while he was standing at the very rim of the grave, his eyes brimming with tears, he said: “There is none among you but that his seat in Paradise and his seat in Hell have already been written.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, then should we not cease acting and simply rely on what has been decreed for us?” He replied, “No—act, for everyone will find it made easy for him to do what he was created for. The people of felicity will be facilitated to perform the deeds of the felicitous, whereas the people of misery will be facilitated to perform the deeds of the wretched.” He then recited the verse: “So as for him who gives and is mindful, and affirms the best, We shall ease him toward ease; but as for him who withholds and considers himself self-sufficient, We shall ease him toward hardship” (92:5-10). We ask Allah to make us and you among the people of felicity, those whom He directs toward ease and spares from hardship.

When the burial actually begins, a person should participate by casting three handfuls of earth into the grave with his own hands, then he may depart; if he wishes, he may stay and help until the burial is completed. When they have finished, he should stand by the grave, and if he is someone the people respect—such as a scholar—he should say to them, “Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask that he be made firm, for right now he is being questioned.” Indeed, whenever the Prophet ﷺ had finished burying the deceased, he would stand by the grave and say, “Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask that he be made firm, for he is now being questioned.” At this very moment—once the people have left him, having entrusted him to the realm of the Hereafter—that unseen realm comes to him: two angels arrive and ask him about his Lord, his religion, and his Prophet, and he answers