Question

Assalaam alaikum. pliz i would like to know if it is true that every human will be squeezed by land in the grave except the prophets.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is confirmed in an authentic narration that when Sa’d ibn Mu’aath, may Allah be pleased with him, was buried, the grave squeezed him once, and then the Prophet said: “Had anyone escaped from the squeeze of the grave, it would have been Sa’d ibn Mu’aath as he was squeezed once and then his grave was expanded.”

Some scholars explained the squeeze of the earth in the grave by saying that we are created from it (clay) and it is like our mother. We were absent from it for a very long time, and so, when we return to it, we are cuddled by it in the same manner a mother cuddles her son after a long absence. Hence, whoever is obedient to Allah, the earth will squeeze him in a soft manner, and whoever is disobedient, the earth will squeeze him in a violent and brutal manner as a way of being discontent with him due to the Wrath of Allah on that person.

The scholars stated that the Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, are not squeezed by the earth in their graves when they are buried, because they are infallible and because of their great status with Allah. They are also different from other people as their bodies are not decayed in their graves.

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb