreams awakening us also. I went to him and asked about the matter. He replied: At night time the Hashimi youth who was killed by me comes in front of me and pushes me towards fire. It makes me cry loudly and I cannot sleep.

Advice Of A Perfumer And Demand By A Jew Of His Trust

There are many events in this world to prove the existence of the realm of Barzakh. Their description will become lengthy. So we suffice with only one such happening. The famous pious scholar Syed Hashimi Bahrani (r.a.) has been quoted in Daar As Salaam at p. 247 of vol. 1. It is written that: There was a perfumer in Najaf-e-Ashraf who used to give advice (admonition) to people at his shop daily after the mid-day Zuhr prayer. Many people used to gather in his shop. A prince from India had become a resident of Najaf-e-Ashraf. Once he had to undertake a journey. So he went to the said perfumer and gave him, as his trust, a bag containing precious stones and pearls etc. Then he went on perfumer. The perfumer denied saying I do not know about any such trust. That prince became very uneasy and finally went to the Holy grave of Ali (a.s.) and said: O Ali! I left my comfortable residence just to live near your Holy Shrine for some time. I had left my precious property as a trust with such and such perfumer in Najaf. Now he is denying of any such trust. I have no wealth except that, nor have I any proof of depositing my property with that perfumer. Now there is none save you who can help me with justice. During that night, I saw Ali (a.s.) in my dream. He was saying: "Next morning, when the gate of the city opens, you go out and demand your trust from the very first person whom you  see there. He will make your trust return to you". Accordingly that man went out of the city gate and saw a weak and aged pious man who was holding firewood on his shoulders. He wanted to sell it, for fulfilling the needs of his family members. The Indian man felt ashamed of asking anything from such a poor gentleman. So he did not day anything and returned to the Holy Shrine of Amirul Momineen (a.s.). The following night also he saw the same dream and got the same order from Ali (a.s.). The next morning also he saw the same poor old man and did not tell him anything. During the third night too he saw Ali (a.s.) in his dream and heard the same words. In the following morning, he told the wood seller his need telling him what had happen. After thinking for a while, that old man told the prince: Come to the perfumer's shop tomorrow after Zuhr prayer. I will arrange for the return of your trust.

Next day when people gathered at the perfumer's shop, the old man said to the perfumer: Today let me in the duty of giving advice to people. That man agreed. The pious man began his talk: O dear listeners! I am so and so and son of so and so. I am very fearful in the matter of observing rights of others. By the grace of God I have no greed for money at all. I am a contented man and have taken to a corner for worship. Yet, I have come into a difficult situation. I want to make you aware of it. I advice you all also to fear God's anger and the fire of hell. Once I had to take a loan due to urgent need. I took a loan often Qeeraan from a Jew and gave him a word that I would return it within twenty days paying him half queeraan daily. I did accordingly for five days. But thereafter I could not find that Jew. On making inquiries, I was told that he had left for Baghdad. After a few days, I saw in my dream that it is Resurrection and I and many other people have been made to stand in a counter for giving replies in the Divine Court. By the Grace of God, I got relief soon and then, joining the successful people, went towards paradise. When I reached the Siraat bridge I heard the roar of hell. Then I saw that the creditor Jew lept like a flame of fire from hell, came across my path and said: Pay me back my five queeraans and proceed further only after doing so. I implored him humbly and earnestly saying: I was in search of you for paying up the debt but you could not be found. But he said: I will not allow you to go further unless you pay up my money. I said: I have nothing here just now. He said: Okay then allow me just to put my finger on your body. I agreed. When he touched my chest with his finger, it burnt my body so severely that I woke up crying loudly. I saw that my chest had a wound of burning and it is still painful. I undertook many treatments but to no avail. Then he showed his chest to the gathering at the perfumer's shop. Seeing it, people began to weep fearing their own Hereafter. The perfumer also became very fearful of God's anger. He took that Indian to his house, returned his trust to him and begged for his pardon.

* By: Ayatullah Shaheed Sayyid Abdul Husain Dastghaib.