Clarification that the earth does not consume the bodies of the prophets
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Honorable Shaykh! Does the earth consume the bodies of the prophets and the martyrs?
No.
It does not consume the flesh of the prophets. This is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he informed his companions that whoever prays for him, his prayer is presented to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). They said: (O Messenger of Allah! How is our prayer presented to you when you have perished—Meaning: you have become dust?So he said: Indeed, Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets) This is specific to the prophets; they are the ones about whom we are certain that the earth does not consume anything of them,Meaning: that they remain exactly as they died. As for the martyrs, the truthful ones, and the righteous, the earth may not consume some of them as a favor to them. Otherwise, the default ruling is that it consumes them, and nothing remains except the coccyx—And it is: the lower part of the coccyx— in which is a bead (a pearl) resembling a date pit or smaller. This, by the permission of Allah, is not consumed by the earth; it remains as a seed for the bodies when they are revived in the resurrection, as stated in the hadith. This is because Allah the Exalted has made a cause for every thing. Otherwise, He is capable of creating a human being even if nothing remains of his first body. However, some of the truthful ones, martyrs, or righteous ones may be found whose bodies the earth does not consume as a favor to them.
Some people told me that when they wanted to build a wall around this town, Unaizah, they dug for the foundation of the wall and came upon a grave. They found the occupant of the grave dry. His shroud had been consumed by the earth, but he was dry and nothing was missing from him, even his beard, which was curled and dyed with henna, remained as it was, without falling out. A pleasant fragrance emanated from him for which there is no equivalent in this world. The judge in the town at that time was 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Babtin (may Allah have mercy on him), who wrote a marginal commentary on al-Rawd al-Murba'. They came to the Shaykh,And they said: saying, "The situation is such and such, and we have dug and come upon this grave. What should we do? Should we leave it as it is, or should we move it?" He ordered them to leave it as it was and to curve the wall behind it or in front of it—I do not know now which it was. This is evidence that the earth may not consume the bodies of some people. The most important thing, the whole of the importance, is that a person be granted ease in his grave, whether his body remains or not. I ask Allah to make me and you among those granted ease in their graves.
No.
It does not consume the flesh of the prophets. This is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he informed his companions that whoever prays for him, his prayer is presented to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). They said: (O Messenger of Allah! How is our prayer presented to you when you have perished—Meaning: you have become dust?So he said: Indeed, Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets) This is specific to the prophets; they are the ones about whom we are certain that the earth does not consume anything of them,Meaning: that they remain exactly as they died. As for the martyrs, the truthful ones, and the righteous, the earth may not consume some of them as a favor to them. Otherwise, the default ruling is that it consumes them, and nothing remains except the coccyx—And it is: the lower part of the coccyx— in which is a bead (a pearl) resembling a date pit or smaller. This, by the permission of Allah, is not consumed by the earth; it remains as a seed for the bodies when they are revived in the resurrection, as stated in the hadith. This is because Allah the Exalted has made a cause for every thing. Otherwise, He is capable of creating a human being even if nothing remains of his first body. However, some of the truthful ones, martyrs, or righteous ones may be found whose bodies the earth does not consume as a favor to them.
Some people told me that when they wanted to build a wall around this town, Unaizah, they dug for the foundation of the wall and came upon a grave. They found the occupant of the grave dry. His shroud had been consumed by the earth, but he was dry and nothing was missing from him, even his beard, which was curled and dyed with henna, remained as it was, without falling out. A pleasant fragrance emanated from him for which there is no equivalent in this world. The judge in the town at that time was 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Babtin (may Allah have mercy on him), who wrote a marginal commentary on al-Rawd al-Murba'. They came to the Shaykh,And they said: saying, "The situation is such and such, and we have dug and come upon this grave. What should we do? Should we leave it as it is, or should we move it?" He ordered them to leave it as it was and to curve the wall behind it or in front of it—I do not know now which it was. This is evidence that the earth may not consume the bodies of some people. The most important thing, the whole of the importance, is that a person be granted ease in his grave, whether his body remains or not. I ask Allah to make me and you among those granted ease in their graves.