مسند أحمد

It was narrated that Hani`, the freed slave of `Uthman, (رضي الله عنه) said: `Uthman (رضي الله عنه) used to stand by a grave and weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: You remember Paradise and Hell and you do not weep, but you weep for this? He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `The grave is the first stage of the hereafter. If one is saved from it (i.e., its torments), then what comes after it is easier than it. But if one is not saved from it {i.e. its torments), then what comes after it is worse.` And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: By Allah, I have never seen any frightening scene but the grave is more frightening than it.`