The purpose of this statement is to prepare oneself for the fate that befell these people, so that one may truly take heed.

“May Allah have mercy on those among you who went before and those who come later. We ask Allah to grant us and you well-being. O Allah, do not deprive us of their reward, do not put us to trial after them, and forgive us and them.”

His statement, “May Allah have mercy on those among you who went before and those who come later,” is declarative in form but supplicatory in meaning; that is, we ask Allah to have mercy on those among you who have gone before and those who will come later.

His statement, “We ask Allah to grant us and you well-being”: with regard to us, this includes physical well-being, such as the well-being of the body, as well as spiritual well-being from sins and acts of disobedience. As for the well-being sought for the inhabitants of the graves, it is safety from the torment of the grave.

His statement, “O Allah, do not deprive us of their reward.”

The reward we receive in connection with the deceased is of various kinds:

First: grieving for them. How many a deceased person in this graveyard have you grieved for—whether because of kinship, friendship, some benefit, or something else. There is no doubt that when a person is afflicted by a calamity and bears it patiently, he receives reward.

Second: the reward for visiting them; that is, do not deprive us of the reward for visiting them, for visiting them is a sunnah which the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, commanded and himself practised. We therefore do so in compliance with his command and in emulation of his practice—complying with his command and following his example, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

His statement, “Do not put us to trial after them,” is a profound supplication. You ask Allah not to put you to trial after them, for a person may be tried after the death of his relatives, companions, teachers, and others. They may leave this man while he is upright,