Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath, may Allaah be pleased with him, and the tightness of the grave
6-12-2007 | IslamWeb
Question:
“Had anyone been secure from the tightness of the grave, it would have been Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath.” Why was this said regarding Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath, may Allaah be pleased with him?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas 
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that had anyone been secure from the tightness of the grave, it would have been Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath . He was squeezed tightly in the grave once then it was alleviated. [At-Tabaraani]
This Hadeeth (narration) tells us that Allaah The Almighty decreed that the grave will tightly squeeze every deceased person and should any people have been secured from it due to their status and rank with Allaah The Almighty, then Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath would have been one of those people. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said these words after the death of Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath because of his status in Islam; his efforts for the cause of Allaah The Almighty and the way he supported the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. To highlight the merit of this honorable Companion the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, informed us that the Throne of Allaah shook for the death of Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aath . [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] There are many Hadeeths indicating the merits of this honorable Companion .
Allaah Knows best.