The short answer
Life after death in Islam runs from death and burial through the barzakh to resurrection, judgement, and Jannah or Jahannam, in the order the cited verses and hadith place them. Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 reports the questioning, and Sahih al-Bukhari 1379 reports the place shown in the grave; the sources leave other details unsaid.
What do Muslims believe happens after death?
Read together, the sources cited here place these stages in this order: death, burial, questioning in the grave, the barzakh, resurrection, the Day of Judgement, then Jannah or Jahannam. Each stage below names its source, and where a source is silent, that is stated.
| Stage | What the source says | Source and further reading |
|---|---|---|
| Death | The angel of death gathers a person; messengers receive him | As-Sajdah 32:11, Al-An'am 6:61 |
| Burial | Death, then burial, then being brought to life when He wills | 'Abasa 80:21 to 22 |
| Questioning in the grave | Two angels make the person sit and ask; the believer testifies | Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 (the questions), 1369 (the testimony) |
| Barzakh | A barrier until the day they are raised; the place is shown morning and evening | Al-Mu'minun 23:100, Sahih al-Bukhari 1379; Barzakh |
| Resurrection and judgement | From the graves they hasten to their Lord; each is paid only what was fairly earned | Ya-Sin 36:51, Al Imran 3:185; The Day of Judgement |
| Jannah or Jahannam | Covered on their own pages | Jannah, Jahannam |
What happens at the moment of death?
The Quran speaks of the angel of death and of messengers:
۞ قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ
In Al-An'am 6:61 the wording is that when death comes to one of you, "Our messengers receive him, and they do not neglect." Neither verse gives the angel a name or describes the moment further.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told his community to prompt those of them who are dying to say la ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah). This is Sahih Muslim 916a, sahih by inclusion in that collection. The report gives no method and no number.
1AuthenticSahih Muslim 916
What do the sources say about burial?
The Quran places burial between death and being brought to life:
ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُۥ
That is all this passage says about it. How the funeral prayer is prayed is on the Janazah prayer page. For burial in your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
What is the questioning in the grave?
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said that when a person is laid in his grave and his companions leave, he hears the sound of their sandals. Two angels come to him, make him sit, and ask what he used to say about this man, Muhammad. The believer answers that he is Allah's slave and His Messenger, and is told to look at his place in the Fire, which Allah has replaced with a place in Paradise. The unbeliever or hypocrite says he does not know, and that he said what the people said. This is Sahih al-Bukhari 1338, sahih by inclusion in that collection.
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1338
The report does not name the two angels. Its later part, which describes the unbeliever's end in more detail, is not reproduced here.
Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said that when a believer is made to sit in his grave, he testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, and the report says this is the saying of Allah in:
يُثَبِّتُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلْقَوْلِ ٱلثَّابِتِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ
This is Sahih al-Bukhari 1369, sahih by inclusion in that collection. A second chain adds that the verse was revealed concerning the punishment of the grave.
3AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1369
What are the blessings and punishment of the grave?
Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said that when anyone dies, he is shown his place morning and evening. A person of Paradise is shown his place in Paradise, a person of the Fire his place in the Fire, and he is told: this is your place until Allah resurrects you on the Day of Resurrection. This is Sahih al-Bukhari 1379, sahih by inclusion in that collection.
4AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1379
The punishment of the grave is named in a supplication. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said that when any of you says the tashahhud (the testimony recited while seated in prayer), he should seek refuge with Allah from four things, among them the punishment of Hell and the punishment of the grave. This is Sahih Muslim 588a, sahih by inclusion in that collection.
5AuthenticSahih Muslim 588a
None of these reports says what the deceased feels or how the punishment takes place. The words around the supplication in prayer are on the Tashahhud and Attahiyat page.
What comes after the barzakh?
Al-Mu'minun 23:100 describes the barzakh as "a barrier until the day when they are raised." Resurrection follows: "from the graves they hasten to their Lord" (Ya-Sin 36:51), and "Allah will raise those who are in the graves" (Al-Hajj 22:7). Of the Day of Resurrection, Al Imran 3:185 says: "you will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which you have fairly earned. Whoever is removed from the Fire and is made to enter paradise, he indeed is triumphant."
The order of that day, with its passages, is on The Day of Judgement. The two destinations are on Jannah and Jahannam.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said Allah said: I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived. This is Sahih al-Bukhari 3244, sahih by inclusion in that collection. The report gives no description of what is prepared.
6AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3244
Which deeds continue after death?
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said that when a man dies, his deeds come to an end except three: recurring charity (sadaqah jariyah), knowledge from which people benefit, or a righteous child who prays for him. This is Sahih Muslim 1631, sahih by inclusion in that collection. The report names these three and gives no ranking among them. For recurring charity, see Sadaqah jariyah.
7AuthenticSahih Muslim 1631
What do the sources leave unsaid?
The sources cited here do not give:
- a date for death or for resurrection;
- the length of the barzakh, or how time passes in it;
- names for the two angels in Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 and 1369;
- what the deceased feels, or the state of any named person.
A statement on any of these would need its own source. If someone close to you has died and you are reading for that reason, take your questions to a scholar or someone you trust.
Each stage after death comes from a different report. The page keeps each stage with its source and says where the sources stop.
Try it: three questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1In Sahih Muslim 916a, what are the dying to be prompted to say?
Answer: La ilaha illa Allah. The report names those words and gives no method and no number. Source 1
2Which report links Ibrahim 14:27 with the grave?
Answer: Sahih al-Bukhari 1369. In Sahih al-Bukhari 1369 the believer's testimony in the grave is linked to the verse, and a second chain adds that it was revealed concerning the punishment of the grave. Source 3
3Which of these is not one of the three deeds in Sahih Muslim 1631?
Answer: A fixed number of recitations. The three are recurring charity, knowledge from which people benefit, and a righteous child who prays for the deceased. Source 7
Questions people ask
How long does the barzakh last?
Al-Mu'minun 23:100 gives its end as the day the dead are raised, and Sahih al-Bukhari 1379 gives the same endpoint, the Day of Resurrection. The sources cited on this page give no length or date.
Do the two angels have names in these reports?
Not in Sahih al-Bukhari 1338. It says two angels come, make the person sit and ask, and it does not name them. Ilmwell does not add names to a report that leaves them out.
Can these reports tell me what a loved one is going through?
No. They describe the stages in general terms and say nothing about any named person's state, and Ilmwell makes no claim about one. If grief is weighing on you, speak to a scholar or someone you trust.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet said: prompt your dying to say la ilaha illa Allah.
Sahih Muslim 916 Book 11, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 2
Anas reported that the Prophet said that when a person is laid in his grave and his companions leave, two angels make him sit and ask what he used to say about this man, Muhammad. The believer answers that he is Allah's slave and His Messenger, and is told to look at his place in the Fire, which Allah has replaced with a place in Paradise. The unbeliever or hypocrite says he does not know, and that he said what the people said.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 Book 23, Hadith 93
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported that the Prophet said that when a believer is made to sit in his grave he testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, and that this is the saying of Allah in Ibrahim 14:27 (Allah confirms those who believe by the firm saying). A second chain adds that the verse was revealed concerning the punishment of the grave.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1369 Book 23, Hadith 121
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 4
Ibn 'Umar narrates that the deceased is shown his place morning and evening: the people of Paradise their place in Paradise, the people of the Fire their place in the Fire; he is told that this is his place until Allah resurrects him on the Day of Resurrection.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1379 Book 23, Hadith 131
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 5
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said: when any of you says the tashahhud he should seek refuge with Allah from four things, from four things, the first two being the punishment of Hell and the punishment of the grave.
Sahih Muslim 588a Book 5, Hadith 162
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 6
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said Allah said: I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived; the narration then turns to the words of Al-Sajdah 32:17 ("recite, if you wish").
Sahih al-Bukhari 3244 Book 59, Hadith 55
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 7
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said that when a man dies his deeds come to an end except three: recurring charity (sadaqah jariyah), knowledge from which people benefit, or a righteous child who prays for him.
Sahih Muslim 1631 Book 25, Hadith 20
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for As-Sajdah 32:11, Al-An'am 6:61, 'Abasa 80:21 to 22, Ibrahim 14:27, Al-Mu'minun 23:100, Ya-Sin 36:51, Al-Hajj 22:7 and Al Imran 3:185.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
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