مِّمَّا خَطِيئَاتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَارًا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا لَهُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّـهِ أَنصَارًا (Because of their sins they were drowned, and then admitted into the Fire. So they found no helpers for them besides Allah…Al-Fatiha 1:25 ⧉). The 'sins' referred to here are unpardonable sins of 'kufr and shirk'. They were drowned in water and emerged in fire, an opposing punishment which is not impossible for Divine power. Obviously, the ‘Fire’ mentioned in the verse does not refer to the fire of Hell, but refers to the fire in the realm of ‘Barzakh’ (the existence between the worldly life and the life of the Hereafter). The Qur'an speaks of the fire in the realm of 'Barzakh'. It is evident that Sayyidna Nuh's علیہ السلام people will be punished in Hell-Fire in the Hereafter after resurrection and accounting for their deeds.
Qur’ an Confirms Punishment in the Grave
The verse under comment confirms that people will be punished in the realm of Barzakh, usually referring to the period of stay in the grave. This further proves that, since the evil-doers will be punished in the grave, the righteous believers will also be rewarded and blessed with favours. Authentic and successively transmitted ahadith report about the reward and punishment in the grave so abundantly and clearly that its reality cannot be denied or rejected. Therefore, there is a total agreement of the Ummah on this issue; and belief in it is the symbol of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jami'ah.