Muhaddis Jazaairi (r.a.) mentions at the end of Anwaar-e-Nomaaniyah: If you ask when souls live in allegorical bodies in Vaadiyus Salaam, why we have been asked to visit graves (for reciting Fatihaa and prayers)? And how do the souls understand that a visitor has arrived when they are not present in the graves? The reply is that it has been narrated form Imam Sadiq (a.s) that though the souls live in Waadiyus Salaam, their relations with graves remain intact and they know about the visitor and they recognize them. The Holy Imam has said that souls are like sun. The sun remains in the sky its rays cover the whole earth. Likewise, the souls covering or encirclement is Ilmi (concerned with knowledge and comprehension).
Reflection Of Sunrays In A Mirror
Just as the appearance and reflection is relatively much more at a mirror the attention of souls and their covering is more at their graves. It is so because the soul had lived in those bodies for several years and gained much favours due to them. That is why they will focus their attention there. This also provides an answer to the one who asks as to why we should go to grave when the Imam is present at every place and thus, there is no difference in one place and the other. Doubtlessly the graves of Holy Imams and religious leaders are the centres of the attention of Holy souls and the places where divine favours keep raining. Angels come and go there. So, if anybody wants to get full benefit from those Holy personalities he should never give up visiting the Holy shrines and must try their best to go there.
Why No Reward Or Punishment Is Given To This Earthen Body?
Some people raise here a weak doubt and say: The soul after one's death gets connected with a fine body called allegorical body which is just like this earthen body, as has been described earlier, and also sees (tastes) reward or torture with the same allegorical body. Now here arises a question: When man had worshipped God in this earthen body how reward is given to the other body? Or man had committed sins in the material body which has been disintegrated now after death then how is it that the punishment is meted out to the other body? There can be several answers to this question.
Every Soul Has Two Kinds Of Bodies
As Alamah Majlisi (r.a.) has written, allegorical body is not any outward thing which may be brought near the grave after one's death and then, for example, it may be said to it: O soul! Now live in this body. Rather, an allegorical body is a fine ody which lives even now in this world living with man' earthly body. Every soul has two bodies: A fine (thin) body and a tough foul body. Man has prayed and sinned in both these bodies. This matter must be well understood. So we are giving the example of a dream. During a dream, these two bodies get separated. What a man sees in his dream is the behaviour or deed of this allegorical body which walks, talks etc. Within twinkling of eye man reaches Karbala-e-Moalla, Holy Mashad, tours from east to west. This shows that the allegorical body remains with man always but after death; it separates from the material earthen body. This statement of Majlisi (r.a.) is a very studied one. There also is many more witness.
Anyhow, It Is The Soul Which Gets Either Punishment or Reward
Another answers it that, after death, human soul turns into the same earthen form of body. It does not get connected with any outside body. Rather the soul takes up the form of material body. Now, you may call it an allegorical body or Barzakhi body or soul/spirit. But, as it is fine, elemental or material eyes cannot see it. Summarily speaking, it was only the soul/spirit which had committed sins in the world and hence it is only the soul/spirit is being punishment after death. Now, it may be chastised either by getting it connected with the allegorical (Misaale) body or it may be getting punishment absolutely by itself, constantly. Of course, on the Day of Judgement, all will rise and gather only in this very worldly and material body form.
