Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

Was it that big of a deal? Your Wudu is Serious | The Other Side: Barzakh and Beyond Ep. 17

Will your deeds save you or betray you? In the next life, even the smallest actions hold immense weight. Allah’s mercy is vast, but His justice is precise.

It’s not a big deal…or was it? What seems insignificant today could weigh the heaviest in the Barzakh. It’s not about the size of the sin, it’s about how it weighs in your heart.

A rushed wudu, a careless word, a moment of gossip—these are things people dismiss as minor. But the punishment of the grave begins with neglecting what Allah values. The deeds that save you are the ones you take seriously, no matter how small they seem. Because the small things aren’t so small when you stand before Allah.

NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.

Download discussion guides for “The Other Side”: https://yqn.io/2e7585

Captioning provided by Muhsen.

References:

  1. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The second matter by which the heart remains upright is reverence for divine commands and prohibitions. This stems from the reverence one holds for the One who commands and forbids.” [Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-Wabil as-Sayyib]
  2. Abu Huraira reported: We were walking with the Prophet ﷺ when we passed by two graves. He ﷺ said, “You cannot hear what I hear. These two men are being severely punished in their graves for what they thought a trivial matter.” We said, “What is it, O Prophet of Allah?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “One of them did not take care to keep his garments clean of urine. The other harmed people with his tongue, carrying gossip between them.” [Musnad Ahmad; Sahih Ibn Hibban]
  3. In another narration Abu Bakrah reported: The Prophet ﷺ passed by two graves and he said, “Verily, they are both being punished, but not for a sin difficult to avoid. As for one, he is punished for the habit of soiling himself with urine. As for the other, he is punished for the habit of backbiting.” [Sunan Ibn Majah #349]
  4. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The majority of the punishment in the grave is due to carelessness with urine, so avoid soiling yourself with urine.” [Sunan al-Daraqutni]
  5. Ibn Masud reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “A servant of Allah was commanded to be lashed one hundred times in his grave. He continued to beg and plead until the punishment was reduced to a single lash. When he was struck with that single lash, his grave was filled with fire. After it subsided, he asked, ‘Why was I lashed?’ It was said to him, ‘Because you prayed without purification and because you passed by an oppressed person and did not help him.’” [At-Tahawi, Sharh Mushkil al-Athar]
Dr. Omar Suleiman

Dr. Omar Suleiman

President | Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Southern Methodist University.