Hazrat Haani (rahimahullah), the freed slave of Hazrat ‘Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), mentions that when Hazrat ‘Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would stand at a grave, he would weep so profusely that his beard would become wet with his tears. Someone asked Hazrat ‘Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), “We notice that when you remember Jannah and Jahannum and discuss them, then you are not affected to the point that you begin to cry, yet when you stand at a grave, then we see you so overcome by fear that you begin to cry profusely. What is the reason for this?”
Hazrat ‘Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, ‘The grave is the first stage from the stages of the Hereafter. If one passes this stage and gains salvation, then there is hope that the stages to come will be easier, and if one does not pass this stage and gain salvation, then the stages to come will be even more difficult and severe for him.”
(Sunan Tirmizi #2308)
