The Remembrance of Death And The Afterlife By Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi

Death is a certainty that every person knows is coming — and yet the Qur'an repeatedly identifies heedlessness of it as one of the defining characteristics of those who are far from Allah. The believer who remembers death often finds their heart softened, their priorities clarified, and their relationship with this world properly calibrated. The believer who forgets it finds the opposite.

The Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife by Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi is a classical compilation of Qur'anic verses, authentic hadith, and statements of the Salaf on death, the grave, the resurrection, and the events of the Hereafter — gathered together for the purpose of awakening the heart and preparing the believer for what lies ahead.

What This Book Covers

The Remembrance of Death

The book opens with the Qur'anic and prophetic basis for remembering death frequently — including the famous hadith: "Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures — death." (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2307, graded hasan by Shaykh al-Albani) The statements of the Companions and the Salaf on how they prepared for death, how they felt when it was near, and what they said and did in its approach are collected here with characteristic care.

The Agony of Death (Sakaraat al-Mawt)

The book covers what the authentic texts establish about the experience of death — the trials at the moment of passing, the arrival of the angels, and the role of the believer's deeds in determining the ease or difficulty of that moment. This is not presented to frighten unnecessarily but to motivate the believer to prepare while there is still time.

The Grave — Its Trials and Its Verdicts

The questioning of the grave by Munkar and Nakeer, the punishment of the grave, and the bliss of the grave for the righteous are all covered from the authentic Sunnah. Ibn Qudamah draws together the clearest and most authentic narrations to give the reader a grounded, evidenced understanding of what awaits in al-Barzakh.

The Resurrection and the Hereafter

The book extends through the events of the Day of Judgment — the gathering, the reckoning, the Sirat, and the final abodes — all traced to their sources in the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah.

About the Author

Imam Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (541–620 AH) was born in Jama'il, Palestine, and educated in Damascus. A Hanbali jurist, he wrote the nine-volume Al-Mughni, a principal reference in Hanbali fiqh, alongside works on the fundamentals of the law, creed and the sciences of the Qur'an. Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers.

Who This Book Is For

Any Muslim whose heart has hardened, who finds the dunya occupying more of their attention than it should, or who has never seriously considered what happens after death. Short, sobering, and among the most effective books in the catalog for restoring perspective. Also valuable for those grieving a loss who want the Islamic understanding of what has happened to the one they lost.

Continue Reading

Browse more works by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi. This title belongs to Dar as-Sunnah's Ibn Qudamah series on the heart and character, alongside Purification of the Soul, The Inner Secrets of Worship and The Refinement of Character. For the wider subject, see our guide to the best books on purifying the soul (tazkiyah).