Life in Barzakh: The World Between Worlds

There is a truth hidden in the words of Ibrahim ibn Adham that most of us pass by every day.

You and I live surrounded by invisible worlds. The Qur’an calls Allah “Rabb al-‘Ālamīn” Lord of the Worlds (Al-Fātiḥah 1:2), not Lord of this world alone. There is the world we see: of streets, breath, and sunlight.

And then there is the world beneath it, unseen yet near. The realm of those who once walked these same roads but have crossed a thin, unbreakable veil.

They are not gone. Their existence is as real as ours. Some dwell in gardens of light, reclining among family members who left decades ago. Others sit in narrowness and constriction, calling out for mercy. Their reality runs parallel to ours. This is Al-Barzakh, the world between worlds.

The Life Beyond the Veil

Right now, someone you buried years ago is living in that realm, seeing, hearing, remembering. Every single soul that has ever walked the face of the Earth is there now.

Think about that: while our planet holds nearly eight billion living people, the Barzakh holds over a hundred billion souls. Generations upon generations, prophets and tyrants, children and scholars, all alive in a dimension that lies beside ours.

Each one a story, a heartbeat, a memory. They once had dreams and fears, ambitions and regrets. They loved and were loved. They worked and wept and hoped. Every one of them was as real, as complicated, and as full of life as you.

And yet, all of it, the chasing, the pain, the triumphs they thought would last forever, has turned to dust. What once felt endless now exists only as faint impressions the soul can barely recall.

Their passions, their worries, their loves have slipped away like smoke, and they awaken to a world where none of it matters anymore.

The Long Wait Before Resurrection

How long will they remain there? Until the Day of Judgment.
That means most of humanity will live longer in Barzakh than they ever lived on Earth.

And you might move there tomorrow and live for a thousand years, or more.

It is called the Life of the Barzakh for a reason. Because it is life, not sleep.

Only, its laws are not like ours. Our physics, our sense of time, none of it applies there.
A thousand years can pass as a single day, or a single day can feel like an age. The comparison itself collapses, for the scales are not the same.

The Prophet ﷺ said,

A World With Its Own Order

That world has its own structure. Homes and gatherings, adults and children, food and drink, creatures and landscapes. All the features of life are present, but under new dimensions of space and time.

It is not like this world, where we age and decay, nor like Paradise, where we remain perfect and eternal. It is a bridge between, where the soul awaits its final call.

The Qur’an describes this transition:

In that barrier lies awareness, remembrance, and consequence but not choice. Our deeds are sealed. Our destinies unfold, not in action, but in realization.

The Message Hidden in Barzakh

To reflect on Barzakh is to realize that life is shorter than it feels. The unseen world isn’t waiting, it is already here, quietly pulsing beside our own.

Every graveyard is not an end but a gateway into an unseen civilization of souls.
Those we buried are not silent; they live on, seeing the fruits of their deeds.

For the believer, this awareness is not meant to frighten but to awaken. To remember that every word, every act, every heartbeat echoes beyond the veil.

Applying This Reflection to Our Lives

1. Visit the Graves Regularly
   The Prophet ﷺ said: “Visit the graves, for they remind you of the Hereafter.” (Sahih Muslim 976).
   Modern psychology confirms that contemplation of mortality reduces anxiety and sharpens gratitude, helping us prioritize what truly matters.

2. Pray for the Departed
   Duʿā reaches those in Barzakh. It comforts them and honors our bond beyond death. Neuroscientists find that intercessory prayer also deepens empathy and activates neural circuits of compassion.

3. Guard the Heart from Heedlessness
   Mindfulness in Islam isn’t a trend but a prophetic command: “Do not be heedless of Allah” (7:205). Each act of remembrance trains the mind to dwell in the eternal, not the temporary.

4. Prepare for the Next World Daily
   Through repentance (tawbah), charity, and good character, we send light ahead. The Prophet ﷺ said, “When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.” (Sahih Muslim 1631).

5. Live with Presence and Purpose
   Neuroscience shows that sustained attention rewires the brain for peace and clarity². Spiritually, this presence becomes khushūʿ, a mind anchored in remembrance of Allah even amid the noise of life.

FAQ: Understanding Life in Barzakh

Q1: What is Barzakh in Islam?
Barzakh is the intermediate realm where the soul resides after death until the Day of Resurrection, as mentioned in Surah al-Mu’minūn 23:100.

Q2: Do souls in Barzakh have awareness?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ described them as conscious, seeing their place in Paradise or Hell morning and evening (Sahih al-Bukhari 1379).

Q3: Can we communicate with those in Barzakh?
We cannot communicate directly, but our prayers and charity reach them, bringing benefit by Allah’s permission.

Q4: Is Barzakh the same as the grave?
The grave is its entrance. Barzakh extends beyond physical burial; it is a vast spiritual dimension invisible to this world.

Q5: How should belief in Barzakh shape our daily lives?
It reminds us that the unseen is real, that deeds endure beyond death, and that our ultimate home lies not here, but in what follows.

Footnotes

1. Davidson, R. J., et al. (2003). Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 564–570.

2. Tang, Y. Y., et al. (2015). The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225.