Man’s abode in the Hereafter is known to no none but Almighty Allah to Whom Alone belong the heavens and the earth. He tortures whomever He pleases and forgives whomever He pleases, and He is Potent over all things. Almighty Allah does not wrong, even of the weight of an atom. If He tortures all the creatures, then it is out of His justice; and if He pardons them all, then it is out of His mercy and favor. No one will be admitted to Paradise and spared Hell due to his own deeds, but it is out of Almighty Allah’s grace and mercy.
Imam Muslim states in his authentic book of Hadith that Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Observe moderation in deeds (and if it is not possible, try to be near moderation) and be aware that none among you can attain salvation only by virtue of his own deeds.” They (the people) said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Not even you?” He replied, “Not even me, unless Allah encompasses me with His mercy and grace.” However, Almighty Allah grants His mercy to the pious who work righteous deeds, fear Him, and turn to Him in repentance: those who hasten on to do good deeds.
There are signs through which Muslims can testify to a Muslim’s righteousness. If he always shows goodness, they can testify to his goodness and praise him without judging him to be a dweller of Paradise in the Hereafter. This is because a person may pretend to be righteous while in fact he is an evil person; a person may pretend to be faithful while he is a disbelieving hypocrite; and a person may be judged as an evil one while he is righteous in the sight of Allah. Thus, Almighty Allah alone is the only One Who knows best who the true believers are, as He says: (Allah knoweth best (concerning) your faith) (An-Nisaa’ 4:25). Moreover, Allah knows best who the pious among the believers are, as He says: (Therefore ascribe not purity unto yourselves. He is Best Aware of him who wardeth off (evil)) (An-Najm 53:32). On the other hand, it is related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that whoever dies while there are some Muslims testifying to his righteousness, knowing nothing about him but goodness, will be forgiven by Almighty Allah and his abode in the Hereafter will be good, too.
The eminent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi states the following: People are Allah’s witnesses on earth. It is also said that the tongues of people are the pens of the truth. Once, a funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions, “It has been affirmed to him.” Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased, so the Prophet said, “It has been affirmed to him.” `Umar ibn Al-Khattab then asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “What has been affirmed?” The Prophet replied, “You praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to him, and you spoke badly of this, so Hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allah’s witnesses on earth.” Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “There is not a Muslim who dies and the dwellers of four neighboring houses testify that they know nothing about him but goodness but Allah says, ‘I have accepted what you know about him and forgiven what you do not know.’”
Accordingly, it is desirable to praise those who show goodness, especially after their death, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Remember the good deeds of your deceased people.” However, it is detestable to praise people in their presence lest they become vain and self-conceited.
There are various signs related to death foreshadowing good abode in the Hereafter. Muslim scholars pointed them out through the related religious texts, some of which we cite as follows:
1. Saying the Shahadah (testimony of faith that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) upon death, for Al-Hakim and others stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whose last words were, ‘There is no deity but Allah,’ will be admitted to Paradise.”
2. Dying while having sweat on the forehead, for Buraydah ibn Al-Husayb narrated that Allah’s Messenger said, “The believer dies while having sweat on his forehead.” (Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi).
3. Dying on a Friday night or day, for Allah’s Messenger said, “There is not a Muslim who dies on Friday, by day or night, but Allah safeguards him against the trial of the grave.”
4. Being martyred while fighting in the cause of Allah, dying in the way of Allah, dying of plague, dying of an abdominal disease, and dying of drowning. This is because Imam Muslim states in his authentic Book of Hadith: “Allah’s Messenger asked, “Whom do you consider a martyr?” They (the Companions) replied, “O Messenger of Allah! The one who is slain in the cause of Allah is a martyr.” He said, “(If so,) then the martyrs of my nation are few.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Who are they (the martyrs) then?” He said, “The one who is slain in the cause of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies in the way of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies of plague is a martyr, the one who dies of an abdominal disease is a martyr, and the one who dies of drowning is a martyr.” In addition, the one buried alive is a martyr, for Al-Bukhari and Muslim stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Five are martyrs: The one who dies of plague, the one who dies of an abdominal disease, the one who dies of drowning, the one who is buried alive and dies, and the one who is killed in the cause of Allah.”
5. The woman who dies in her puerperium [the period after childbirth] because of her baby or even died while being pregnant because of her baby is a martyr, for Imam Ahmad and other compilers of Hadith narrated with authentic chains of transmission that `Ubadah ibn As-Samit reported the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying about martyrs, “The woman who is killed by (the delivery of) her baby is a martyr; her baby will drag her with the umbilical cord to Paradise.”
6. Being killed by fire or as a result of a pleural tumor is a martyr, as stated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while listing the kinds of martyrs.
7. Dying of tuberculosis, as the Prophet stated that whoever dies of tuberculosis is a martyr.
8. There are other kinds of martyrs indicated in the following hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i and other compilers of Hadith, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “He who is killed while defending his property is a martyr; he who is killed while defending his religion is a martyr; and he who is killed while defending his blood is a martyr.”
9. Dying while performing sentry duty in the cause of Allah, for Imam Muslim stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Keeping watch for a day and a night (in the cause of Allah) is better (in reward) than fasting for a whole month and standing in Prayer every night. If a person dies (while performing such a sentry duty), his (meritorious) activity will continue, he will go on receiving his reward for it perpetually, and will be saved from the torture of the grave.” The men and women of security forces and land, sea, or air border patrols must be the happiest with this hadith, regardless of their positions, provided they seek the divine reward through doing these national duties.
10. Dying while performing a righteous deed, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “He who dies upon saying ‘There is no deity but Allah,’ seeking Allah’s pleasure, will be admitted to Paradise; and he who dies upon performing a deed of charity will be admitted to Paradise” (Ahmad and other compilers of Hadith).
However, you should be aware, dear questioner, that even if any of the aforementioned signs takes place, one should never be absolutely certain that the concerned person will be admitted to Paradise; one may just regard it as a good omen. On the other hand, if none of these signs happens to the deceased, one should not as well judge him to be a dweller of Hell. All this belongs to the knowledge of the Unseen, known only to Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware.
Moreover, it is detestable to mention the defects of others, for Imam Muslim stated in his authentic book of Hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “A person said, ‘Allah will not forgive such-and-such (person).’ Thereupon, Almighty Allah said, ‘Who is he who adjures about Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? I have forgiven so-and-so and blotted out his deeds.’”(Knowest thou not that unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth? He punisheth whom He willeth, and forgiveth whom He willeth. Allah is Able to do all things.) (Al-Ma’idah 5:40). Almighty Allah also says: (Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. He forgiveth whom He willeth, and punisheth whom He willeth. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) (Aal `Imran 3:129). In addition, Almighty Allah says: (And Allah’s is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He forgiveth whom He willeth, and punisheth whom He willeth. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.) (Al-Fath 48: 14) Furthermore, Almighty Allah says: (He punisheth whom He willeth and showeth mercy unto whom He willeth, and unto Him ye will be turned)(Al-`Ankabut 29:21).
Commenting on the latter verse, Imam Ibn Kathir said: The statement of Almighty Allah, (He punisheth whom He willeth and showeth mercy unto whom He willeth) means that He is the Judge and the Manager of everything. He does what He pleases and decrees what He pleases. No one questions His judgment; He is not questioned about what He does but He questions all about what they do. To Him belongs the creation and the decree. Whatever He does is just and fair, for He is the Owner of everything, Who wrongs not even of the weight of an atom. The compliers of the books of the Sunan (Prophetic tradition, plural of Sunnah) state that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “If Allah punishes all the peoples of His heavens and His earth, He will do so without being unjust to them.”