the last gate in your life and mine through which
each of us must pass, the gates of the graveyard.
for the Muslim whose janazah was today at
Masjid al Aqsa, this was the gate of the old city
through which the body was brought. the
graveyard was just outside.
the Baqqi graveyard in Madinah was the most
traditional, graves dug into the ground. the
graveyard i went to in Makkah had graves under
ground level but with walls "built" of brick. dirt
was placed atop the grave, but it was just a
surface layer.
here, the graveyard was on a hillside, and the
graves appeared to be inside simple tombs. no
dirt covered them, but cement. the body was
passed into the tomb from a hole in the side.
then the hole was paved over with stone and
mortar, alhamdolillah.
the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam
encouraged Muslims to visit graveyards, and
accompanying bodies to burial is a communal
responsibility with enormous reward. one of the
benefits is that we are reminded of the finality
of death as a seal for our deeds in this life -- we
will all be resurrected on the Day of Judgement.
and on that Day, none of us will be able to
return here to add to the ledger of our good or
to atone for the wrongs we had done.
so prepare well for a last gate awaits us all.
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