Where does the soul remain after death?
The Query:
Where does the soul remain after death?
The Answer:
The place of the soul after death varies according to its status. Some souls of Muslims remain in the graves while the souls of others are in the Well of Zamzam. Some are in between the sky and the earth. Some are in the first sky, the second, and so on up to the seventh. And some are in the A'ala Illiyin (highest of the high) station. Some souls remain in chandeliers in the form of green birds under the Arsh (Sacred Throne). The souls of the kuffar (disbelievers) are imprisoned in the Well of the valley of Barhout [1]; some are in the second level, third level, and up to the seventh level of the earth, while some are in the dungeons of Sijin (the inferior world). And Almighty Allah knows best.
Answer by Imam Ahmad Rida al-Qadri Hanafi ends here, below are the footnotes added only for explanation by the english translator.
Notes:
[1] Barhout's Well is located in the vast wilderness of the Barhout Valley in Hadramout, Yemen. It is said to be the most hated spot on earth to Almighty Allah, and from it will be the destruction of the world... and it has the worst stench and water on the planet.
Barhout Valley is a desert valley located in the region of Figuet in the province of Al-Mahra. There is a large hole in this valley that extends over more than 100 square meters and descends to a dark depth of more than 250 meters. It is like a well, but it was not made by humans.
There is a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which states: "The best water on the face of the earth is Zamzam water, and the worst water on the face of the earth is the water in a valley in Hadramout named Barhout; its water is black and stinky."
It is said that this deep well produces foul odors and toxic fumes at times. Its bottom cannot be seen because of the extreme darkness. However, when the sun is completely perpendicular to the crater, the viewer is surprised by the presence of green vegetation that has adapted to life in that toxic atmosphere and dirty water.
By: Ammar Hashem Mohammed Osman - Yemen
Contact: facebook.com/ammar.hashem.56
Regarding the reality of this hole, Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Majidi, a professor of interpretation at the College of Sharia—who is from the people of Yemen—said that the Hadith of Barhout Well was narrated by Tabarani in his book Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir.
The Hadith states on the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said (what means): "The best water on the face of the earth is the water of Zamzam, which contains food for hunger and a cure for illness; and the worst water on the face of the earth is the water of Barhout in Hadramout, which is like the leg of a locust among vermin—it flows in the morning and has no water by night."
He continued: "It is said that it is a crater of Hell and that the souls of the disbelievers are in it, and some Shafi'is were reported to dislike performing ablution with the water from it."
He also pointed out: "Some people tried to explore it, and some of them who went to the place were devoured. So, is it connected to something from the world of the unseen? Almighty Allah knows best."
Ibn Hajar said that his narrators are reliable, and the site added that this mysterious hole is what is referred to (وَبِئْرٍۢ مُّعَطَّلَةٍۢ) in the verse:
فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌۭ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍۢ مُّعَطَّلَةٍۢ وَقَصْرٍۢ مَّشِيدٍ
And many a township did We destroy, for they were oppressors - so they now lie flat on their roofs, and many a well lying useless and many a palace in ruins.
[Surah al-Hajj 22:45]
References:
Fatawa Ridawiyyah, vol. 9 page 658
[ English Translation ]
Mawlana Abdul Hadi Qadri Ridawi Noori.