A Dying Person Observes His Properties, Children and Deeds Just Before His Death

“Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘When a child of Adam finds himself in the first day of his next life and the last day of his worldly life, his property, children and deeds are pictured before him. He then turns to his property and says, “By Allah, I was very greedy and stingy about you. In what ways can you help me?” It will say, “All you can do is to take your shroud from me.” He then turns to his children saying, “I loved you, protected you all the time. In what ways can you help me?” They will say, “We can take you to your grave and bury you therein.” He then turns to his deeds and asks, “By Allah, I had very little inclination to perform you and felt burdened because of you. In what ways can you help me now?” His deed will say, “I am your companion in your grave up to the day you will be resurrected, until we both will be brought before your Lord.’” The Imam then said, ‘If he is a friend of Allah, a person, the best of people with fragrance, the best in beauty, and in the best of dresses comes to him and says, “I have brought you the happiness and fragrance of paradise of blessings and you are most welcome.” He will then ask, “Who are you?” The person says, “I am your good deeds. You now move from the worldly life to paradise.” He knows those who wash his body for burial and begs those who carry his coffin to hurry up. When he is placed in his grave, two angels will come with their hairs dragging on the ground and tearing the earth with their feet, with thunderous sounds and their eyes like swift lightening. They will ask, “Who is your Lord? What is your religion and who is your prophet?” He will reply, “Allah is my Lord, Islam is my religion and Muhammad, O Allah grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, is my prophet.” The two angels will then say, “May Allah keep you steadfast in what you love and are happy therewith.” This is a reference to the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, “Allah keeps the believers steadfast in the unchanging words, in this world and in the next life” (14:26). The two angels then open up his grave as far as his eyes can see, and a door to paradise and then say to him, “Rest delightfully like a blessed young person,” because Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, “People of paradise, on that day will have the best station and resting place” (25:26). The Imam then said, ‘If he is an enemy of his Lord, Allah’s ugliest creatures with the ugliest dress, appearance and smell will come to him and say, “Your place is boiling water and to suffer heat.” He knows people who wash his body for burial and begs those who carry his body to his grave to hold him back. When he is placed in his grave, the two examiners will come to him, remove his shroud away and ask him, “Who is your Lord? What is your religion and who is your prophet?” He will say, “I do not know.” They will say, “You did not know and you never had any guidance.” They will strike him at the front part of his head with a crashing hammer that they carry. The sound of this strike will frighten all creatures of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, except man and Jinn. They then open a door to hell for him and say to him, “Lie down here in worst condition, due to lack of space, as if squeezed like the iron spike into the tip of spears.” It will force his brain to squirt out of his toe and fingernails through the tissues of his flesh. Allah then gives his control to the snakes, scorpions and the creatures of earth that keep biting him until Allah will resurrect him from his grave. He will wish for the coming of the Day of Judgment because of suffering in his wicked condition.’” Jabir has said that abu Ja‘far has said that the Holy Prophet has said, ‘When watching the camels and sheep graze, before being commissioned as a prophet - there is no prophet who did not shepherd sheep - 1 could see them, while in safe and protected place and nothing around them, suddenly become excited and jump around frightened. I would say, “What is this strange phenomenon?” Once, Jibril (Gabriel) told me that when an unbeliever in his grave is struck on his head by the interrogating angels, all creatures of Allah, except man and Jinn, hear the sound of that (horrifying) strike and become frightened. I then said, “This is because of only one strike on the head of a disbeliever. I seek refuge with Allah against the (rest of the) torments in the grave.’””