Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:
The period of time which people live in the world is extremely short in comparison to the period of time for which they will remain buried beneath the surface of the earth. Accordingly one should understand that man’s lifespan in this world compared to the Hereafter is extremely short and brief. After your demise, the various stages through which you will pass, such as the stage in the grave until the first sounding of the trumpet, the stage from the first sounding of the trumpet until the second, the thousands of years that will be spent on the plains of resurrection and finally residing in whichever abode Allah Ta‘ala chooses for you in the Hereafter – all these stages are hundreds of thousands of times longer than the brief period for which you live in the world. How can man remain so negligent and unconcerned of his true abode? He makes such effort for the few days he will spend in the world but fails to work and make adequate preparations for the eternal life of the Hereafter! (Malfoozaat Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) pg. 21)
Source: Ihyaauddeen.co.za