The Zahir Reading
Classical Islamic theology takes the barzakh seriously as a post-mortem intermediate state. The soul does not simply sleep until resurrection — it exists, experiences, and may receive either comfort or punishment depending on its deeds. The Prophet prayed against ‘adhab al-qabr (punishment of the grave) in every prayer. This is part of the zahir that Ismaili doctrine fully affirms: physical death is real, the intermediate state is real, and the soul’s condition in barzakh reflects its earthly choices.
The Batin Reading: The Living Barzakh
In Ismaili ta’wil, the barzakh of 23:100 — “behind them is a barzakh until the day they are resurrected” — describes something that applies in the present life: the soul that has turned away from the Imam is already in a condition of barzakh, separated from the source of life by its own rejection of guidance.
The barzakh as separation:
- Those who have received walayah and ta’lim are already in communication with the Real (the Imam as manifestation of divine light)
- Those who have rejected or ignored the Imam are separated from that Real by a barzakh of their own making — a separation that will only become more explicit at physical death
The Two Seas (55:20)
The barzakh between two seas in 55:20 is given an elemental cosmic reading in Ismaili ta’wil: the “two seas” are the sea of zahir (outer knowledge, accessible to all) and the sea of batin (inner knowledge, accessible only through the Imam). The barzakh between them is the barrier that keeps the uninitiated from accessing the inner without proper authorization through the da’wa.
See also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Maut, Ismaili Tawil Of Jannah, Ismaili Tawil Of Jahannam, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Mizan, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation