Are you ready to enter your grave?

So many of us talk about death, remind people about death to the point that we make lots of posters and reminders about it but do we [who remind, talk and make posters of it] think to ourselves if we are ready to face the grave?

And to those who are being reminded, does the reminders enter your heart, do you get affected by the reminder? and to the end do you ask yourself, are you ready to enter your grave?

Remember no matter how we are reminded and talked to about death, it is up to us if we let it speak to us and affect us, its all up to yourself.

So today, I will not remind through an ayah because people think its all over the internet, I will remind you with the khutbah of one of the greatest caliph that Islam had, and at this point, one from ‘Uthman Ibn Affan Radiyallahu Anhu.
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On his reign as caliph, he once came and made a khutbah [sermon] among the people of Madinah that made him weep all through out, he said:

"O people, fear Allah, for fear of Allah is a treasure. The smartest of the people is the one who checks on himself and strives for that which comes after death, strives to acquire some of the light of Allah for his grave, and fears lest Allah raise him blind when he had sight [in this world]."

The he also said:

"If I were between Paradise and Hell, not knowing which of them I would be commanded to be taken, I would wish to be turned to ashes before I knew in which of them I would end up."

Then he would tremble and tears would roll down his cheeks whenever he thought of the Hereafter, and when he imagined himself when his grave was opened and his body was taken out to stand before Allah and brought to account.

In another story, Hani [the freed slave of ‘Uthman] said:

"When ‘Uthman stood by a grave he would weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: You remember Paradise and Hell and weep because of them? He said: The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam said:

"إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَا زِلِ الا خِرَة. فإَنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ، فَمَا أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ. وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ، فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ."

"The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter; if a person safe at that stage, what comes after it will be easier than it, but if he is not safe at that stage, what comes after it will be harder than it."

He said: And the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam said:

"مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا قَطُّ إِلَّا وَا لْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ"

" By Allah, I have never seen any scene but the grave is more terrifying that it."

He said: When the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalaam had finished burying the deceased, he would stand over him and say:

"اسْتَغْفِرُا لِأَ خِيكُمْ وَاسْأَلُوا لَهُ بِالتَْثْبِيتِ فَإنَّهُ الانَ يُسْأَلُ"

"Pray for forgiveness for your brother and ask that he may be made steadfast, for even now he is being questioned."
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O my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, this is the true understanding of what it means to meet Allah, and this is how ‘Uthman understood and how he had lived by.

We enjoy so much in this world that we forget that death has been made certain to each and everyone of us. We forget that there are punishments in the grave.

With all our deeds, with all our leisure that were spent in things that have wasted our short time in this world, would you think that we will be greeted with the Salaam by Jibrail Alaihi Salaam on the grave or would we be slammed by the hot iron chains?

The only thing that makes us not affected by the certainty of death is because we lack the true understanding of it.

Death doesn’t assure you of smooth passage to the Hereafter, death is just certain but your deeds are the one who will either make your passage smooth or terrifyingly cruel.

The grave is the first stage after death and death has been made certain for you, so I’m asking you once again, sit for a moment, contemplate about what you have been doing in life and ask yourself, with all that deeds, can you say that you are ready to enter your grave?
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And we pray that Allah Azza Wa Jall takes us back on a time where He is most pleased with us and that He makes the day that we meet Him the most beautiful day of our lives! Amin.

Zohayma
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Stories were taken from:

• Sahih At Tawtheeq fi Seerah wa Hayat Dhu’n Noorayn, Al Sayyid, p. 107
• Nizam al Hukm fi ‘Ahd Al Khulafa Ar Rashideen, Al Samad, p. 205
• Fada’il As Sahabah, no. 773 [Hasan]
• Abu Dawud [3221]