Hadith: "Be in this World as if you were a Stranger or Traveler"

At-Takathur
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you (1) Until ye come to the graves. (2) Nay, but ye will come to know! (3) Nay, but ye will come to know! (4) Nay, would that ye knew (now) with a sure knowledge! (5) For ye will behold hell-fire. (6) Aye, ye will behold it with sure vision. (7) Then, on that day, ye will be asked concerning pleasure. (8)

Allah Yarhamak Ya Gidu

Today I visited my grandfather's grave for the first time since his death one year ago. Coming to Sudan this summer and not seeing him in his room listening to the radio as usual has had more of an affect on me than I thought. I'm not the type to cry, at least not in front of people and I know that it's not good to cry for the dead so I've been good in the sense that i'm not angering God through my actions in that way. I accept the fact that Allah has a plan for all of us and that my grandfather's time to return to Allah had come. Seeing his grave right in front of me and the thousands of other graves surrounding me got me thinking about how fragile life really is. My grandfather always seemed invincible to me, I thought nothing could shatter him. Even during his battle with cancer he always would say, "i'm not going to let this disease conquer me, i'm going to conquer it!" Although it may seem as though this disease conquered him, that's not the way I look at it. I'm a firm believer in the idea that no disease kills, only Allah can take your life away, He determines when, where, and what is going to cause you to leave this world. As I looked at his grave all these questions crossed my mind; I wondered whether he knew that we were there, if he was in pain, if he was proud and happy that we were there reading Sourat Al Fatiha for his soul. All these questions that occurred to me will probably never be answered, at least not until I'm in the same position as him. Visiting the graves is meant to be a cleansing process for the soul, in my opinion. Visiting the graves of the dead is a visual reminder of our impending death. I was telling my younger sister as we got home from the cemetery that life is like dust, in a moment it can be blown away; Allah SWT created us from dust, we are buried in dust, and we eventually become dust. If life really is that fragile, than why don't we act as though it is. The Prophet PBUH even said "The worldly comforts are not for me. I am like a traveler, who takes a rest under a tree in the shade and then goes on his way." " Be in this world as if you were a stranger or traveler." This world is merely a test and on judgement day we will see whether we have passed or failed. 


What to Say Upon Entering the Cemetery


Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has taught the Sahabah these words as salutation to the people of the graves and pray for their forgiveness:

Transliteration: 'Assalamu Alaikum Ya Ahlad Diyar Minal Mu'mineena Wal Muslimeen Wa Inna Insha allahu Bikum Laahiqun, Nas'alullaha Lana Wa Lakumul 'Afiyah'

Recite Sura Ikhlaas 11 times. 


It has been reported in a Hadith that whoever visits the Qabrastaan and recites Surahs:
Surah Fatihah, Surah Ikhlaas and Surah Takathur.
and then prays for the dead, the people of the grave will also ask Allah for such a person's forgiveness. 


Recite Surah Yaseen. In a Hadith it is reported that if a person recites Surah Yaseen in the Qabrastaan, the punishment of the dead will be eased and the reciter will be rewarded just as much as the dead.