Where Are ‘Illiyyun and Sijjin?

Question

What places are ‘Illiyyun and Sijjin? The souls of ‘Illiyyun go up to heaven and the souls of Sijjin return towards the earth — so to what place do the souls come? Those souls that are confined in heaven — will they be brought from heaven down to earth for the reckoning on the Day of Resurrection? Do the souls come from heaven to their homes from time to time, on some particular day or without restriction? And where will the souls of the earth go?

Answer

‘Illiyyun is the name of the place which the souls of the blessed (su‘ada) reach after death. Sijjin is the name of the place which the souls of the wretched (ashqiya) reach (after death). Thus in “Fath al-‘Aziz”. The souls, despite being in ‘Illiyyun and Sijjin, retain a kind of connection and attachment with their graves and bodies. Thus in the Fatawa of Ibn Hajar al-Haytami.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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