The Meaning of the Trial of Life and Death and the Trial of the Messiah al-Dajjal

Question:
We begin with this question and this message received from the questioner Sami 'Abd al-'Uthman, who resides in Jeddah. He says: Shaykh, in the supplication after the tashahhud and the testimony, the Muslim says: "I seek refuge in You from the trial of life and death, and from the trial of the Messiah al-Dajjal." What is the trial of life and death? And what is the trial of the Messiah al-Dajjal?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. It is authentically reported from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he commanded seeking refuge with Allah from four things at the end of the tashahhud: "I seek refuge in Allah " This is because of the danger of these trials that befall every person, and no one is safe from them except whom Allah protects and guards. Seeking refuge with Allah from these four is a cause of safety from them, for whoever seeks refuge with Allah, He will protect him. So, the trial of life and death is what is being asked about.
When a person is on the verge of death, when death approaches him, Satan is present and presents to him the religions, hoping that he will deviate from his religion to the religion of disbelief and the religion of doubt, and die upon it. So, he seeks refuge with Allah from this trial. And he asks Allah to keep him firm upon Islam until he dies upon it, and that his last words be "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah), as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for the trial of death, it is authentically established that when the deceased is placed in his grave and the earth is packed tightly over him, and the mourners have turned away, meaning they have returned from him, and there is no one left, two angels come to him. His soul is returned to his body, and they torment him, saying to him: "Who is your Lord? What is your religion? And who is your Prophet?" If he says: "My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)," a voice will call out: "Allah has accepted the truth of His servant. Take him out and make for him a door to Paradise." They will widen his grave until it becomes as far as his eye can see. As for the hypocrite and the innovator, he will say: "I am in doubt; I heard people saying something, so I said it." It will be said to him: "You did not know and you did not recite." And a mallet from the earth will be brought, and if it were to strike the mountains of the world, they would be crushed by it. Then he will let out a scream that everything will hear except the people. If the people were to hear it, they would be stunned. Then his grave will be closed over him until his limbs are twisted, and a door to the Fire will be opened for him, and he will be subjected to its evil and its scorching heat. This is the trial of the grave.