Death and the Body

From the teachings of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) it becomes clear that after the demise of a person we apparently take him/her to be lifeless, but that person remains alive, although his/her life is different from our lives. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) is reported to have said that the act of breaking a bone of the dead body causes the deceased as much pain as is felt by a living person.

When a person dies, he/she is consigned from this world to Barzakh. Regardless of the fact whether the dead body is laid in the grave or cremated, the demised retains power of understanding and comprehension. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) is reported to have said that when the corpse is put in the bier and the people carry the dead body to the graveyard, if the deceased is a pious person, he/she requests them to carry him/her as fast as they can and if the deceased is a wrong-doer, he/she curses the wretchedness in store for him/her and asks where he/she is being led to. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) is also reported to have said that except human beings everything else hears the cries of the dead body. If a person were to hear the cries of the dead body, they would faint. The interval between death and the Day of Resurrection is called Barzakh.

Source : http://www.inter-islam.org/DEATHmk.htm