A Door, Not a Grave
Before death, man thinks of himself to be the master of his destiny. Death takes him to a world where he is compelled to accept being wholly subordinated to God.
There is a great lesson in a scene at the graveyard for those who contemplate. At the young man’s death, the imam (prayer leader) led the funeral prayer. He conducted the whole prayer very quickly, and after that, people immediately put on their shoes as though in a great hurry to finish the formality of attending the funeral prayer and returned to their activities. After the funeral prayers were said, the body was taken for burial at the adjacent graveyard. A few people accompanied the body to the grave.
The graveyard was close by, and the grave was still being dug. People stood around in groups. Some were relating stories of oppression. Some complained about the severity of the weather. Someone offered his knowledge about the prices of things. Others were discussing the political leadership in the country. In other words, people were talking about different topics of interest.
The above behaviour was the opposite of the way taught by the Prophet. At such times, the Prophet used to say the following supplication:
“Peace be upon you, O dwellers of these graves! May God forgive you and us. You have preceded us, and we are following your trail.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 974)
A grave should remind us of the verses from the Quran and sayings of the Prophet that talk about death, the Day of Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. It should make us aware that it is an open door that we are standing in front of and witnessing sights of the other world with our own eyes. It should make our hearts restless. However, unfortunately, these feelings are not aroused in people. Their problems beset them.
However, the real problems are not the ones in which people are entangled. Instead, the real problem is the one that will appear after death. If only people considered what they might have to face after their death! A person leaves this temporary world and heads toward his eternal home. Therefore, the grave is not a grave but a door that has been opened for the deceased to enter the other world. Passing through this door, one must cross over to the other side.
Whenever someone dies, it is an extraordinary moment. It is as if, at that moment, the door leading out to the other world, which is hidden from us, is opened for a short while. If one possesses eyes that can truly see, one can view through this door the other world where all of us, one day or the other, have to go. However, the sights of the present world have so bedazzled people that even when they stand before this open door, they see nothing of what is on the other side. Even though they stand so close to reality, they remain unaware.
Death indicates our reality to us. It tells us that we are moving from a situation where, in this world, we think we have control over things, to another situation, in another world where we will have no control over anything. It tells us that we move from light to darkness, from everything to nothing. Before death, humans are in a world where they think they are the masters of their destiny. However, after death, they are taken to a world where they are compelled to accept being wholly subordinated to Someone Else—God.
If you keep this reality in mind, your life will be transformed. It will make you realize, for instance, how absurd it is to trouble others because you will have to answer for this after death when you will be under Someone Else’s control. It will make you ashamed for thinking of yourself as superior to others because you will realize that the supposed superiority that will one day be snatched away from you is unreal.
