Q.1. What are the actions that ensure receiving reward from God after one’s death?
Q.2. Do all people face punishment in the grave? Is it true that reciting Surah 67 regularly makes one exempt from such punishment?
Q.3. Who was the first prophet and to whom was he sent? How many prophets did God send altogether?
Moideen, Riyadh
A.1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us in a highly authentic Hadith that “when a person dies, his actions come to an end except in one of three ways: A continuous act of charity, a useful contribution to knowledge, and a dutiful child who prays for him.” The first of these has been the basis for the countless number of endowments made by Muslims in every generation. The other two are too clear to require any comment.
A.2. The Prophet says that the grave could be either “a piece of the garden of heaven or a pit of the fire of hell.” This means that only those who deserve punishment, on account of their misdeeds in life, will face this punishment.
People who truly believe in God and the Day of Judgment and do good deeds in life need not fear any of it. It is not the reading of a particular surah that ensures exemption from it; it is faith and good action.
A.3. The first prophet was Adam, and he was sent to mankind. We do not know the exact number of prophets and messengers God sent to people because He says in the Qur’an that some of His messengers have not been mentioned by Him. We know only about those mentioned in the Qur’an, and these number 25 only. But there were many more.