The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said:
“Allah has Angels, who
travel about the earth.
They convey to me the
peace greetings (salaam)
from my Ummah.”[1]
This Hadeeth of Allah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) proves
that he (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) does
not hear the greetings
directly, because if he
could do so there would
have been no need for
the Angles to convey the
greetings. The Salaf
used to dislike the
practice of
frequenting
the grave of Allah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) to
greet him with salaam,
because whether someone
greets him at his grave
or from far, the Angels
convey the salaam to
him.
Abdullah Ibn Hussain,
the grandson of Alee
(radhi allahu anhu), saw
a man paying frequent
visits to the grave of
Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) and
said to him, “O you
person, Verily Allah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said:
“Do not take my grave as
a place of worship and
invoke blessings upon me
wherever you are, for
your blessings will
reach me.” Thus, you and
a person in Spain are
equal.”[2]
A fabrication is often
attributed to the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) that
he said: “Whoever asks
blessings for me at my
grave, I hear him, and
whoever asks blessings
upon me from afar, it is
conveyed to me.”[3]
This fabricated
narration is mentioned
in Fazaail-e-Aamaal,
(Eng. Trans.), Virtues
of Hajj, Chapter.8,
p.131, Hadeeth no.11
(New Edition 1982,
Published by Dini Book
Depot - Delhi).
A living man, who is
awake and alert, can
barely listen to voices
behind a wall or a
barrier. If the
inhabitants of the
graves are alive and
posses the sense of
hearing as the living -
how is it possible for
them to perceive the
voices beyond the loads
of sand and gravel?
Death does not excel
one’s senses, it impairs
them!!
People who are alive
have many limitations to
their hearing…
They can only hear
when the speaker
converses loud enough,
They can understand
only one person at a
time,
They cannot understand
more than few
languages, and
They cannot hear
whilst asleep.
This is true even for
Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam), who
too could not hear and
understand unless
someone spoke loud
enough. During the
lifetime of the Prophet
(sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam), there lived
in al-Medina, a young
sorcerer named Ibn
Saiyad. It was believed
that he was one of the
Dajjals.[4]
Ibn Saiyad by his
sorcery sought after the
knowledge of the Unseen
(Ghayb) but his
information was always
far away from the truth.
Narrated Ibn Umar (radhi
allahu anhuma) “Allah’s
Messenger once with Ubay
Ibn Ka’ab (radhi allahu
anhu) went to the garden
of date palms, where Ibn
Saiyad was staying. When
the Prophet (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
entered the garden, he (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
started hiding himself
behind the trunks of the
date palms, as he wanted
to hear something from
Ibn Saiyad before the
latter could see him.
Ibn Saiyad was lying in
his bed, covered with a
velvet sheet from where
his murmurs were heard.
Ibn Saiyad’s mother saw
the Prophet (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) while
he was hiding himself
behind the trunks of the
date palms. She
addressed Ibn Saiyad: “O
Saf!” (And this was his
name). Ibn Saiyad got
up. The Prophet (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said:
“Had this woman let him
to himself, he would
have revealed the
reality of his case.”[5]
Numerous stories in the
books of the Deobandis
claim that the dead
Sufis listen to those
who visit their tombs.
As, Moulana Zakariyah
says: “Allama Kamal
Ibnul Humam, the author
of Fathul Qadeer once
recited Soorah Hud at
the graveside of Shaikh
Ibn Ata Iskandari. When
he reached the ayah:
“Among them are
unfortunate and
fortunate ones.” The
Shaikh’s voice came from
the qabr (grave) saying:
“O Kamal, among us are
no unfortunate ones.”
The Qur’aan explains
that the deceased cannot
hear in the graves,
Allah says:
“Verily, you cannot make
the dead hear and you
cannot make the deaf
hear the call when they
turn their backs and
retreat.”[6]
In this verse, the
disbelievers are
referred to as dead and
Allah compares the dead
and the disbelievers
with regards to the
faculty of hearing. Even
though, the living
disbelievers can
physically hear, they
are considered as deaf
as the dead, who do not
hear at all. Thus,
proving that the dead do
not posses the sense of
hearing in the grave.
Another such comparison
is found in Soorah
Faatir (35): 22, where
Allah says:
“The living (believer)
and the dead
(disbelievers) are not
alike. Allah makes
whoever He wishes hear,
but you cannot make
those in the graves,
hear.”
‘The living’ in this
verse are the believers
and ‘the dead’ are the
disbelievers. This verse
again compares the
disbelievers to those in
the graves, who are both
similar. The
disbelievers hear
physically, but do not
listen to the truth.
They are just like those
in the graves, who are
at a higher level of
deafness, and do not
hear at all.[7]
This line of reasoning
is proved with
additional proofs from
the Qur’aan and the
Sunnah, and is in
accordance with the
understanding of the
Sahabah. When the
punishment of the dead
was mentioned to
Aa’ishah (radhi allahu
anha) on account of the
family’s un-Islamic
mourning, she commented,
“The dead person is
punished for his crimes
and sins while his
family cries over him
then.” She said: “This
is similar to the
statement of Allah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) when
he stood by the well
which contained the
corpses of the pagans
killed at (the battle)
Badr:
“They hear what I say.”
She added: “But he said
now they know very well
what I used to tell them
was the truth.” Aa’ishah
(radhi allahu anha) then
recited:
“You cannot make the
dead hear.”[8]
and:
“You cannot make those
who are in their graves,
hear you.”[9]
[10]
Here, we see that
Aa’ishah (radhi allahu
anha) brings the two
verses (30:52 and
35:22), as a proof when
the hearing of the dead
is being discussed. This
is a reply to the false
claim that these verses
refer only to the
disbelievers and cannot
be used in reference to
the hearing of the dead.
[1]
Sunan an-Nasa’ee,
Sunan ad-Darimi and
Musnad Imaam Ahmad.
See Saheeh Sunan
an-Nasa’ee vol.1,
no.1215. This
Hadeeth is Hassan
according to Shaikh
al-Albanee.
[2]
Mentioned by Shaikh
ul-Islaam Ibn
Taymeeyah in Kitaab
al-Waseelah (p.136)
and al-Iqtidaa
p.155-156. Also by
al-Albanee in Ahkam
al-Janaaiz, p.280.
[3]
This tradition was
mentioned by al-Uqayli
in his book, ad-Dhu’afa
and by al-Khateeb,
Ibn Asakir, etc. and
they all agree that
it is a fabrication
(Mawdoo). Mentioned
by Shaikh al-Albanee
in Silsilatil-Ahaadeeth
ad-Daee’fah, Hadeeth
no.203.
[4]
Narrated by Muhammad
bin Al Munkadir, “I
saw Jabir bin
Abdullah swearing by
Allah that Ibn
Saiyad was the
Dajjal. I said to
Jabir, “How can you
swear by Allah?”
Jabir said, “I have
heard Umar swearing
by Allah regarding
this matter in the
presence of the
Prophet (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam)
and the Prophet did
not disapprove of
it.” [Saheeh
al-Bukharee, vol.9,
Hadeeth no. 453].
[5]
Saheeh al-Bukharee
(Eng. Trans.) vol.4,
Hadeeth no. 290.
[7]
See Tafseer at-Tabaree,
vol.21, p.36 and al-Qurtubi’s
al-Jamee, vol.13,
p.232. Also for more
discussion see “The
Mysteries of the
Soul Expounded” by
Abu Bilal Mustafa
al-Kanadi.
