Chapter X: Remembrance of Death
The companion Abu Zarr said: shall I not inform you of the dreadful day, the day wherein I will be placed in the grave? Abu Darda'a sat by the side of the graveyard. When asked its reason he said : I sit by such a people who remind me of my return. When I stand up, they don't envy me.
Hazrat Ja'far bin Mohammad used to pass his night in a grave and say : O inmates of graves, what is the matter with me that whenever I call you, you don't respond to me? Then he said : By God, there is obstruction in my question and their answer and let me be like them. Then he prayed upto morning.
Caliph Omar-bin-Abdul Aziz said to one of his courtiers : O brother, I am passing sleepless nights thinking the graves and their inmates. If you had seen an inmate of the grave after three days, you would have hated to go to him inspite of your long love
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and association with him and you would have seen the grave in such a condition that it is filled up with scorpions, insects and worms eating and biting him and the coffin cloth with sweet scents is filled up with stenchy smells. Then he raised such a loud voice that he fell down senseless.
WHAT IS DEATH?
Different opinions about death. Know, readers, that different pepple hold different opinions about death. Some say that death destroys everything and that there is no final destruction of the world and no Resurrection and that the death of man is better than that of birds and beasts, plants and trees. This is the opinion of the unbelieves. Another group of men think that death destroys, roan and from grave to resurrection there will be no reward and punishment. Another group of men hold the opinion that human soul does not die and that punishment and reward will be awarded on soul and not on body, and that there will be no physical resurrection on the Resurrection Day. These are all void opinions and far from truth.