“The Qabr Is Either A Garden From Among The Gardens of Jannah Or A Pit From Among The Pits Of Jahannum.”

When we are asleep we witness a world in which we do not imagine that we are asleep. This particular state is only part of the total scheme of our life, the totality being represented by our waking state. As soon as we wake up, we realize that our state while asleep represented only a part of our life, not the whole. This being the case, why should our present life not be like a period spent in relation to the Akhirah?

It is true that sleep in the intermediate realm cannot resemble exactly sleep in this world, but it is nonetheless different from what will prevail after Resurrection, namely eternal wakefulness. This is indeed one reason why people are attributed with Qiyam – “awakening” or “alertness” on the Day of Resurrection (Qiyamah). The degree of life possessed by those in the intermediate realm is, in some sense, fuller than the life of this world, which may be what is suggested by the tradition:

“People are asleep, and when they die they wake up.”

This refers to the fact that when a person goes to sleep his or her senses and perceptions are weakened and can be said to be half-alive. Upon awakening (Qiyam) the person regains a full measure of life. Likewise, the degree of life that we enjoy in this Dunya is far less than that which awaits us in the intermediate realm; when we are transferred to that realm, our degree of life is enhanced. As true Muslims, we must strive to cultivate the love for Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala, in this world by placing the collar of obedience to that Sacred Essence around our necks and receive the burnish of Divine Light in our hearts.

It is said that at the time of death this inward reality will be revealed to us in its most beautiful  form. Contrarily, if our hearts take on a mundane aspect and turn away from Rabbul Ala’meen, the seed of the enmity of Almighty Allah may become gradually sown in them. Then at the time of death, this enmity will reveal its intensity and divulge its terrible and strange qualities. Our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam is reported to have said:

“The spirit of the dead will cry out to his/her family and offspring after

death: ‘O my family and offspring! Do not to be deceived and mislead by the glamour and the glitter of this Dunya as it deceived and mislead me. I accumulated wealth, making no distinction between the licit and the illicit, in the end leaving all my wealth for others to enjoy. All that remains for me now is misery. Take care to avoid what has befallen me.'”

Once we find ourselves on the threshold of death, we are compelled to sever all material attachments. With a belated realism that is forced upon, we will now understand the emptiness of everything in which we had placed our trust while we were alive on earth. We will even wish for the impossible to return back to the world to warn our relatives not to do anything that will plunge them into the same whirlpool of eternal wretchedness and damnation.

This Dunya is a market in which some people profit and others lose. The Most Holy and Glorious Qur’an summons us to engage in a profitable trade while we are living in the market of this world. Almighty Allah out of His Muhabbat for humanity tells us with words of wisdom in verses 10 and 11 of Surah As-Saff:

“O Believers! Shall I guide you to a trade that shall free you from painful torment in the Hereafter? Believe in Allah and His Messenger and struggle in Allah’s path with your wealth and your person: that will be best for you if you but know.”

This is the only chance for us to make provision for the journey, and to make ready the good deeds that we will need on our voyage. After all, do not let us lose sight of the fact that this world is a transient abode and not a permanent dwelling. People in this world are of two kinds: those who have sold themselves to the glitter and glamour of the world and have deviated from the path of truth and those who have liberated themselves by choosing the path of righteousness and salvation.

O Almighty Allah! Illuminate our hearts with the light of Your Greatness and Glory. Bless us with peace and happiness. Purge our hearts of the love for this world. Make our hearts understand the rewards of our good deeds and the results of our evil deeds while the Door of forgiveness is still open to us.