ʿUthman ؓ used to stand by a grave and weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: You remember Paradise and Hell and you do not weep, but you weep for this? He said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ʿThe grave is the first stage of the hereafter. If one is saved from it (i.e., its torments), then what comes after it is easier than it. But if one is not saved from it {i.e. its torments), then what comes after it is worse.ʿ And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, I have never seen any frightening scene but the grave is more frightening than it.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 454)
كَانَ عُثْمَانُ إِذَا وَقَفَ عَلَى قَبْرٍ بَكَى حَتَّى يَبُلَّ لِحْيَتَهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ تَذْكُرُ الْجَنَّةَ فَلَا تَبْكِي وَتَبْكِي مِنْ هَذَا؟ قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «الْقَبْرُ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الْآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ»
قَالَ: وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْزِلًا إِلَّا وَرَأَيْتُ الْقَبْرَ أَفْظَعَ مِنْهُ»
قالَ وكانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إذا فَرَغَ مِن دَفْنِ المَيِّتِ وقَفَ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قالَ: «اسْتَغْفِرُوا لِأخِيكُمْ واسْألُوا لَهُ التَّثْبِيتَ فَإنَّهُ الآنَ يُسْألُ»