Narrated Sahl Ibn Saad
(radhi allahu anhu):
“The Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam) said:
“I will precede you to
the fountain in
Paradise. Whoever passes
by me will drink and
never again experience
thirst. Some people whom
I will know and who will
know me, will come to
me, but a barrier will
appear between them and
me. I will say, “Verily!
they are among my
followers.’ It will be
said to me: “You do not
know what innovations
they introduced after
you.”[1]
This Hadeeth is a clear
proof that the Messenger
of Allah (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) is
completely unaware of
his Ummah and their
action after his death.
Thus, on the Day of
Judgment, even though
Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) will
recognize the people of
his Ummah by their
outward appearances
(marks of wudhu[2]),
he will be unaware of
their actions.
(2) Prophet Eesa (alaihi
as-salaam) is unaware of
his nation even though,
he did not die
Unlike, Prophet Muhammad
(sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam), Prophet Eesa
(alaihi as-salaam) never
died, nor entered the
realm of Barzakh.[3]
He was only raised to
the Heavens, yet he is
unaware of his nation.
On the Day of Judgment,
when Allah will question
him about the deeds of
his nations, he will
declare that he was only
a witness over them, as
long as, he was among
them. Allah says in the
Qur’aan that when He
will ask Eesa (alaihi
as-salaam) on the Day of
Judgment,
“O Eesa, son of Mary!
Did you say unto men:
‘Worship me and my
mother as gods besides
Allah?” Eesa (alaihi
as-salaam) will say:
“Glory be to you! It was
not for me to say what I
had no right (to say)…
Never did I say to them,
except what You did
command me to say:
“Worship Allah my Lord
and your Lord; and I was
a witness over them
whilst I dwelt amongst
them; but when You took
me up, You were the
Watcher over them…”[4]
The above two points
clearly mention that the
Messengers are unaware
of their nation after
death and maintain no
connection to the world
whatsoever.
In general, the dead
whether righteous or
not, are unaware of this
world. The Sufis,
however, claim that
their Shaikhs remain
aware and in their
senses even in the
grave. Following are two
examples quoted from
Fazaail-e-Aamaal…
1. Once a group of Arabs
went to visit the grave
of a very generous
person and stayed there
for the night. One of
them in a dream saw the
man of the grave who
asked him to sell his
camel for his Bakhti
camel (Bakhti is a good
kind of camel). The
man agreed and the man
of the grave stood and
slaughtered the camel.
When the man woke up, he
found it bleeding. He
slaughtered it and
distributed the meat.
When the group returned
then at a stage, a man
came riding a Bakhti
camel and enquired
whether among them was a
man of such and such
name. The man who saw
the dream came forward
and said he was that
man. The man related his
dream. The camel rider
said the man of the
grave was his father and
he had directed him
in a dream to give this
camel to him. He
gave the animal to the
man and went away.[5]
2. A virtuous man once
sat down near the grave
of a generous person and
related that he needed
some Deenaars (money) to
help a poor man, but he
could not find any
funds. In the night,
he saw the man of the
grave in his dream, who
guided him to go to
his house and tell that
in such a corner lay
buried five hundred
Deenaars; he should take
them and give it to the
poor man. Next morning,
the man visited the
house of the man in the
grave; spoke to his
family members about his
dream. The Deenaars were
found in the place
mentioned by the person
of the grave.[6]
These stories clearly
contradict the Aqeedah
that is derived from the
Qur’aan. The Qur’aan
relates the story of
three individual, on
whom Allah brought
temporary death:
“Or like the one who
passed by a town and it
had tumbled over its
roofs. He said: “Oh! How
will Allah ever bring it
to life after its
death?” So Allah caused
him to die for a hundred
years, and then raised
him up (again). He said:
“How long did you remain
(dead)?” He (the man)
said: “(Perhaps) I
remained (dead) a day or
part of a day.” He said:
“Nay, you have remained
(dead) for a hundred
years, look at your food
and your drink; they
show no change and look
at your donkey! And thus
we have made of you a
sign for the people.
Look at the bones, how
we bring them together
and clothe them with
flesh.” When this was
clearly shown to him he
said: “I know (now) that
Allah is Able to do all
things.”[7]
The Qur’aan also relates
the story of those
individuals on whom
Allah caused a long
sleep of hundred years:
“And you would have
thought them awake,
while they were asleep.
And we turned them on
their right and on their
left sides, and their
dog stretching forth his
two forelegs at the
entrance [of the cave or
in the space near to the
entrance of the cave (as
a guard at the gate)].
Had you looked at them,
you would certainly have
turned back from them in
flight, and would
certainly have been
filled with awe of them.
Likewise, we awakened
them (from their long
deep sleep) that they
might question one
another. A speaker from
among them said: “How
long have you stayed
(here)?” They said: “We
have stayed (perhaps) a
day or part of a day.”
They said: “Your Lord
(Alone) knows best how
long you have stayed
(here). So, send one of
you with this silver
coin of yours to the
town, and let him find
out which is the good
lawful food, and bring
some of that to you.”[8]
The man who remained
dead for a hundred years
was completely unaware
of his surroundings and
had no knowledge of how
long he remained in that
state.
The people of the cave
were surely alive. Allah
merely caused them to
sleep. They would also
turn from side to side
and their souls never
completely departed from
their bodies.[9]
They were not buried and
did not enter the state
of Barzakh. But they too
were unaware of their
surrounding because
sleep is a temporary
kind of death. The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said:
“Sleep is the brother of
Death.”[10]
Thus, from these two
stories mentioned in the
Qur’aan, we understand
that the dead are
unaware of this world.
The souls of the
righteous believers are
ascended to Paradise
after death and they
become unaware of their
family and friends
dwelling in this world,
thus as Allah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said,
“…when the soul of the
believer soars up to the
Heavens, the souls of
the other believers come
to greet it, seeking
news about their
acquaintances among the
people of the earth.”[11]
[1]
Saheeh al-Bukharee
(Eng. Trans.) vol.8,
p.381-382, no.585,
Saheeh Muslim (Eng.
Trans.) vol.4,
p.1236, no.5682),
Sunan Ibn Majah and
Musnad Imaam Ahmad.
[2]
Abu Hurayrah (radhi
allahu anhu)
reported that once
Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
visited a graveyard
and said: “Peace be
on you – the
dwelling of
believing folks.
Certainly, we will
follow you when
Allah wills. I wish
that we could see
our brother.” He was
asked: “Aren’t we
your brothers, O
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)!”
He (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
replied:
“Rather, you are my
companions, but our
brothers have not
come yet; and I will
precede them to the
Hawd (on the Day of
Judgment).”
He was asked: “How
would you know those
who have not yet
come of your Ummah.
O Messenger of
Allah?” He (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
said:
“If a man had horses
with white faces and
legs among horses
that are totally
black, would he be
able to distinguish
his horses?” He was
told: “Yes, O
Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)”
He (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
said:
“So verily, they
will come on the Day
of Resurrection with
white faces, arms,
and legs from wudhu
(he repeated this
three times). And I
will precede them to
the Hawd. And
indeed, some men
among you will be
turned away from my
Hawd like a lost
camel is turned away
(in order not to
bring disease to the
cattle). I would
call them, ‘Come
forth, come forth!’
But I will be told,
‘They have changed
(your religion)
after you, and
continued to go back
upon their heels.”
So, I would say,
“Verily, let them
get lost, let them
get lost.”
[Saheeh Muslim]
[3]
“…they said (in
boast): “We killed
Christ Jesus, the
son of Mary - the
Messenger of Allah
but they killed him
not, nor crucified
him… Nay! Allah
raised him up unto
Himself; and Allah
is Exalted in Power
Wise.”
[9]
When a person is
asleep, his soul is
in his body and he
is alive, although
his being alive is
not the same as that
of a person who is
awake, for sleep is
comparable to death.
Allah says:
“It is Allah, Who
takes away the souls
at the time of their
death, and those
that do not die
during their sleep.
He keeps those souls
for which He has
ordained death and
sends the rest for
an appointed term.
Indeed, in this are
signs for a people
who think deeply.”
[Soorah al-Zumar
(39): 42]
