and said: O people, this nation will be tried in its graves... When a person is buried and his companions depart from him, an angel comes to him with a mace in his hand and makes him sit up. He says: What do you say about this man? If he is a believer, he says: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He says to him: You have spoken the truth. Then a door is opened for him to the Fire, and he says to him: This would have been your place had you disbelieved in your Lord, but since you believed, this is your place. Then a door is opened for him to Paradise, and he wishes to rise toward it, but he says to him: Remain at peace, and his grave is expanded for him.
And if he is a disbeliever or a hypocrite, it is said to him: What do you say about this man? He says: I do not know... I heard the people saying something. He says: You did not know, you did not recite, and you were not guided. Then a door is opened for him to Paradise and he says: This is your place had you believed in your Lord, but since you disbelieved in Him, Allah has replaced it for you with this. A door is opened for him to the Fire, then he strikes him with the mace, a strike heard by all of Allah's creation except for the two jinn and mankind. Some of the people said: O Messenger of Allah, there is no one whom an angel approaches with a mace in his hand who would not be terrified by that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word" (1).
12270 - From Tawus (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding "Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word in the worldly life," he said: There is no god but Allah; "and in the Hereafter," he said: The questioning in the grave (2).
12271 - From Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying: "Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word in the worldly life and in the Hereafter," he said: As for the worldly life, He keeps them firm with goodness and righteous deeds; and as for His saying: "and in the Hereafter," it refers to in the grave (3).
His saying, the Exalted: "Those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and led their people to the house of perdition."
12272 - My father narrated to us, Muslim ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, Shu'bah narrated to us, from al-Qasim ibn Abi Bazzah, from Abu al-Tufayl: Ibn al-Kawwa' asked Ali about: "Those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and led their people to the house of perdition." He said: They are the disbelievers of Quraysh on the day of Badr (4).
12273 - My father narrated to us, Ibn Nufayl narrated to us, he said: I read to Ma'qil, from Ibn Abi
(1). Al-Durr 5/31. (2). Al-Durr 5/33. (3). Al-Durr 5/33. (4). Ibn Kathir 4/417.