LIFE IN BARZAKH – THE REALITY

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

INTRODUCTION

Matters regarding the soul must only be discussed according to the Qur’an and authentic hadiths. When the rabbis in Madinah asked our beloved prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) regarding the soul, Allah Revealed the verse in the Qur’an surah 17 verse 85:

وَيَسأَلونَكَ عَنِ الرّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرّوحُ مِن أَمرِ رَبّي وَما أوتيتُم مِنَ العِلمِ إِلّا قَليلًا

“And they ask you (O Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit); Say: “The Ruh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little.”

The disbelievers had their own theories on the soul, that when people die, they will go to the skies and will look at those on the earth. So, when someone achieved something special, their deceased oved ones would smile in the skies, or they would hold some gift that their deceased loved one had given them thinking that their loved ones can still see them. Prince William when he was making a speech during the coronation of King Charles, said that his grandmother was in the sky looking at them. Some even went to the extreme extent – they wanted the soul to return and meet them, so they gathered in a house and sat in a circle and held hands and heard the voices or even claimed to see images of the dead speaking to them.

Even some Muslims made many assumptions about the dead. They said that when someone dies, in order for the soul to rest in peace, one should recite Surah Yaseen after 7 days, 40 days, annually in order for the soul to be fully rested and the Qur’anic verses will be sent to them as a charity. Some would recite surah Al Fatihah in order to give to the dead. All complete nonsense with no dalil or evidence from the Qur’an and authentic hadiths.

3 places of residence

Shaikh Salih al-Fawzaan mentioned in his explanation of Kitab at-Tawhid under the chapter [The Virtues of Tawhid and that which it Expiates from Sins], “The places of residence – as ibn ul-Qayyim mentioned – are three;

The First: The residence of this world, and it is the residence of actions and gaining [good deeds].

The Second: The residence of the Barzakh, and that is the residence within the graves, a barzakh between this world and the Hereafter. The term barzakh means a “divider” or “barrier” [i.e. the life within the graves is the seperator between this world and the Hereafter], and the life within the graves is [therefore] termed as the life of the barzakh. Within it are amazing affairs; in it is blessing or punishment, either a pit from the pits of the Hell-Fire, or a garden from the gardens of Paradise. The dead remain in their graves until Allah the Mighty and Majestic wishes to resurrect and gather them for accountability and recompense…[and so] this residence is a waiting station [until resurrection].

The Third: The residence of recompense, which is the Day of Judgement, [either] Paradise or Hell; and this residence does not perish nor cease ever. If a person believes in these two abodes [Paradise and Hell], then indeed that will cause a person to perform righteous actions and [seek] repentance from sins and wrong-doing. So if he is certain that Paradise exists, and that he cannot enter this Paradise except with righteous actions – then [surely] he will act [upon righteousness]. [Similarly] if he is certain that Hell exists and that he will enter it [if he performs] sins, disbelief and evil actions – then [surely] he will be wary and cautious of that and repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic.

What is al-Barzakh?

What is meant by al-barzakh is the period between a person’s death and his resurrection on the Day of Resurrection.

Allah Informed us in Surah 23 verses 99-100

حَتّىٰ إِذا جاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ المَوتُ قالَ رَبِّ ارجِعونِ

لَعَلّي أَعمَلُ صالِحًا فيما تَرَكتُ ۚ كَلّا ۚ إِنَّها كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قائِلُها ۖ وَمِن وَرائِهِم بَرزَخٌ إِلىٰ يَومِ يُبعَثونَ

“Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: “My Lord! Send me back, So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!” No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.”

Whoever dies as a Muslim, obeying Allaah, will be in a blessed state , and whoever dies as a kafir, disobeying Allaah, will be punished. Allah says:

النّارُ يُعرَضونَ عَلَيها غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا ۖ وَيَومَ تَقومُ السّاعَةُ أَدخِلوا آلَ فِرعَونَ أَشَدَّ العَذابِ

“The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): ‘Cause Fir‘aun’s (Pharaoh) people to enter the severest torment!’” [Ghafir 40:46]

Punishment in al-Barzakh

The punishments vary according to the sins committed. A hadeeth was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhari which describes the torments of al-barzakh which will befall some of those who committed major sins. 

Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) often used to ask his Companions, ‘Did any one of you see a dream?’ So dreams would be described to him by those who Allah willed should speak. One morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“Last night, two people came to me (in a dream), and woke me up and said, ‘Let’s go!’ I set out with them, and we came across a man who was lying down, with another man standing over him, holding a big rock. He threw the rock at the man’s head, smashing it. 

The rock rolled away, and the one who had thrown it followed it, and picked it up. By the time he came back to the man, his head had been restored to its former state. Then he (the one who had thrown the rock) did the same as he had done before. I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?’ They said, ‘Move on!’ So we went on, and came to a man who was lying flat on his back, with another man standing over him, holding an iron hook. He put the hook in the man’s mouth and tore off that side of his face to the back (of his neck), and he tore his nose and his eye from front to back in a similar manner. Then he turned to the other side of the man’s face and did likewise. No sooner had he finished the second side but the first side was restored to its former state, then he went back and did the same thing again. I said to my two companions, ‘Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?’ 

They said, ‘Move on!’ So we went on, and came to something like a tannoor (a kind of oven, lined with clay, usually used for baking bread).  – I think the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, in that oven there was much noise and voices. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) added:  – We  looked into it and saw naked men and  women. A flame of fire was reaching them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried out loudly. I asked them, ‘Who are these?’ They said to me,  ‘Move on!’ So we went on and came to a river – I think he said, red like blood. – In the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had gathered many stones. Whilst the swimmer was swimming, the man who had gathered the stones approached him. The swimmer opened his mouth and the man on the bank threw a stone into it, then the swimmer carried on swimming. 

Each time he came back, he opened his mouth again, and the man on the bank threw another stone into his mouth. I said to my two companions, ‘Who are these two persons?’ They said, ‘Move on, move on!’ We went on and came to a man who had the most repulsive appearance imaginable. Beside him there was a fire, which he was kindling, and he was running around it. I asked my companions, ‘Who is this man?’ They said, ‘Move on, move on!’ So we went on until we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, with all kinds of spring colours. In the midst of this garden was a very tall man, whose head I could hardly see because of his great height. Around him there were children, a great number such as I have never seen. I said to my companions, ‘who is this man, and who are these children?’ 

They said, ‘Move on, move on!’ So we went on, until we came to a huge garden, bigger and better than any I have ever seen. My two companions said to me, ‘Go up.’ So we went up into it, until we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks. We went to the gate and asked for it to be opened. It was opened and we entered the city, where we found men with one side of their bodies more handsome than the most handsome person you have ever seen, and the other side uglier than the ugliest person you have ever seen. My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. There was a river flowing through the city, and its water was pure white. The men went and threw themselves in the river, and came out with the ugliness in their bodies gone, and they were in the best shape. (My two companions) said to me, ‘This is the Paradise of ‘Aden (the Garden of Eden), and that is your place.’ I looked up and saw a palace like a white cloud. They said to me, ‘That is your place.’ I said to them, ‘May Allah bless you both, let me enter it.’ 

They said, ‘For now you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).’ I said to them, I have seen many wonders this night. What do all these things mean that I have seen?’ They said: ‘We will tell you. The first man you came across, whose head was being smashed with the rock, is the man who studies the Quran then he neither recites it nor acts upon it, and he goes to sleep, neglecting the obligatory prayers. The man you came across whose mouth, nose and ears were being torn from front to back, is the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells a lie that is so serious that it spreads all over the world. The naked men and women whom you saw in a structure that resembled an oven are the adulterers and adulteresses. The man you saw swimming in the river with rocks being thrown into his mouth is the one who consumed riba (usury). 

The ugly-looking man whom you saw kindling a fire and walking around it was Malik, the keeper of Hell. The tall man whom you saw in the garden was Ibraheem, and the children around him were the children who died (young) in a state of fitrah (natural state of mankind, i.e., Islam).’ – Some of the Muslims asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what about the children of the mushrikeen?’ He said, ‘And the children of the mushrikeen too.’ – ‘As for the men who were half handsome and half ugly, they were people who had mixed a good deed with another deed that was bad, but Allah forgave them.’”  (Narrated by Muslim, no. 7047)

THE BELIEVERS’ LIFE IN THE BARZAKH

The evidence indicates that the believer will be blessed in his grave until the Hour begins, then he will move by the grace and mercy of Allaah to the blessings that will never cease or come to an end, which is the blessing of Paradise. May Allaah make us among its people. 

These are some of the images of the blessings which are bestowed upon the believer in his grave: 

1-His grave is furnished from Paradise for him

2-He is clothed in garments from Paradise.

3-A gate to Paradise is opened for him, and its breezes come to him, and he smells its fragrance and he feels delight in what he can see of its blessings.

4-His grave is made wide and spacious for him.

5-He is given the glad tidings of Allaah’s pleasure and Paradise. Hence he longs for the Hour to begin. 

It was narrated that al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib said: “We went out with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the funeral of a man from among the Ansaar. We came to the grave and when (the deceased) was placed in the lahd, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat down and we sat around him, as if there were birds on our heads (i.e., quiet and still). In his hand he had a stick with which he was scratching the ground. Then he raised his head and said, “Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave”, two or three times. Then he said, “When the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with white faces like the sun, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. They bring with them shrouds from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O good soul, come forth to forgiveness from Allaah and His pleasure.’ Then it comes out easily like a drop of water from the mouth of a waterskin. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this good soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allaah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allaah says: ‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’ Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see. Then there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says, ‘Receive the glad tidings that will bring you joy this day.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings.’ He says, ‘I am your righteous deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’…” 

Narrated by Ahmad, 17803; Abu Dawood, 4753. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz, p. 156 

6-He will be happy when he sees what would have been his place in Hell, which Allaah has replaced for him with a place in Paradise. 

Ahmad (10577) narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: I attended a funeral with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, this ummah will be tested in their graves. When a man is buried and his friends leave him, an angel with a hammer in his hand comes and sits by him and asks, ‘What do you say about this man?’ If he is a believer, he says, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’ He says, ‘You have spoken the truth.’ Then a door to Hell is opened for him and he says, ‘This would have been your place if you had disbelieved in your Lord, but because you believed, this is your place.’ Then a door to Paradise is opened for him and he wants to go there, but the angel says to him, ‘Calm down,’ and his grave is made wide and spacious for him. But if he is a kaafir or a hypocrite, (the angel) says to him, ‘What do you say about this man?’ He says, ‘I do not know, I heard the people saying something.’ The angel says, ‘You did not know and you did not follow those who knew and you were not guided.’ Then a door to Paradise is opened for him and he says, ‘This would have been your position if you had believed in your Lord. But because you disbelieved, Allaah has replaced it for you with this.’ Then a gate to Hell is opened for him, and he strikes him a blow with the hammer which is heard by all of Allaah’s creation apart from the two races (of mankind and the jinn).” Some of the people said, “O Messenger of Allaah, there is no one who would have an angel standing by him holding a hammer but he would dumbfounded.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذينَ آمَنوا بِالقَولِ الثّابِتِ

“Allaah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm.” [Ibraaheem 14:27 – interpretation of the meaning]

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in his commentary on Kitaab al-Sunnah by Ibn Abi ‘Aasim, 865 

7-He will sleep the sleep of a bridegroom

8-His grave will be illuminated for him

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the deceased (or he said: any one of you) is buried, two black and blue angels, one of whom is called Munkar and the other Nakeer come to him. They say, ‘What did you say about this man?’ And he says what he used to say, that he is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’ They say, ‘We knew that you would say this.’ Then his grave is expanded, seventy cubits wide, and it is filled with light. He says, ‘Let me go back to my family and tell them.’ They say, ‘Sleep like a bridegroom whom no one will wake but his most beloved,’ until Allaah raises him up. But if he was a hypocrite he says, ‘I heard the people saying something and I said likewise, I do not know.’ So they say, ‘We knew that you would say that.’ Then it is said to the earth, ‘Squeeze him,’ so it squeezes him until his ribs interlock. And he will remain like that, being tormented, until Allaah raises him up.” 

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1071. Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1391. 

With regard to his sleep being likened to the sleep of a bridegroom, that is because he will be so happy and comfortable.  Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi. 

THE REALITY

The basic principle is that the dead cannot hear the words of the living, just as the living do not know anything about the situation of the dead except that concerning which texts have been narrated, because the life in al-barzakh is a matter of the unseen, which no one knows except Allah. 

You can pass by the graves of the mushrikeen and not feel that anyone is there or hear any sound from them, when in fact they are being punished in their graves. 

A righteous Muslim man may be buried next to a wrongdoer, and Allah may have mercy on the righteous man and make his grave spacious for him and illuminate it for him, and it may be like one of the gardens of Paradise for him, whereas He punishes the wrongdoer, makes his grave constricted for him and then it may be like one of the ditches of hellfire for him, but their conditions will not be mixed (even though their graves are next to one another) and no one will be aware of either of them. 

As to whether they can hear and know about things in this world, like the living, this is pure falsehood, and there is no evidence for it in any text or from the point of view of rational thinking. Even more false and misguided is the view of one who says that they can hear and respond. 

The dead in general, including the Prophets (peace be upon them) cannot hear those who call them in the sense of responding. They cannot answer the one who calls upon them or comply with whatever he tells them or forbids them to do. This is something that Allah has stated does not happen, as He says :

إِنَّكَ لا تُسمِعُ المَوتىٰ

“Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear” [27:80].

With regard to what is mentioned in as-Saheehayn about the deceased when he is placed into his grave, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “He can hear the sound of their sandals when they turn to leave him”; and what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to the slain mushrikeen on the day of Badr when they were dragged and thrown into the dried well of Badr, and he said to them: “Have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?” and he said: “They can hear what I am saying now”; and like the deceased’s hearing the two angels when he is placed in his grave and they ask him about his religion and his Prophet etc; and other things that are narrated in the shar‘i texts, that is the hearing of al-barzakh, and Allah knows best what its real nature is. The deceased cannot hear all the time; rather it is only at these particular times, and his hearing is not like his hearing in the life of this world; rather it is particular to the circumstances of al-barzakh, and no one knows how it really is except Allah. This hearing does not result in any benefit for the deceased or any harm for the living, because no one has power over that except Allah, may He be glorified. As for what is narrated about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saying: “No one sends greetings of salaam upon me but Allah will restore to me my soul so that I may return his greeting of salaam,” that is something that is unique to him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and that does not result in the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) benefitting or harming the living person who does that, apart from the reward that Allah, may He be glorified, bestows upon the one who sends blessings and peace upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). And one should not ask of him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he is in his grave anything that was asked of him in this world of meeting needs and solving problems, because the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) did not ask any such thing of him, because they knew that it is not permissible.

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, vol. 2 (2/456-457). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The deceased cannot hear if he is called upon or invoked in such a way as to respond to the one who calls upon him. This is what is meant by the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

إِنَّكَ لا تُسمِعُ المَوتىٰ

“Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear” [an-Naml 27:80].

OTHER ISSUES (taken from islamqa)

Do Souls Meet in Barzakh?

Yes, it is proven that the souls of the believers meet and visit one another. There follow some of the hadiths which indicate that, as well as some of the fatwas of the scholars on this matter. 

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When the believer is dying, the angels of mercy come to him with white silk and say: ‘Come out content and with the pleasure of Allah upon you to the mercy of Allah, fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ So it comes out like the best fragrance of musk. They pass him from one to another until they bring him to the gate of heaven, where they say: ‘How good is this fragrance that has come to you from the earth!’ Then the souls of the believers come to him and they rejoice more over him than any one of you rejoices when his absent loved one comes to him. They ask him: ‘What happened to So and So, what happened to So and So?’ They say: ‘Let him be, for he was in the hardship of the world. When he says, ‘Did he not come here?’ They say: ‘He was taken to the pit (of Hell).’ When the kafir is dying, the angels of punishment come to him with sackcloth and say: ‘Come out discontented and subject to divine wrath to the punishment of Allah. So it comes out like the foulest stench of a corpse. They bring him to the gates of the earth, where they say: ‘How foul is this stench!’ Then they bring him to the souls of the disbelievers.” (Narrated by al-Nasai, 1833; classed as sahih by al-Albani in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, 2758) 

Does one’s soul meet with the souls of his family and relatives?

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

“Does his soul meet with the souls of his family and relatives? According to the hadith narrated from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and others of the salaf, and narrated by Abu Hatim in al-Sahih from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):  “When his soul is taken up it is met by the souls who ask him about the living and they say to one another: ‘Let him rest.’ And they say: ‘What happened to So and So?’ And he says: ‘He did a righteous deed.’ They say: ‘What happened to So and So?’ and he says: ‘Has he not come to you?’ They say: ‘No.’ They say: ‘He was taken to the Pit (of Hell).’” 

And because the deeds of the living are shown to the dead, Abu’l-Darda used to say: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from doing any deed that would shame me before ‘Abd-Allah ibn Rawahah.” This is how they meet when he comes and they ask him questions and they answer him. 

Where do the souls settle?

With regard to where they settle, that depends on their status before Allah. For the one who is among those who are close to Allah (al-muqarrabin – cf. al-Waqi’ah 56:88), his status will be higher than those of the Right Hand (cf. al-Waqi’ah 56:90). The one who is higher may descend to the one who is lower but the one who is lower cannot ascend to the one who is higher, thus they will gather when Allah wills as they used to gather in this world, despite their differences in status, and they will visit one another. 

That will happen whether their places in which they are buried in this world are far apart or close together. Souls may meet even though their places of burial are far apart, or they may be separated even though their places of burial are close together. A believer may be buried beside a disbeliever, but the soul of the former will be in Paradise whilst the soul of the latter is in Hell. Two men may be sitting or sleeping in the same place, but the heart of one is blessed and the heart of the other is tormented, and there is no connection between the two souls. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Souls are troops collected together and those who got along with each other (in the heaven from whence they come) would have an affinity with one another (in this world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in heaven) would also be divergent (in the world).” (Narrated by Muslim, 2638; Majmu’ al-Fatawa, 24/368) 

Types of souls in the grave

Ibn al-Qayyim said: 

The second issue is whether the souls of the dead meet one another, visit one another and talk to one another. 

This is a good question. The answer is that souls are of two types: those that are punished and those that are blessed.  Those that are punished are too preoccupied with the torment that they are facing to visit and meet one another, but the souls that are blessed are free and are not detained, so they meet one another, visit one another and talk about what they used to do in this world and what happened to the people of this world. So each soul will be with its friends who did similar good deeds. The soul of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is with the highest companions. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسولَ فَأُولٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذينَ أَنعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيهِم مِنَ النَّبِيّينَ وَالصِّدّيقينَ وَالشُّهَداءِ وَالصّالِحينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولٰئِكَ رَفيقًا

“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.” [al-Nisa 4:69]

This togetherness is confirmed in this world, in al-Barzakh and in the abode of reward (Paradise), and “A man will be with those whom he loves” in these three realms… Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“(It will be said to the pious — believers of Islamic Monotheism): ‘O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction! ‘Come back to your Lord,—  well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing (unto Him)! ‘Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves, ‘And enter you My Paradise!’” [al-Fajr 89:27-30] i.e., enter among them and be one of them. This is said to the soul at the time of death… And Allah has told us that the martyrs are:

بَل أَحياءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِم يُرزَقونَ

“are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision” [Al ‘Imran 3:169];

وَيَستَبشِرونَ بِالَّذينَ لَم يَلحَقوا بِهِم مِن خَلفِهِم

they “rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind” [Al ‘Imran 3:170]

يَستَبشِرونَ بِنِعمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضلٍ

and “They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allah” [Al ‘Imran 3:171]. 

This indicates that they will meet one another in three ways: 

• they are with their Lord and are given provision, and if they are alive then they meet one another; 
• they rejoice at the arrival of their brothers and their meeting with them; and
• the word yastabshirun (translated as “rejoice”) implies that they pass the good news to one another.  (Al-Ruh, pp. 17-18) 

Take note:

There are hadiths which state that the dead visit one another and we are commanded to make their shrouds beautiful because of that, but none of these hadiths are sahih. For example, the hadith of Abu Qatadah according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever takes the responsibility of preparing his brother for burial, let him make his shroud beautiful, for they visit one another in them.” (Shu’ab al-Iman, 7/10) 

Its isnad includes Salam ibn Ibrahim al-Warraaq whom Ibn Ma’in and al-Dhahabi classed as a liar, as did others.