Al-Araf, in Mohammedan theology, the wall of separation between heaven and hell, corresponding somewhat to the purgatory of the Latin church. Sitting astride of this wall are those whose good and evil deeds so exactly balance each other that they deserve neither heaven nor hell, and those who have gone to war without their parents' consent and fallen in battle. These last are martyrs, and are therefore preserved from hell, but, inasmuch as they have disobeyed their parents1 commands, they are not deemed worthy of heaven.