Whenever Uthman bin Affan stood at a grave, he would weep until his beard was soaked. It was said to him, "You remember Paradise and the Fire and do not weep, yet you weep at this?"He replied, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. Whoever is delivered from it, what comes after is easier, and whoever is not delivered from it, what comes after is harsher.'"He said, "And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'I have never seen any sight more dreadful than the grave.'"
كان عثمان بن عفان إذا وقف على قبر يبكي حتى يبل لحيته، فقيل له: تذكر الجنة والنار ولا تبكي، وتبكي من هذا؟ قال: إن رسول الله ﷺ قال: إن القبر أول منازل الآخرة، فإن نجا منه فما بعده أيسر منه، وإن لم ينج منه فما بعده أشد منه قال: وقال رسول الله ﷺ: ما رأيت منظرا قط إلا والقبر أفظع منه.
Hani, the freed slave of Uthman, said, "Whenever Uthman bin Affan stood by a grave, he would weep until his beard grew wet. So it was said to him, 'You mention paradise and the fire and do not weep, yet you weep over this?' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The grave is the first stage of the afterlife. If a person is saved from it, then what comes after is easier than it, but if he is not saved from it, then what comes after is harsher than it."'"He said, "And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'I have never seen a sight but that the grave is more terrifying than it.'"