Question: My brother says that our Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is alive in his grave and he worships there. Is this true?
Answer: There is a hadith in Musnad al-Bazzar, which Shaykh al-Albani has classified as authentic:
“الأنْبياءُ أَحْياءٌ في قُبُورِهِمْ يُصَلُّونَ” (Silsilah al-Saheehah: 621)
Translation: The Prophets are alive in their graves and they pray.
This hadith mentions two characteristics regarding the Prophets. Firstly, the Prophets are alive in their graves, and secondly, they pray. Some Sufi scholars use this hadith to argue that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is alive in his grave like us and prays like us. However, this is not the case. The truth is that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) has passed away, and there are clear verses in the Quran and numerous hadiths that testify to this fact. The life mentioned in the hadith refers to the life of Barzakh, which is granted to everyone, whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim.
The life of Barzakh is entirely different from worldly life, and those who are in Barzakh are referred to as deceased. As for the second issue, that the Prophets pray in their graves, we believe in this based on the evidence, but the nature of this prayer is known only to Allah. The matters of Barzakh are unseen, and it is not correct to compare them with worldly affairs.
In medical training colleges, you will find dead bodies on which students perform dissections and research. If it is the body of a believer, it neither moves nor speaks, and we do not see it enjoying the blessings of Paradise with our eyes. Its state is known only to Allah. Similarly, many disbelievers’ bodies remain in hospitals for months, and we do not see any punishment on them because the nature of the punishment is unknown to us.
The above example is not a comparison between Prophets and non-Prophets but is merely to explain the concept of Barzakh. Just as ordinary people are granted the life of Barzakh, so are the Prophets. We have no awareness of this life or their prayers. Therefore, saying that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is alive like us and prays like us is against the Quran and Hadith.
Shaykh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi حفظه الله ❪Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy al-Salamah – Saudi Arabia❫
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