Sa’ad bin Ma’az was one of the noblemen of Ansars. He was held dear by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself and his companions, to the extent that whenever he came to meet the Prophet, he used to instruct his companions to welcome him with honour. The Prophet himself stood up to welcome him. Sa’ad was wounded in a battle fought against the Jews of Qurayza, and later succumbed to the injuries. When he died, seventy thousand Angels attended his funeral. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) was present bare feet till the end, and gave shoulder to his bier, and said that the Angels had come to recite the funeral prayers (Namaze Mayyit), and Jibraeel and Mikaeel were also present alongside him. The Holy Prophet loved him so much that he himself buried him.
Seeing this, the mother of Sa’ad remarked, “O my son, rejoice at the attainment of Paradise.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) replied,
“How do you know that your son would enter Paradise, when he now faces squeeze in the grave.”
People were astonished and asked the Prophet to explain.
He replied,
“It is so because he was harsh with his relatives and members of his household.”
(Khazeenatul Jawahir)