When 'Uthman would stop at a grave he would cry until his beard was soaked (in tears). It was said to him: 'The Paradise and the Fire were mentioned and you did not cry, yet you cry because of this?' So he said: 'Indeed the Messenger of Allah said: "Indeed the grave is the first stage among the stages of the Hereafter. So if one is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier than it. And if one is not saved from it, then what comes after it is worse than it." And the Messenger of Allah said: "I have not seen any sight except that the grave is more horrible than it."  

كَانَ عُثْمَانُ إِذَا وَقَفَ عَلَى قَبْرٍ بَكَى حَتَّى يَبُلَّ لِحْيَتَهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ تُذْكَرُ الْجَنَّةُ وَالنَّارُ فَلاَ تَبْكِي وَتَبْكِي مِنْ هَذَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا قَطُّ إِلاَّ وَالْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ هِشَامِ بْنِ يُوسُفَ  

“When ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan stood beside a grave, he would 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: “The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. Whoever is delivered from it, what comes after it is easier. If he is not delivered from it, then what comes after it is harder.’” He said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have never seen any horrible scene but the grave is more horrible.”  

إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا قَطُّ إِلاَّ وَالْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ  

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)   

فَيُقَالُ لَهُ قَدْ تَذْكُرُ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ فَلَا تَبْكِي وَتَبْكِي مِنْ هَذَا فَيَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الْآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ» وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا إِلَّا وَالْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ»  

[Machine] Uthman used to cry when he stood by a grave until his beard became wet. It was said to him, "You remember Paradise and Hell, so why do you cry from this?" He said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter, so whoever is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier for him, and whoever is not saved from it, then what comes after it is harder for him.'" Uthman also said, "I have not seen a sight except that the grave is scarier than it." Uthman reported that when the Prophet ﷺ finished burying the dead, he would say, "Seek forgiveness for your deceased and ask Allah to make him steadfast, for now he is being questioned." This narration was added by someone other than Hisham, and when Uthman stood by the grave of Hisham, he said, "Seek forgiveness and I rely on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ , 'I have not seen a sight like him.'"  

كَانَ عُثْمَانُ ؓ إِذَا وَقَفَ عَلَى قَبْرٍ بَكَى حَتَّى يَبُلَّ لِحْيَتَهُ قَالَ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ تَذْكُرُ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ فَلَا تَبْكِي وَتَبْكِي مِنْ هَذَا؟ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الْآخِرَةِ فَمَنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قَالَ وَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا قَطُّ إِلَّا وَالْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ ؓ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ دَفْنِ الْمَيِّتِ قَالَ اسْتَغْفِرُوا لِمَيِّتِكُمْ وَسَلُوا لَهُ التَّثْبِيتَ فَإِنَّهُ الْآنَ يُسْأَلُ زَادَ فِيهِ غَيْرُهُ عَنْ هِشَامٍ وَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ اسْتَغْفِرُوا وَأَسْنَدَ قَوْلَهَ مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ  

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»