THE PUNISHMENT OF THE GRAVE AND MAN'S SUFFERING IN HELL
Similarly, the punishment of the grave or our suffering in Hell cannot be understood unless we believe in the existence of our bodies after death. How is it that the corpse which is dismembered, scattered and finally reduced to dust is restored to life in the grave or Hell? And it it is impossible to conceive of spiritual pain or pleasure independent from our bodies, how could you prove that a bald-headed serpent will devour the defaulter who does not pay the poor-tax or that ninety-nine snakes will bite an infidel in his grave, as laid down in the traditions, when it is an established fact that, after death, both imaginative power as well as spiritual perception are eliminated because of the death of the body? You should know that God?s power is mighty and He is the doer of whatever He wills. There seems little doubt that absolute truth is unattainable by the human mind. That is why God sent His Apostles and showed their veracity through explicit miracles, and they conveyed His commands and prohibitions as well as His promises and threats, so it became obligatory upon all creatures to believe in what they brought. Refrain from speculations on the decrees of God. To add to what the teacher set forth is disloyal and unfair. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is our teacher and our example, and we are his followers. This question disturbs the minds of those who deny Resurrection and believe that it is impossible for the soul to return to the old body, once it has severed its relations with the latter. They have no sound reasons to support their belief, and it seems they believe in the transmigration of soul, which is indivisible and which does not become incarnate or united with phenomena. A fact which is based upon the scriptural texts or upon the traditions should, therefore, be accepted. Some of the ancient philosophers have refuted the return of soul to body, but their arguments are not convincing and difficulties arise from their theories. On the contrary, the proofs of the soul?s return to body have been definitely mentioned in our religious books and we should believe in them. Some of the greatest philosophers have not denied the soul?s return to body. In the general histories of Islamic philosophy, one usually turns to Abu `Ali ibn Sina? (Avicenna) as the most important figure. He has mentioned in his Peripatetic masterpiece al-Shifa? ("The Book of the Remedy") that it is possible that some of the heavenly bodies might have been created as abodes to which the souls will return after the death of the bodies. He has reported one of his ancestors to have said that some of the learned who are not irresponsible and do not lack reliable integrity do believe in the return of soul to body. Had he not himself contributed to this view, he would not have regarded such learned persons responsible and of reliable integrity, for there is nothing more unreliable than falsehood. Some of the research scholars have reported that Avicenna has merely mentioned this as a trick for escaping trouble or something unpleasant, for in his book of "Psychology," he has devoted a whole chapter to the discussion of transmigration of soul, wherein he has proved the impossibility of the return of departed souls to dead bodies. It has already been stated that when matter is fit enough to attract soul, the latter comes to the former. It is possible to effect resurrection by restoring the soul to a body, whether made of the same matter, as the original was, or made of the matter of any other body or of a matter created for the first time. For it is the soul, and not the body, which makes us what we are. Two sperm drops begetting twins may be within the same womb and at the same time equally prepared to receive souls. These two souls emanate directly or through intermediaries - from the first Principle, to be related to the embryonic bodies. Thus the soul of this body cannot be the director of that body, nor the soul of that body, the director of this body. This special relation can arise only from special affinity between a particular soul and a particular body. For instance, the body of one of the twins would not be more apt than that of the other to receive this particular soul, because they were two souls which came into existence simultaneously and there were two sperm drops equally prepared to be directed by souls. The question arises: What is the cause of special affinity between a particular soul and a particular body? lf it is a soul?s being impressed upon body, then the elimination of the body will eliminate the soul as well. But if there is some other cause to explain the connection between this particular body and this particular soul (so that the connection is a condition for the soul?s coming into existence), then how can it be improbable that this very connection should also be a condition for the soul?s survival? Therefore, when this connection is severed, the soul will perish. And its existence will not reappear until God (Holy and Exalted be His Name) causes such reappearance by way of the re-infusion or resurgence of life, as religion teaches us in the doctrine of Resurrection. An exhaustive argument of this point would be extremely long, but what has been explained is sufficient and adequate. Suffice it to say that there is no proof for the denial of Resurrection, and when one cannot deny it, it follows that one has to believe inevitably in the punishment of the grave and Hell. If someone says: We cannot understand how the dead man?s corpse sufferers when it lies still and motionless, tell him that the punishment is possible, and neither the apparent stillness of the dead man?s corpse, nor our failure to understand it will refute it, for a person in a coma or a sleeping person is outwardly still and motionless but he perceives inwardly pains and pleasures, the effects of which he feels once he is recovered or awake. Furthermore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to hear the voice of Gabriel and to see him, while those who were around neither heard nor saw him.
