The Hereafter in Islam | Al-Tadhkira, Hadi al-arwah

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What these works cover

The section follows the order of events: the throes of death, what follows in the grave, the barzakh, the signs announcing the Hour, the blast of the horn, the gathering, the handing of the records, the scale, the bridge, then the description of the Garden and the Fire. The classical authors gather the verses and hadiths on each stage and discuss their grading.

The reference works

Al-Tadhkira fi ahwal al-mawta wa umur al-akhira by al-Qurtubi: the fullest work of the genre, following the order of the stages. It exists complete and in abridgements, some of which sift the reports.
Hadi al-arwah ila bilad al-afrah by Ibn al-Qayyim: devoted entirely to the description of the Garden.
Al-Ruh by the same author: on the soul, what becomes of it after death, and the questions attached.
Ahwal al-qubur by Ibn Rajab.
Al-Nihaya fi al-fitan wa al-malahim by Ibn Kathir: the eschatological part of his history, on the signs of the Hour.

The point of caution in this section

It should be said plainly: this is the field where the most weak or unsourced reports circulate, including in old and respected works, which gathered widely before sifting. A good edition states under each hadith who reported it and its grading, and serious modern abridgements remove what does not stand. It is the first criterion to look at on a listing here, before price and before binding.

Where to start

With a verified abridgement of Al-Tadhkira rather than the complete edition, or with Hadi al-arwah if you want a single continuous book. Works on the signs of the Hour call for more distance: prefer an annotated edition that separates the authentic from the rest.

Related sections

For the doctrinal framework of these questions, see Aqida. For the source hadiths, Hadith collections. For what prepares one, Purification of the soul and Merits of good deeds.

Ordering and shipping

Real stock shown, dispatched within 24 to 48 working hours, shipped across Europe and worldwide. To find out whether an edition includes takhrij of the reports, write to us before ordering: we check the copy on the shelf.

Which book to start with?

A verified abridgement of al-Qurtubi's Al-Tadhkira rather than the complete edition, or Ibn al-Qayyim's Hadi al-arwah if you want a single continuous work on the description of the Garden.

Do these works contain weak reports?

This is the section's point of caution, and it should be said plainly: it is the field where the most weak or unsourced reports circulate, including in respected early authors who transmitted widely. A good edition states the grading of each hadith.

Which criterion comes first?

Takhrij, before price and before binding. In this section more than any other, an edition that states under each report who related it and its grading is well worth the difference in price.

Where is the doctrinal framework?

In the Aqida section, specifically the general treatises that devote a chapter to the last day. The works here develop the detail but assume the framework is already in place.

Is Al-Nihaya fi al-fitan suitable for a beginner?

Works on the signs of the Hour call for distance and an annotated edition that separates the authentic from the rest. For a first approach, a book on the stages of the hereafter serves better than one on the fitan.

The Hereafter