‘Uthman told that when he stood over a grave he would weep so sorely that the tears moistened his beard. Someone said to him, “You remember paradise and hell, without weeping, yet you are weeping over this." He replied that God’s messenger said, “The grave is the first stage of the next world ; if one escapes from it what follows is easier than it, but if one does not escape from it what follows is more severe than it." He further quoted God’s messenger as saying, “I have never seen a sight as horrible as the grave." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said this is a gharib tradition.
The Nature of the Grave
The grave represents the initial phase of the Hereafter (al-Ākhirah), serving as either a garden from Paradise or a pit from Hellfire. When a believer escapes its tribulations, the subsequent stages become comparatively easier. Conversely, failure to escape renders what follows more severe.
ʿUthmān's Profound Weeping
ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān's intense weeping demonstrates the gravity of the grave's reality. His tears, moistening his beard, reflect deep spiritual awareness (khashyah) rather than mere sorrow. This contrasts with his composure when mentioning Paradise and Hell, highlighting the grave's immediate, tangible dread.
Prophetic Emphasis on Grave's Horror
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stated he had never witnessed a more terrifying sight than the grave. This underscores its unparalleled spiritual and physical trials, including the questioning by angels Munkar and Nakīr, and the compression (daghṭat al-qabr) for the disobedient.
Scholarly Authentication
Transmitted by al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah, this ḥadīth is classified as gharīb (rare in chain). Despite this, its meaning aligns with established Islamic eschatology, emphasizing the grave's significance as a precursor to eternal abodes.