Read This Before You Regret

The Grave is a Place of Lesson

This person who spends life in grand palaces and houses is going toward a house where, when he lies down, he will not be able to sit up. His grave will become a garden of jannah for him only when he has prepared for the grave. The grave is a place of lesson for us. A knower used to say, O friend, reflect on the grave and see how many beautiful ones have mixed into dust. How many spotless faces there were, people raised in luxury and comfort, who spent life in the world according to their own will, who lived a life of ease and luxury, who spread saffron smiles inside the palace, and people would keep looking at their faces. But death mixed them into dust.  

Worms ate their flesh. Today their bones lie decayed, meaning broken and scattered. Today if their grave is dug and seen, there are signs of lesson present.  

Where did those clothes go that they used to wear?  

Where did those things go that they used to clean and store away?  

Where did those matters go for which they used to give their life?  

That business did not remain, that wealth did not remain, those friends and companions did not remain. Leaving all things here, they departed alone from this world on the next journey.  

A young man, while telling someone about the condition of his house and his father’s illness, said, my father barely escaped dying. An elder heard this and said, my dear, your father will one day escape and escape and still die. When the end is death, then why not remain prepared for the hereafter, prepare for the hereafter.  

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said, live in the world like a traveler lives, or like a passerby on the road.  

The one who went did not come back.  

Neither did Saghir remain nor did the cupbearer remain.  

Do not ask, my end is death.  

I am that criminal whose punishment is death.  

An elder did muraqaba in a graveyard. Someone asked, Hazrat, in what condition did you find the people of the graveyard?  

He said, they have such regret over their shortcomings that if their regret were distributed among people, everyone would go mad.  

My friends, going to the graveyard on Friday is sunnah. The reason for this is that a person should go there and take lesson from this silent city.  

O one greedy for beautiful clothes, do not forget the shroud.  

O one enamored of palaces, do not forget the pit of the grave.  

O one who eats fine food, do not forget becoming food for worms.  

O one heedless of the wealth of iman, do not forget the poverty at the time of death.  

It is written in a book that a man was sitting in his house quarreling with his brother, saying this house is mine. So Allah Ta‘ala made an incident happen for their guidance. There was a brick fixed in the wall of the house. A voice started coming from it, O you who quarrel over my ownership, why do you not ask me who I am? At first they got scared, then one of them said, tell us who you are. That brick said, I was the eye of a king. That king was the ruler of a country and he lived a life of great luxury and comfort in the world. When his death came, he was buried in the grave and worms ate him and he became dust. It said, I am those particles of dust that in some era were that king’s eye. With these eyes he used to look at others with a gaze of love. Look at my condition, today I have become dust and am fixed inside a house. You too will one day be lying as dust in the same way.  

My friends, every one of us has to prepare for death, because the day that passed without the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala is a burden on our head.

The Five Stages of the Journey to the Hereafter 

My friends, the journey of the hereafter has five stages.  

*The First Stage*  

The first stage is the stage of sakarat. The time before death when a person’s breath gets labored is called sakarat or naz‘.  

Until this condition comes, the door of taubah remains open for a person. At this time, angels come from jannah to welcome a righteous person.  

And when the time of death comes for a sinful person, at that time angels come from jahannam. They have hammers of jahannam with them. While seizing his soul, the angels cover their noses because of the foul smell. The Noble Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, showed this by doing it.  

May Allah Ta‘ala grant us all the ability to stay away from sins.  

*The Second Stage*  

The second stage of a person’s journey to the hereafter is the grave. It comes in hadith shareef that do not consider the grave a heap of soil. Rather it is either a garden from the gardens of jannah or a pit from the pits of jahannam.  

When a righteous person is placed in the grave, the grave addresses him and says, of all the people in the world, I loved you the most. Now you have come to me, now see my good treatment too. After that the grave becomes so wide that as far as the man’s sight goes, the grave becomes that wide.  

And when a sinful person is placed in the grave, the grave addresses him and says, of all the people who lived in the world, I hated you the most. Now you have come to me, so see my treatment too. After that the grave squeezes him so much that the ribs of one side enter into the ribs of the other side.  

Allahu akbar.  

*The Third Stage*  

The third stage of the journey to the hereafter is hashr. It comes in hadith shareef that one day of hashr is fifty thousand years.  

For the disbelievers it will be a day of fifty thousand years, but for the people of Allah it will be like a few moments.  

It comes in hadith shareef that the Noble Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said that for the believers the Day of Qiyamah will be like praying the two rak‘at sunnah of Fajr.  

Sayyidah Hazrat Aisha Siddeeqa rz says that the shortest salah of the Noble Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, used to be the two sunnahs of Fajr.  

In some narrations it comes that the sun has seven eyes. At this time one eye is open. On the Day of Hashr it will open all seven eyes.  

At that time it will be a state of nafsi nafsi. Every person will be immersed in his own sweat according to his sins. Some up to the knees, some up to the ankles, some up to the neck will be immersed in their sweat.  

And it will not just be sweat, rather he will be burning in that sweat.  

But some muttaqeen will sweat so little, as much as one does while sitting in the toilet.  

On that day there will be no shade except the shade of the Arsh of Allah Ta‘ala.  

Seven types of people will be under the shade of the Arsh of Allah Ta‘ala on that day.  

1. A just king.  

2. That young man who worshiped Allah Ta‘ala in youth.  

3. That person whose heart is attached to the masjid, meaning his heart is inclined to the masjid.  

4. Those two people who love each other only for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala, they meet for Him and they separate for Him.  

5. That person whom a beautiful woman invites toward herself and he says, I fear Allah Ta‘ala.  

6. That person who gives charity so secretly that the other hand does not know.  

7. That person who remembers Allah Ta‘ala in solitude and his tears begin to flow.  

On that day no person’s feet will move from their place until he answers four questions.  

1. The first question will be, in what works did you spend your life?  

2. The second question will be, where did you spend the energy of your body, meaning your strength?  

3. The third question will be, how much did you act on your knowledge?  

4. And the last question will be, from where did you earn wealth and in what works did you spend it?  

*The Fourth Stage*  

The fourth stage is that of the mizan. At these moments no person will be concerned for anyone else. One of these moments is the moment of the mizan. At the time of the mizan every person will have this fear, it is not known whether the pan of my good deeds is heavy or that of my sins.  

*The Fifth Stage*  

The fifth stage of the journey to the hereafter is the sirat. It will be a bridge that is finer than a hair and sharper than a sword.  

Every person will have to pass over it. This bridge will be in complete darkness.  

When the people of iman pass over it, they will have the light of iman with them, and those who are disbelievers will have no light with them.  

They will say to the people of iman, brother, let us also benefit from your light. They will say to them, no, this light was only obtained in the world.  

After that a wall will be placed between the people of iman and the disbelievers, because of which they will remain in complete darkness.  

On the Day of Qiyamah people will be made to stand according to the form of their sins. Some will have light on their faces and some will be darkened.