The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is alive in his grave with the life of the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection)
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Fatwa number ( 2641 ):
Q: If a man believes in the necessities of faith—meaning his creed is in full accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—and yet he believes that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) hears his voice when he prays and sends salutations upon him (peace and blessings be upon him) at his grave (peace and blessings be upon him), is he, with this belief, a Muslim from the people of the Sunnah and the community , or is he an innovator from the people of desire?
A: First: It is not prescribed for a Muslim, every time he enters the Prophet’s Mosque, to go to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to make du'a' (supplication) there, nor to make it a festival that he returns to time after time; for Abu Dawud narrated with a good chain, its narrators being trustworthy, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 2042Sahih (Al-Albani) , and for what was narrated by Abu Ya'la and al-Qadi Isma'il and al-Hafiz
al-Diya' Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Maqdisi in [al-Mukhtarat] and its chain is good. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were more eager for good than we are, and more loving of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and more knowledgeable of his right upon the ummah (the Muslim community) and the etiquettes of visiting him than we are. Yet it is not reported from any of them that he would go to his grave (peace and blessings be upon him) to make du'a' (supplication) there. However, it is established from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when he arrived in al-Madinah from a journey, he would come to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and say: "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Abu Bakr . Peace be upon you, O my father." Then he would leave. For this reason, Malik ibn Anas (may Allah have mercy on him) disliked it for the people of al-Madinah for any of them to come to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) every time he entered the mosque. He said: "The latter part of this ummah (the Muslim community) will not be set right except by what set right its first part." Second: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is alive in his grave with the life of the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), which enables him to enjoy the various types of bliss and karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) that Allah the Exalted bestows upon him. He is not alive with the life he had in this world; for Allah the Exalted said: [Az-Zumar 39:30-31]
And the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) prayed the janazah (the funeral prayer) for him and placed him in his grave, peace and blessings be upon him. That would not be the case if he were alive with the life of this world. Events and problems occurred to them, yet they did not seek his fatwa (a scholarly legal ruling) regarding their events, nor did they consult him in solving their problems, even though they were in the greatest need for that. This indicates that his term had ended and that death had befallen him, as it did for other human beings. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) knew this, so they appointed the khulafa' (caliphs) after him in succession and exerted themselves in the affairs of their religion and their worldly lives in light of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), without returning to him or consulting him while he was in his grave. The original ruling regarding the dead is that they do not hear the speech of people. However, Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud narrated with a good chain from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sunan Abi Dawud 2041Hasan (Al-Albani) . By this, you know that the man you asked about has done nothing wrong in what he held, acting in accordance with this noble hadith. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: If a man believes in the necessities of faith—meaning his creed is in full accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—and yet he believes that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) hears his voice when he prays and sends salutations upon him (peace and blessings be upon him) at his grave (peace and blessings be upon him), is he, with this belief, a Muslim from the people of the Sunnah and the community , or is he an innovator from the people of desire?
A: First: It is not prescribed for a Muslim, every time he enters the Prophet’s Mosque, to go to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to make du'a' (supplication) there, nor to make it a festival that he returns to time after time; for Abu Dawud narrated with a good chain, its narrators being trustworthy, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Do not make your houses graves, and do not make my grave a place of festivity. But invoke blessings on me, for your blessings reach me wherever you may be.
لا تجعلوا بيوتكم قبورًا، ولا تجعلوا قبري عيدًا، وصلوا علي فإن صلاتكم تبلغني حيث كنتمal-Diya' Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Maqdisi in [al-Mukhtarat]
From 'Ali ibn al-Husayn, that he saw a man coming to a gap that was at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), entering it and making du'a' (supplication). He forbade him and said: "Shall I not inform you of a hadith I heard from my father from my grandfather from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Do not make my grave a festival, nor your houses into graves. Send prayers upon me, for your salutations will reach me wherever you are."
عن علي بن الحسين أنه رأى رجلاً يجيء إلى فرجة كانت عند قبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيدخل فيها فيدعو فنهاه، وقال: ألا أحدثكم حديثًا سمعته من أبي عن جدي عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: لا تتخذوا قبري عيدًا ولا بيوتكم قبورًا، وصلوا علي فإن تسليمكم يبلغني أين كنتم(30) Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die. (31) Then indeed you, on the Day of Resurrection, before your Lord, will dispute.
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ (30) ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَAnd the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) prayed the janazah (the funeral prayer) for him and placed him in his grave, peace and blessings be upon him. That would not be the case if he were alive with the life of this world. Events and problems occurred to them, yet they did not seek his fatwa (a scholarly legal ruling) regarding their events, nor did they consult him in solving their problems, even though they were in the greatest need for that. This indicates that his term had ended and that death had befallen him, as it did for other human beings. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) knew this, so they appointed the khulafa' (caliphs) after him in succession and exerted themselves in the affairs of their religion and their worldly lives in light of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), without returning to him or consulting him while he was in his grave. The original ruling regarding the dead is that they do not hear the speech of people. However, Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud narrated with a good chain from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
If any one of you greets me, Allah returns my soul to me and I respond to the greeting.
ما من أحد يسلم علي إلاَّ رد الله علي روحي حتى أرد عليه السلام
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.