The Punishment of the Grave — upon the Soul or the Body?

Question

It is written in the books that the soul of the polytheists will keep being punished inside the grave until the Day of Judgement. So is the punishment upon the soul or upon the body — given that the soul becomes confined in the body, while the body, that is the flesh, rots and decays? Upon what, then, does the punishment of the grave fall?

Answer

This punishment takes place in the barzakh. Just as the barzakh is hidden from our eyes, so this punishment is hidden as well. The connection of the soul with the body also remains; for this reason, near a grave in which punishment is taking place and from which the dead person cries out, animals do not graze but run away in fright: everyone except the jinn and mankind hears…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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