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What is the reason for a believer's torment in the grave through the compression of the grave, even though he is without sin? And what is the interpretation of the Prophet's instruction (talqeen) to his son Ibrahim despite his young age? And are the hadiths about the torment of the grave authentic?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The correct stance is to firmly believe in Allah's justice and mercy, while the error lies in precluding Allah's threat of punishment for those who perform acts that invalidate their purity and prayer. Thus, whoever's prayer is incomplete is deserving of punishment. As for the compression of the grave (dhammat al-qabr), it afflicts everyone, but it is not a punishment for the believer; rather, it is like the embrace of a compassionate mother to her child, and its intensity varies according to the deceased's state. As for children, the more accurate view is that they are not questioned in their graves because they are not tested, but the compression of the grave affects them without being a punishment. Regarding the proportion of the people of Paradise to the people of Hell, it has been mentioned in authentic hadiths, but the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, reassured the Companions that Muslims would constitute a large portion of the people of Paradise.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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