قبر کا لرزہ خیز حال

Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the beloved of Allah, the noblest of prophets, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, once came out for prayer and, seeing the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) laughing, said: “O people! If you remembered death, the destroyer of pleasures, you would not laugh. Remember death, which wipes away pleasure. Indeed, every day a call comes from the grave being prepared for each one of you: ‘I am the place of destitution, the house of solitude, a dwelling of dust, a dark grave full of snakes, scorpions, and crawling creatures.’ O Muslims, listen! When a believing servant is buried, the grave welcomes him, calls out ‘Marhaba!’ and says: ‘Of all who walked upon me, you were the most beloved to me; today you are mine and in my keeping — now you will see how well I treat you.’ Then the grave is widened for the Muslim as far as his sight reaches, and a door to Paradise is opened for him. But when a wicked person or a disbeliever is buried, the grave says to him: ‘O evil one! I give you no welcome, no Marhaba! Of all who walked upon me you were the most hateful to me; today you have come into my grip — see how I take revenge on you.’ Then the grave begins to contract from every side and squeezes him hard, until his right ribs pass into his left ribs and his left ribs into his right.” The truthful informer, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, interlaced the fingers of his two hands to show it was like this. Then he said: “Seventy serpents are appointed over him in his grave, so venomous that if even one of them were to breathe upon the earth, nothing would ever grow in the ground and no greenery would appear as long as the world lasts; these serpents keep biting him until the Day of Resurrection.” Then the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The grave is either one of the gardens of Paradise or one of the pits of Hell.” (Tirmidhi)

Remembering death lessens a person's hopes and the cravings of the self; because of readiness for death one grows detached from and averse to this perishing world. Remembrance and preparation for death also restrain a person from amassing wealth, from greed and hoarding, and from excessive covetousness — for a person, through deceit and fraud, oppression and tyranny, short measure and lying, and all kinds of cunning and trickery, loads his soul with heaps of sins and their burden, gathers up treasures of wealth, and then, without spending or enjoying any of it, leaves it behind for his heirs and departs; indeed he places a wrongful morsel in the mouths of those he leaves behind, which later becomes a torment for them. But if a person keeps death in mind and keeps preparing for the day of dying, he is saved from all these unlawful and evil deeds and spends his wealth in seeking Allah's pleasure — so that his wealth too becomes a treasure and helper for him in the Hereafter. The remembrance of death moves him to repent and restrains him from oppressing others, devouring their wealth, and violating their rights.

In short, remembering death saves a person from many sins and from spiritual maladies as well.

To remember death is the elixir;
it is the only remedy to be spared from grief.
If a person keeps death in mind in this world,
he remains free of every sorrow and grief at all times.

O Muslim brothers! No one knows when death will come; it spares neither childhood, nor youth, nor old age. So do the good deeds that please Allah and that will avail on the day of the grave's darkness, the Bridge (Sirat), and the Gathering — this fleeting, perishable world is not to be relied upon.

No mortal is aware of his own death;
he has provisions for a hundred years but no news of the next moment.

May Allah grant us all Muslims the ability to remember death often and to prepare for it. Ameen.