In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The Journey of the Hereafter

(In the Light of Hadith)

It is narrated from ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه that whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would stand by a grave, he would weep so much that his beard would become wet. It was said to him: You do not weep this much when Jannah and Jahannam are mentioned as you do here. He said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The grave is the first stage from among the stages of the Hereafter. If a person is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier than it; and if he is not saved from it, then what comes after it is more severe than it.” He further said: The Prophet ﷺ said, “I have not seen any scene more terrifying than the grave.” (Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi)

Allah Ta‘ala has set an order for coming into this world: father, son, then grandson. But there is no fixed order for leaving it. A father remains alive while death seizes the son; a young man who longs to live is overtaken by death, while an old man who wishes for death finds it delayed. This lack of order exists so that people remain mindful of Allah, do not attach their hearts to the world, and prepare for the journey of the Hereafter. Yet, becoming heedless of the real journey, we have made wealth our central concern and forgotten the journey to the Hereafter.

You must have attended a جنازہ (funeral prayer). Have you ever seen anyone preparing furniture for the deceased? Has anyone ever buried a large bank balance with him? Any expensive garments, musical instruments, films, or academic certificates? If not, then you must have seen that people recited the Quran and made du‘a for the deceased. This proves that the real wealth was only this. Reflect, then: what will truly benefit us, and for what are we striving? The wealth for which a person struggled all his life—what assistance did it ultimately provide him? We still have time; we should take advantage of it.

Consider a simple principle using the rule of mathematics:

• The entire wealth of Pakistan × zero (0) = zero (0)

• Gold, silver, honor, fame, prestige, wealth, power, skill × death = zero (0)

• Abandoning Salah, immodesty, music, films, interest, gambling, base desires × death = the agonies of death + punishment of the grave + Jahannam

• Purification of the self + steadfastness in Salah and Zakah + obedience to divine commands × death = ease at death + the grave becoming a garden from Jannah + Jannah

How unaware we are—striving for that which will soon become zero. Great mathematicians, economists, and computer experts—who can even break numbers into bits—are exerting themselves for that which will soon reduce to nothing. If these priorities are truly kept in mind, perhaps priorities will change; perhaps greed and worldly craving will diminish.

“Abandon greed and desire, O man; do not wander helplessly from land to land.
The bandit of death is plundering—day and night beating its drum.”

A humble request: whoever receives this message should share it with as many people as possible. Perhaps someone else may act upon it more sincerely, and it may become a means of forgiveness for us as well. May Allah Ta‘ala grant us true concern for the Deen. Ameen.