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Fatwa CenterThe language used in the grave and on Judgment Day
Question
If someone does not know Arabic, how will he answer the two angels in the grave and what will be his language on the Day of Judgment? Also, how will he talk to Allaah and the angels in Paradise?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alyhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, one of the obligations on all Muslims is to believe that everyone will be questioned by the two angels in his grave and that he will be asked and spoken to on the Day of Reckoning. In the first verses of Chapter Al-Baqarah, Allaah The Almighty made believing in such matters (the Unseen) the primary characteristic of the pious. In this regard He Says (what means): {Alif, Laam, Meem. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the pious - who believe in the Unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.} [Quran 2: 1-3]
As far as we are aware, neither the Quran nor the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has indicated the language of address in these situations. The Quran and Sunnah are the only two sources of information about the Unseen, and there is no doubt that questioning a matter that is not mentioned in either of them is considered overindulging in pondering over this issue. Anyone who engages in discussions about the Unseen without knowledge is indeed in great danger.
Allaah The Almighty informed us that on the Day of Judgment the organs of the person will bear witness to his deeds after his mouth would have been sealed. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.} [Quran 36: 65] Likewise, it is quite possible that Allaah The Almighty will unify the language of all creatures on the Day of Judgment, or He might address each one in the same language that he used to use in this world. In the same way, He might enable the two angels of the grave to understand the language of each and every person. Being the Omnipotent, Allaah The Almighty is able to do anything.
A believer should not preoccupy himself with such matters; instead, he is required to do his utmost to arm himself with all that would make him steadfast in answering these questions. To achieve that end, he has to obey the commands of Allaah The Almighty, avoid His prohibitions and sincerely ask Him to grant him steadfastness in these situations. There is no doubt that the key to all this is perfect faith. In this regard, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allaah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allaah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allaah does what He wills.} [Quran 14: 27]
Allaah Knows best.
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