Purgatory in the view of the Koran

Purgatory (Barzakh) refers to the world existing between this world and the Hereafter and it will start after death and will continue up to the Day of Judgement:

Since whenever death comes to any one of them, He says: My Lord, send   me back (23/99).

So I may act honorably with anything I may have left behind.

 Indeed not!

It is merely a remark he is making

Beyond them there lies a barrier till the day when they will be raised up again. (23/100)

It is inferred from those two verses that purgatory refers to the world between the present universe and the Hereafter where human feels everything , talks with the angels and spends his happy or unhappy life,

There are different verses in the Koran referring to the conversation between the dead and the angels indicating the life in purgatory:

Those whom the angels will gather up and tell, as they are harming themselves:

“What were you busy with? “, will say: “we were acting as weaklings on earth.” They will say: “Is not God is earth so vast you might settle down elsewhere on it?”  Those will have their refuge in Hell, and how evil is such a goal. (4/97)

Whom the angels carry off while they are good persons, saying:
“peace up upon you! 

Enter the Garden because of what you have been doing.” (16/32)

He was told: “Enter the Garden” he said: “If my people
only know” (36/26) how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones (36/27)

[those two verses descended about  a man known as the believer of  the folk “ Yosin” whon was told to ask his people to warship  God, the he himself reveal his faith in God and ask the people to follow him but  his folk did not listen to him . when he entered  paradise he wished his people had  listened  to him!]

There are other verses indicting the life of those who live miserably
 as well as those live happily:

Do not reckon those who are killed for God s sake are dead, but rather living, they will be provided for by their Lord (3/169)

So happy will they be with whatever God had given them out of his bounty and rejoicing for those they left behind who not yet overtaken them.

No fear will fall on them nor will they be saddened. (3/170)

God shielded him from the evil deeds they plotted while the worst torment engulfed pharaoh’s court (40/45)

The fire! They will be exposed to it morning and evening, while on the day when the Hour is set up [there will be heard]: send pharaohs court into the harshest torment! (40/46)

As it is mentioned in the 1^st verse the torment of pharaohs court is noticed as “the worst torment”,  which will be inflicted on them in purgatory : but in the 2^nd verse the torment will be inflicted on the Day  of Judgement when there will be no definite hour and day , and it is considered as “ the harshest Torment”.

Sources

Keywords