benefit us in Barzakh; what benefit shall we get if we have a large number of mourners! Have you ever thought? If only we focused our attention to the Hereafter so that when we see darkness, then we recall the darkness of the grave, when we have any troubles, we think about the troubles of the grave and Judgement Day, when we go to bed, we recall death and the act of lying in the grave! If only we took much interest in performing good deeds and remove even the thought of sins! Listen carefully, I will now relate some deeds which would illuminate the grave and make it comfortable.

(1 to 5) Salah, fast, Hajj and Zakah etc.

Sayyiduna Ka’b رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ has said: When a righteous person is buried into his grave, his good deeds—Salah, Fast, Hajj, Jihad and Sadaqah etc. gather near him; when the angels of punishment come from the direction of his feet, his Salah says: Get away from him, there is nothing for you, he would worship Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ standing on these feet. Then those angels come from the direction of the head, his fasting says: You cannot come here because in the world he observed many fasts for the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and exerienced hunger and thirst for a long time. Angels come from the direction of other parts of his body, his Hajj and Jihad say: Get away from here; he performed Hajj and Jihad with great difficulty for the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, therefore there is no place for you. Then the angels approach from the direction of his hands, his Sadaqah says: Get away from my friend; he gave so much Sadaqah (charity) using these hands only for the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and Sadaqah (charity) given by these hands have been accepted by Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, therefore there is nothing for you here.

Then this deceased person is asked: Your life and death are both excellent; the angels of blessing spread the floor of Paradise in his grave; they get a Heavenly clothing for him; his grave is extended as far as he could see and a lamp of Paradise is lit in his grave from which he will obtain light until the Judgement Day. (Mukashafa-tul-Quloob, pp. 171)

Two types of darkness removed