Shayk-ul-Hadeeth Zakariyya(RA) relates, Once the Prophet Muhammad sketched a diagram to illustrate the reality of this worldly existence:
Thereafter, the Prophet(SAW) explained,
"The middle line is man; the four surrounding lines (the square) is death which encapsulates him and from which there is no escape; the protruding line is his hopes which extend far beyond his life. The small cross-lines on both sides are illnesses and events which transpire around him. Each short line is a trial...should he escape from one; another awaits...moreover, death surrounds him from all four sides, however his hopes (the protruding line) still extend far beyond death!"
(p393, Fadha'il Sadaqat)
(Bukhari Book 76, Number 426)
Extracted from Ashraf's advice upon Death
