Quran mentions the Prophet Salih’s speech to the dead. This speech was made after his nation had been destroyed.
[Yusufali 7:77] Then they ham-strung the she camel, and insolently defied the order of their Lord, saying: “O Salih! bring about thy threats, if thou art a messenger (of Allah)!”
[Yusufali 7:78] So the earthquake took them unawares, and they lay prostrate in their homes in the morning!
[Yusufali 7:79] So Salih left them, saying: “O my people! I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my Lord: I gave you good counsel, but ye love not good counsellors!”
Please note that Quran testifies that Salih addressed to his nation who had already been perished by Allah. This shows clearly that souls of the dead can Hear, otherwise what is the meaning of Salih’s address to them?. Or do the Salafies think that Salih did a Useless and Polytheistic Act (as according to Ibne Abdul Wahab one become Mushrik if one think that they can hear)? And why Allah also mentioned this useless and polytheistic Act in Quran?
Secondly, do the Salafies think that Salih [as] used Loud Speakers in order to let his message to reach each and every dead person of his nation ? No, he [as] did not use any Loud Speaker, yet the Holy Quran testifies that all of his nation heard his message.
It simply shows that near or remote calls doesn’t make any difference for the Dead. Their means for hearing are different from the Living and they cannot be compared with each other. And if someone does so, certainly he makes a mistake. Allah has not told us what these means are, but Quran testifies that dead can hear us irrespective of being close or far away. And it is enough for us to believe in it.
Thirdly, why do Salafies believe that when Salih says to his dead nation “Ya Qaumi”(O my people) then it is ok. But when we say “Ya Rasool Allah”, then it is Shirk?
Mentioned in the Qur’an:
[Yusufali 7:91] But the earthquake took them unawares, and they lay prostrate in their homes before the morning!
[Yusufali 7:92] The men who reject Shu’aib became as if they had never been in the homes where they had flourished: the men who rejected Shu’aib – it was they who were ruined!
[Yusufali 7:93] So Shu’aib left them, saying:”O my people! I did indeed convey to you the messages for which I was sent by my Lord: I gave you good counsel, but how shall I lament over a people who refuse to believe!”
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
“The Messenger of Allah spoke to the People (buried) in the Well saying: “Have you found out that what your Lord had promised you is true?” then someone exclaimed: “Are you calling out to the dead!” The Prophet replied: “You do not hear better than they do, except they do not respond.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 452
Narrated Abu Talha:
“On the day of Badr, the Prophet ordered that the corpses of twenty four leaders of Quraish should be thrown into one of the dirty dry wells of Badr. �� When he halted at the edge of the well, he addressed the corpses of the Quraish infidels by their names and their fathers’ names, “O so-and-so, son of so-and-so and O so-and-so, son of so-and-so! Would it have pleased you if you had obeyed Allah and His Apostle? We have found true what our Lord promised us. Have you too found true what your Lord promised you? “‘Umar said, “O Allah’s Apostle! You are speaking to bodies that have no souls!” Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, you do not hear, what I say better than they do.” (Qatada said, “Allah brought them to life (again) to let them hear him, to reprimand them and slight them and take revenge over them and caused them to feel remorseful and regretful.”)
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 314
And Anas b. Malik reported that:
Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) let the dead bodies of the unbelievers who fought in Badr (lie unburied) for three days. He then came to them and sat by their side and called them and said: O Abu Jahl b. Hisham, O Umayya b. Khalaf, O Utba b. Rab’ila, O Shaiba b. Rabi’a, have you not found what your Lord had promised with you to be correct? As for me, I have found the promises of my Lord to be (perfectly) correct. Umar listened to the words of Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah’s Messenger, how do they listen and respond to you? They are dead and their bodies have decayed. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, what I am saying to them, even you cannot hear more distinctly than they, but they lack the power to reply. Then’he commanded that they should be buried in the well of Badr.
Sahih Muslim, Book 040, Number 6869
Narrated Ibn Shihab:
These were the battles of Allah’s Apostle (which he fought), and while mentioning (the Badr battle) he said, “While the corpses of the pagans were being thrown into the well, Allah’s Apostle said (to them), ‘Have you found what your Lord promised true?” ‘Abdullah said, “Some of the Prophet’s companions said, “O Allah’s Apostle! You are addressing dead people.’ Allah’s Apostle replied, ‘You do not hear what I am saying, better than they.’ ��”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 360
Please note that Rasool Allah [saww] is addressing to the Kuffar lying dead in a well and he [saww] is claiming that souls of these non living bodies can Hear better than the living persons.
Just imagine if you are buried ALIVE in a well, could you be able to Hear any voice. If not, then it has to be admitted that near or remote calls only make difference when person is alive. For souls it doesn’t make any difference and they are able to hear the voice irrespective of near/far distances.
The Salafies must check their Double Standards i.e. when Rasool Allah [saww] says “O Abu Jahl….. O Umayya….. O Utba…” then it is ok., but when “Ya Rasool Allah [saww]“ is said then it becomes Shirk?
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah’s Apostle said, “When (Allah’s) slave is put in his grave and his companions return and he even hears their footsteps, two angels come to him and make him sit and ask��.
1. Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 456
2. Sahih Muslim, Book 040, Number 6862
Can anyone hear the thumps of sandaled feet if one is buried Alive in a grave?
Interestingly, the Salafies claim that the dead are even not able to hear our greetings. Let’s compare their claim with the Sunnah of Rasool Allah [saww], when he [saww] greeted the dead with the words “Assalam-o-Alaika Ya Ahlil Qabur” whole his life.
(Note: All the references below are from Sahih Muslim, translated into English by a salafi named Abdul Hamid Siddiqui)
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to the graveyard and said:
“Peace be upon you! (O) the abode of the believing people and we, if God so wills, are about to join you. I love to see my brothers. They (the hearers) said: Aren’t we your brothers-Messenger of Allah? He said: You are my companions, and our brothers are those who have, so far, not come into the world.”
Sahih Muslim, Book 002, Number 0482
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace The upon him) went out to the graveyard and said:
“Peace be upon you, the abode of the believing people. and If Allah so wills we shall join you…. (and so on and so forth) like the hadith narrated by Isma’il b. Ja’far except the words of Malik: Then some persons would be driven away from my Cistern.”
Sahih Muslim, Book 002, Number 0483
Sulaiman b. Buraida narrated on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to teach them when they went out to the graveyard. One of the narrators used to say this in the narration transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr:
“Peace be upon the inhabitants of the city (i. e. graveyard).” In the hadith transmitted by Zuhair (the words are):” Peace be upon you, the inhabitants of the city, among the believers, and Muslims, and God willing we shall join you. I beg of Allah peace for us and for you.”
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2128
‘A’isha reported (that whenever it was her turn for Allah’s Messenger [may peace be upon him] to spend the night with her) he would go out towards the end of the night to al-Baqi’ and say:
“Peace be upon you, abode of a people who are believers. What you were promised would come to you tomorrow, you receiving it after some delay; and God willing we shall join you. O Allah, grant forgiveness to the inhabitants of Baqi’ al-Gharqad. Qutaiba did not mention his words:” would come to you”.
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2126
Aisha said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them? He said:
“Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, Go willing, join you.”
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2127
This was the act (i.e. addressing the dead and saying salam to them) of Rasool Allah [saww] , that he did whole his life. Afterwards sahaba, tab’aeen, ulama, fuqaha…each and every Muslim did it. And all the Muslims still are doing it today (including the Salafies themselves). Can anyone still deny that the dead cannot Hear?
Should it to be believed that Rasool Allah did a USELESS/POLYTHEISTIC ACT whole of his life by addressing the dead, and he also let his whole ummah to indulge in such a useless/polytheistic act till the time of Qiyyamah?
Secondly, Rasool Allah [saww] entered the graveyard of Baqi’i and always greeted the dead ONLY ONCE. He [saww] neither went to each and every grave nor took the dead out of their graves, in order to make sure that they hear his Greetings. And we also, when going to graveyard, believe that saying salam to all dead only once is enough.
It simply proves that Allah has given the power to souls of dead to Hear a near or remote calls. However, this is a power that a living person has not been given by Allah.
Thirdly, those who believe that saying “Ya Rasool Allah” is Shirk, must pay attention and importance to the Words of Rasool of Allah [saww], when he always and whole his life said, “… Ya Ahlil Qabur …”.
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri :
Allah’s Apostle said, “When the funeral is ready (for its burial) and the people lift it on their shoulders, then if deceased is a righteous person he says, ‘Take me ahead,’ and if he is not a righteous one then he says, ‘Woe to it (me)! Where are you taking it (me)?’ And his voice is audible to everything except human beings; and if they heard it they would fall down unconscious.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 462: Translated by Mohsin Khan
This shows that the Dead can not only hear us, but they are also aware of what is happening in this world. And their voice is audible to everything except human beings.
Narrated Amr ibn al-’As:
Ibn Shamasah said: We went to Amr ibn al-’As and he was about to die. He wept for a long time and turned his face towards the wall. His son said: Did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) not give you tidings of this? Did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) not give you tidings of this? He (the narrator) said: He turned his face (towards the audience) and said: The best thing which we can count upon is the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Verily I have passed through three phases.
………..
When I die, let neither female mourner nor fire accompany me. When you bury me, fill my grave well with earth, then stand around it for a time which a camel is slaughtered and its meat is distributed so that I may enjoy your intimacy and (in your company) ascertain what answer I can give to the messengers (angels) of Allah.
Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Number 0220: Translated by Abdul Hamid Siddiqi
(Note: There are several more Ahadith from Rasool Allah [saww] on the hearing of Dead in other sunan and sahah (Ahadith from only Bukhari and Muslim are taken above).
Interestingly, all of them are indicating that the Dead can hear. And not even a single of them shows that Dead cannot hear.
And all of them show that the Dead hear regardless of being near or far away i.e. near or remote calls don’t make any difference.)
Rasool Allah (saw) said:
Allah has declared it forbidden for the earth to eat the bodies of the prophets. So the prophets are living and they regularly receive their sustenance
Ibn Majah narrated this sahih (sound) hadith in his Sunan, b. of jana’iz (funerals) ch.65 (1:524#1636-7), b. of iqamat-us-salat was-sunnah fiha (establishing prayer and its sunnahs) ch.79 (1:345#1085); Abu Dawud, Sunan, b. of salat (prayer) 1:275 (#1047); Nasa’i, Sunan, b. of jumu’ah (Friday prayer) 3:92; Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (4:8); Ibn Hibban, as-Sahih (3:191#910); Darimi, Sunan (1:307#1580); Ibn Khuzaymah, as-Sahih (3:118#1733); Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf (2:516); Hakim, al-Mustadrak (1:278); Tabarani, al-Mu’jam-ul-kabir (1:217#589); and Bayhaqi in as-Sunan-ul-kubra (3:249).
Source:
’Beseeching for Help’ by Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri
Rank of prophets is above the “Shuhada” (martyrs). Allah (swt) made it clear in Quran that even Shuhada are also not dead, but living. But we cannot perceive it.
Similarly, we cannot perceive the means of hearing of Dead in the graves, but on the bases of above Quranic verses and Ahadith, it is beyond any doubt that they hear us.
It is revealed that the Prophet (s) knows his lovers and listens to them. Once he said to his companions about Hadrat Isa (s) that he will return to this world. Then Hadrat Eisa (s) will visit Madinah and the Prophet (s) said: And when he (Isa) will stand beside my grave calling: “O Muhammad!” I will respond to him.
Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalani, al-Matalib-ul-’aliyah, (4: 23 # 3853)
Source:
’Greetings and Salutations on the Prophet’ by Dr.Tahir-ul-Qadri
Now it is an invitation to Salafies to issue fatwa of Shirk against Hadhrat Isa Ibn Maryam (as). (Naudobillah).
There is a verse of Quran, in which Allah (swt) says:
[Yusuf Ali 4:64] …… If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful.
This verse was used by one Sahabi after the death of Rasool Allah (saw), in order to get his intercession.
In addition, Imam Qurtubi in his famous exegesis al-Jami’ li-ahkam-il-Qur’an (5:265-6) has related this happening. He says:.
“Abu Sadiq has reported it from ‘Ali. A villager came to see us three days after the burial of the Holy Prophet (s). He placed himself near the Prophet’s grave, sprinkled its earth over his body and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you said and we have heard from you. You received commands from Allah and we received commands from you, and one of these divine commands is wa law annahum idh zalamu anfusahum. It is true that I have wronged myself, therefore, you should pray for my forgiveness.’ (In response to the villager’s act of imploring) he was called out from the grave: ‘there is no doubt that you have been forgiven.’”
Source:
’Beseeching for Help’ by Dr.Tahir-ul-Qadri
Need we to comment anymore if Dead can hear or not?
[Shakir 60:13] O you who believe! do not make friends with a people with whom Allah is wroth; indeed they despair of the hereafter as the unbelievers despair of those in tombs.
[Yusufali 60:13] O ye who believe! Turn not (for friendship) to people on whom is the Wrath of Allah, of the Hereafter they are already in despair, just as the Unbelievers are in despair about those (buried) in graves.
[Pickthal 60:13] O ye who believe! Be not friendly with a folk with whom Allah is wroth, (a folk) who have despaired of the Hereafter as the disbelievers despair of those who are in the graves.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The last portion of this verse asserts that to believe that the people of the grave have no existence at all and are just dust and decayed bones is kufr (infidelity).
Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:13
Narrated ‘Aisha:
(the wife of the Prophet) Allah’s Apostle died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-Sunah (Al-’Aliya) ‘Umar stood up and said, “By Allah! Allah’s Apostle is not dead!” ‘Umar (later on) said, “By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that.” He said, “Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men.” Then Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah’s Apostle, kissed him and said, “Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah’s Apostle), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice.” Then he went out and said, “O oath-taker! Don’t be hasty.” When Abu Bakr spoke, ‘Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised and glorified Allah and said, No doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die.” Then he recited Allah’s Statement.:– “(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die.” (39.30) He also recited:–
Bukhari Volume 5, Book 57, Number 19