The Prophet’s Life in the Grave and Addressing Him

Question:
He says: There are those who believe that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is alive in his grave, so they address him by saying, “O Messenger of Allah,” using the vocative particle, and they speak to him. Is this permissible?

Answer:
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is alive in his grave without doubt, because the martyrs are alive in their graves, as Allah the Exalted said: And yet, we do not call upon the martyrs, nor do we seek their aid, nor do we seek blessing from them, even though the Qur’an states that they are alive. Even though the Qur’an states that they are alive, his being alive is a barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life; it is not like the life of this world. It is a barzakh life, a life of the matters of the Hereafter, of the matters of the Hereafter; it is not like life in this world. Did the Companions go to the Messenger and ask him, seeking his legal ruling in the grave? Did they ask him for supplication while he was dead (peace and blessings be upon him)? They say: We call upon Allah to save us, as was the case during his lifetime. That was not the case. So the dead person, even if he is alive in his grave, this is a special life, a barzakh life from which the rulings of this world are stripped away, and it becomes part of the matters of the Hereafter. So it is not permissible for us to go to the Messenger and ask him for seeking forgiveness, and ask him for supplication for us, and address him, and seek his aid, and say, “Alive, alive,” but it is not like his life in this world. It is a barzakh life that no one knows except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).

The presenter:
May Allah reward you