ELI5: What happens after death according to Islam?

After death, according to Islam, a person enters a new phase of existence called the Barzakh before the Day of Judgment, where their soul is judged and experiences either comfort or torment based on their actions in life.

Imagine life is like going to school. You learn lessons and do good or bad things. When you "graduate" (die), you don't just disappear. Instead, you go to a waiting room (Barzakh) before the final exam (Day of Judgment).

• In the Barzakh, two angels, Munkar and Nakir, come and ask you questions about your faith: like "Who is your Lord?" and "What is your religion?".
• If you were a good student (lived a righteous life), you will answer correctly and feel happy and peaceful in the Barzakh, like getting good grades. Your grave becomes spacious and filled with light.
• But if you were a bad student (did wrong things), you might struggle to answer, and the Barzakh will feel like a dark and scary place, like failing a test. Your grave becomes constricted and filled with darkness.

• A kind person who helped others might have beautiful dreams in the Barzakh and feel loved, like receiving thank-you notes.
• A person who was mean and selfish might have nightmares and feel lonely, like not having any friends.

So, Islam teaches us that what we do in our everyday life matters even after we die, affecting our experience in the Barzakh and ultimately determining our fate on the Day of Judgment.