Punishment Of The Grave

Is the punishment of the grave ‘عذاب القبر’ on ‘body and soul’ or just the ‘soul’?

Ibn Hazm wrote 1000 years ago:
فتنة القبر وعذابه والمساءلة إنما هي للروح فقط بعد فراقه للجسد
وإنما قيل عذاب القبر فأضيف إلى القبر لأن المعهود في أكثر الموتى أنهم يقبرون وقد علمنا أن فيهم أكيل السبع والغريق تأكله دواب البحر والمحرق والمصلوب والمعلق فلو كان على ما يقدر من يظن أنه لا عذاب إلا في القبر المعهود لما كان لهؤلاء فتنة ولا عذاب قبر ولا مساءلة ونعوذ بالله من هذا بل كل ميت فلا بد له من فتنة وسؤال وبعد ذلك سرور أو نكد إلى يوم القيامة فيوفون حينئذ أجورهم وينقلبون إلى الجنة أو النار وأيضاً فإن جسد كل إنسان فلا بد من العود إلى التراب يوماً
“The trial, punishment and questioning in the grave only take place with the soul after it leaves the body [not the body itself].
It is only called “the punishment of the grave”, because people generally bury their dead.
However, there are people who [don’t get buried] but:
– they get eaten by wild animals,
– others who drown and get eaten by sea creatures,
– others who are cremated [burned],
– others get crucified and are left hanging on the cross,
If someone believes that the punishment only takes places inside the grave, then it will mean that these people will not be tested, nor punished, nor questioned – we seek refuge with God against such an [incorrect] understanding.
No, rather every person who dies will be questioned, after which they will meet their happy or sad end.
If you think about it, all bodies eventually turn into dust [so does it mean its punishment will end]?”
[“Al-Fasl fi Al-Milal”, 4/56].

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The ‘أهل السنة والجماعة’ believe its both body and soul.
As Sunnis, we believe that it can be a combination of both body and soul [not only the soul as Ibn Hazm believed] – but he is right that it is generally on the soul, because when people die, it is the soul that moves to the other dimensions…the body, which is its ‘shell’, is left behind on earth.
The ‘shell’ eventually becomes dust – but the punishment on the soul may continue until the Day of Judgement, we seek refuge with God against that.
It cannot be the case that the soul cannot be punished if the body is not present – for the reasons which Ibn Hazm mentioned.
And also – people have preserved the physical bodies of Lenin, Mao Zedong and the mummified Pharaohs … the fact that their bodies are preserved does not mean that they are safe from the punishment of the grave.
Some people carry the ‘ashes’ of their dead relatives in a ‘ring’, others send their cremated ashes into space (Space burial).
It does not mean that people can escape from the ‘punishment of the grave’, but doing these things.

CONCLUSION: the ASL (in principle) these punishments are related to the soul, but they can extend to body and even particles of the human remains, with the permission of God.

Allaahu A’alam