What happens to us after death?

Death is a stage, which occurs when the spirit departs from the body to make it lifeless. As Muslims, we believe in the resurrection when the body and the spirit will be reunited in the hereafter. This life is a stage for action, but the life to come after the resurrection is a stage of reward. Human beings will either be in pure happiness or in total misery. It is part of the basic Islamic beliefs that after resurrection, we will account for our deeds and we will be judged accordingly. Those on whom Allah bestows His mercy will be in heaven, while those who are denied it will abide in hell, the place of absolute misery. It is also clearly stated by the Prophet, peace be upon him, that the deeds of even the best person will not be enough to send him to heaven without Allah's grace. Allah's grace is guaranteed by none other than Allah Himself to those who believe in Him and do well in their lives.

However, the time between a person's death and resurrection is an intermediate stage of life of "barzakh" which means intermediate stage. Relying on authentic Hadiths, scholars mention that angels are sent to people in their graves to question them about their beliefs.

In a Hadith related by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet, peace be upon him, tells us that when a believer is buried, his prayers sit over his head, fasting to his right, Zakah to his left and other good deeds are positioned below his feet. Each prevent any harm from coming to him from that direction. He is then sat up and asked about his view of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. A believer will say: "Muhammad, peace be upon him, I believe that he was Allah's messenger who came with the message of the truth from Allah." He is then reassured of his fate by the questioning angels and his place is pointed out to him. A wide expanse is opened to him in his grave and he is given light. His body is then returned to its state.

The Hadith mentions the opposite of all this in the case of a non-believer. At the end, we are told that his grave is made too narrow for him that his ribs almost crack. That is the hard life mentioned in the Qur'an

All this applies to people who are buried, cremated, drowned or eaten up by wild beasts. It is easy for Allah to resurrect these in the same way as He resurrects those who are buried.