A series of moral, doctrinal, and social statements from the esteemed religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, may his shadow remain (Words of Wisdom, episode number 20)
“Bad Moral and Its Consequences in the Hereafter”
In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In a noble hadith from the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), it is stated:
"Indeed, good manners brings the best of this world and the Hereafter."
This hadith illustrates that good character brings blessings both in this world and the Hereafter. A person with good character is respected in this world—by their family, relatives, friends, coworkers, and anyone who interacts with them. People always remember such a person with kindness, which clearly shows they’ve attained worldly goodness. However, the impact of good character in the Hereafter is even more profound and far-reaching. According to narrations from the infallible Imams (peace be upon them), such as the hadith above, good character is among the heaviest and most beneficial deeds when actions are weighed.
The Prophet Attends the Funeral of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
The noble verses of the Qur'an and the sayings of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) speak at length, both concisely and in detail, about this matter. One particularly valuable and instructive story is the death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, a companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who passed away during the Prophet’s lifetime. The Prophet himself attended Sa'd’s funeral, performed the prayer over him, and personally laid him in the grave with his blessed hands.
This narration is reported with various chains of transmission and appears in numerous books. One version is narrated from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), stating that when the news of Sa'd's death reached the Prophet, he attended the funeral, waiting while the companions of Sa'd washed, perfumed, and shrouded the body. Once prepared for the funeral procession, prayer, and burial, the Prophet joined the procession barefoot and walked behind the body.
The Prophet’s Unprecedented Funeral Behavior
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) recounts actions during the funeral that are unique throughout the Prophet’s life—from the time of his mission until his martyrdom. Such conduct was not reported for any other companion or even for his own relatives. One remarkable detail is how the Prophet walked under the body of Sa'd, at times bearing the right side of the coffin on his shoulder, and at times the left. He would alternate between these sides several times, carrying the coffin himself.
This behavior was unfamiliar and unprecedented for the Prophet. He had never acted this way at anyone else’s funeral. Naturally, people later asked him about this behavior.
Despite the Prophet’s awe-inspiring presence, he was always cheerful and approachable—anyone could ask him a question at any time. However, during Sa'd’s funeral, due to the visible sorrow on the Prophet’s blessed face, no companion dared to interrupt or question him at the time.
Later, when asked, the Prophet said:
“Gabriel was present at Sa'd's funeral, and my hand was in his. When Gabriel carried one side of the coffin, I carried the other.”
It’s worth noting that Gabriel holds a lofty station among the angels—close to God’s Throne. The Qur'an describes him as:
"Endowed with power, with a secure position near the Owner of the Throne."
This verse uses an intensive form to emphasize Gabriel's power and authority. In simple terms, Gabriel is essentially in charge of divine matters. Yet, even with his immense status, it is rare—or perhaps unheard of—for him to attend someone’s funeral.
Like One in Mourning
More astonishing still, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) attended the funeral without his cloak and barefoot—behaving as a close family member would. According to Islamic jurisprudence, such behavior is recommended for the immediate family of the deceased—like a parent, child, or sibling. Scholars have mentioned this in jurisprudential texts, referring to these mourners as mu’azza (those in mourning), for whom it is recommended to go barefoot and without outer garments during the funeral.
This tradition is especially emphasized for the day of Ashura, which is not limited to the original day in the Islamic year but refers to the annually recurring day. It is one of the recommended mourning practices of that day.
The Prophet’s presence in this form at Sa'd’s funeral—like a grieving family member—is perhaps the most striking aspect of this narrative.
Walking on His Toes
Another extraordinary feature of this funeral was how the Prophet walked—mostly on the tips of his toes. Those who were present observed this unusual gait. When asked about it later, the Prophet explained that seventy thousand angels—and in another narration, ninety thousand (the difference possibly due to varying narrators)—attended Sa'd’s funeral. This staggering number of angels reflects the high status of this noble companion.
The Prophet walked on his toes to avoid stepping on their wings, which he could perceive with his spiritual insight. How such a multitude of angels could fit into that small space relates to their non-material nature. This spiritual dimension allows even millions of angels to occupy a small room without physical crowding or collision.
Inside the Grave
After the funeral procession, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) entered Sa'd’s grave. This gives us a chance to briefly explain burial practices in Islam. Graves are usually dug to a depth where an average person standing in it would have the soil reach up to their collarbone. There are two main types of graves: luhd (niche) and shaqq (trench).
Luhd: After digging the main grave to the proper depth, a niche is dug on the side facing the Qibla, where the body is placed. Then, bricks or stones—called labinah (plural: labinat)—are placed behind the body to prevent it from rolling over. It is recommended for these bricks to be made from raw (unbaked) clay, and they are sealed with mud for firmness.
Shaqq: In this method, a trench is dug in the bottom of the grave, and the body is laid inside it facing the Qibla. Stones are placed on top of the trench, sealed with mud, and finally the grave is filled with soil.
"O Sa'd, Paradise be yours!"
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), after the burial of Sa'd, placed each stone of the grave himself with his own blessed hands and sealed the spaces between them with clay. After completing the burial, he came out of the grave. At that moment, Sa'd’s mother, witnessing all the attention and honor the Prophet (PBUH) had shown to her son's body and burial, said: “O Sa'd, Paradise be yours!”
Each of us — and even those present there — had the same thought. But to everyone's amazement, the Prophet (PBUH) said to the woman:
“O mother of Sa'd, be quiet. Do not speak with certainty regarding your Lord, for indeed Sa'd has just been subjected to a squeeze [in the grave].”
This statement of the Prophet (PBUH), as mentioned, greatly astonished those present, including Sa'd’s mother. How could a noble companion like Sa'd, with such a shining record in Islam and faith, and having received such personal attention from the Prophet (PBUH) during his funeral, suffer punishment in the grave?
This greatly occupied the minds of those present.
After the funeral rites, when those attending returned with the Prophet (PBUH), they asked him about what had occurred. The companions said:
“O Messenger of God, we saw how you treated Sa'd in a way we have never seen you do for anyone else. You attended without your cloak and barefoot, and the angels themselves participated in his funeral. At times you carried the right side of his bier, and at times the left, among other unique things. How could someone of such virtue and stature be afflicted by the punishment of the grave?”
The Prophet (PBUH) then said something deeply wise and important for all Muslims to understand. He said:
“Indeed, there was some bad behavior in his conduct with his family.”
According to the narration, the Prophet (PBUH) may have shared these words with his companions after the funeral or perhaps in the following days, as he seemed sorrowful on the day of burial, and no one dared question him at that time due to his emotional state.
Notably, the Prophet (PBUH) did not say that Sa'd was generally ill-tempered at home. Rather, he said:
“There was some bad conduct in his behavior with his family,”
— indicating a small degree of misconduct, not towards everyone, but specifically toward his household, and even then, it was minimal.
Consequences of Actions
Indeed, even a small matter like this has consequences in the next world. A little bit of bad behavior can lead to severe punishment in the grave. God Almighty speaks the truth:
“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” (Qur’an, 99:7-8)
In researching the life of Sa'd in books of hadith and biographies, I found no particular issues noted about him. Perhaps the Prophet (PBUH) intended to teach us about the severe consequences of poor conduct in the next life and used this story to emphasize the importance of good character.
From this story, it becomes clear that no matter how elevated a person's rank may be or how diligently they practice their religion, even a small amount of bad character in their record can result in punishment in the grave. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, with his high status — evidenced by the presence of the angels at his funeral — is a prime example of this. As mentioned in the Qur’an, the angels of God do not disobey Him and only do what they are commanded:
“To Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth of creatures and the angels, and they do not show arrogance. They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.” (Qur’an, 16:49-50)
Moreover, the Prophet's (PBUH) personal participation in Sa'd’s funeral — appearing as a mourner, barefoot and without his cloak, and performing all the funeral rites — testifies to the esteemed status of this sincere companion. Still, this one story is enough to highlight and explain the importance of this ethical teaching.
One must avoid ill conduct diligently and treat their family members with the utmost gentleness and kindness. Even the smallest act of harshness is like a drop of poison or vinegar in honey — it spoils everything. And here, it brought about the intense pressure of the grave upon such a great personality like Sa'd ibn Mu'adh.
"In any case, may God protect us all from that."
I pray that Almighty God, through the blessings of the Pure Household (peace be upon them), shields us all from bad character and its consequences in the grave.
And peace be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.
