BE PREPARED FOR THE MOMENT -BARZAKH AND BEYOND..........

Feb 7, '13 12:47 PM for everyone

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has said about this phase: "I swear by Allah, I do not fear for you except in Barzakh." (Mizan al-Hikma)

What is Barzakh?

Ayatollah Dastghaib Shirazi explains the literal meaning of Barzakh to be a veil or a "curtain" which lies between two things, preventing them from meeting each other. 

In the context of the different phases of life, Barzakh is the state of existence between the life of this world and the Hereafter; the "curtain" which Allah has placed between the two worlds. Imam Sadiq has explained it as being a period beginning from death until the Day of Judgment (Bihar al-Anwar); indeed, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an itself, before us is a barrier (Barzakh) until the Day we are raised (23:100). This verse is a clear indication that man certainly has a life after death, but before the Day of Judgment. The exact nature of this life and what it will entail, we do not know, but our Imams have enlightened us of it to some degree through their various Hadiths.

The Allegorical (Misaali) World

As Ayatollah Shirazi explains, if a baby in the womb of its mother were to be told there is a very vast world beyond its present station which is nothing in comparison to where it is now, it wouldn't be able to understand or comprehend it. Similarly, we too are unable to comprehend this other world which is veiled from our eyes as it is beyond our physical senses.

The period of Barzakh is called the Allegorical World, because its shape and form is like that of our present world, but is distinct in its substance and matter. Thus our bodies will also be allegorical (Misaali) in that they will physically appear just as they do in this world, yet they will be independent of matter. To help us understand this, our scholars have given the example of dreams; when we see a deceased person in a dream, it is only the worldly allegorical body that we see, as the body and matter actually lie in the grave.

The allegorical body has been described to be transparent, more pleasant and lighter than air and will face no barriers as our bodies do in this material world. For example, the eyes will be able to see anything from anywhere at any time (regardless of whether something is on one side of a wall or the other), and as they (or any other body part) are not composed of matter, they will not suffer nor deteriorate until the Day of Judgment. Shaikh Abbas Qummi has explained in Manazil-e-Akhira that philosophers and thinkers compare this body to the image in a mirror, only with two differences: the worldly, allegorical body in Barzakh is firm, free and independent of the mirror, and it is also intelligent, wise, and understanding as opposed to the image in the mirror.