This important book covers an area about which most people have very little knowledge but which is at the same time, of vital interest to all human beings. It outlines what happens to the human soul from the moment of death until the arrival of the Day of Judgement. It describes the death profess itself, the exact relationship of the soul to the body, the states of the soul after it leaves this world, and the nature of the ongoing relationship between the dead and those who are still alive. Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah was born into a scholarly and virtuous family in 691 AH/ 1292 A.D. At that time Damascus was a centre of literature and thought. Many schools were located there and he studied and graduated under the protection, direction and sponsorship of his father. He was particularly influenced by his Shaykh and teacher Ahmad b. Taymiyyah, and also by Ibn ash-Shirazi amongst others. Layla Mabrouk, an eminent, contemporary, Egyptian scholar has skillfully abridged a classic work by the well know scholar.