How do we respond to the innovators who say, "If the Prophet has died, why do you say in your prayer, 'Peace be upon you, O Prophet'?"

The questioner : In the matter of the tashahhud, may Allah bless you, I mentioned the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to teach the sending of blessings upon the Prophet, yes, with the words of peace upon the Prophet, "The greetings are for Allah," yes.

The Shaykh : ... the unseen.

The questioner : The unseen, yes. And what is your view regarding the creed, O Shaykh? You did not clarify it much. For example, do you prefer this matter over the form of presence? The form of presence, "Peace be upon you, O Prophet," or do you not prefer it? You mentioned, I mean, both narrations and authenticated them, but you did not prefer this...
The student : ... preferred in the matter of Abu Mas'ud.

The questioner : So what is your view?

The Shaykh : Did you hear what your neighbor said?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Did you hear what your neighbor said?

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : I mean, are you just going around this statement?

The questioner: I am going around, I mean, the issue of its connection.

The Shaykh: Do not go around, do not go around.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: Say, do you go around it or not.

The questioner : Around it, around it...
The student : I mean, he preferred.

The Shaykh : He said, "I think he preferred." His thought is the thought of a believer, but that is not your research, in my opinion. So what is your opinion?

The questioner : My opinion, may you live long, is that this matter, may Allah bless your life, is a matter of whether the peace upon the Prophet in the form of the absent has a relation to the creed only regarding the choice of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).

The Shaykh : Does addressing in the language of the Arabs necessitate anything that contradicts the creed, even if it is just like this?

The questioner : O Shaykh, although I am weak in this matter, but I mean, there are some innovators, of course, in some regions... they say, "You say that the Prophet is dead and that he does not respond, and so on, and in your prayer you say such a statement." So, praise be to Allah, we found in the narration of 'A'ishah and Ibn 'Abbas that it is approximately safer in terms of the creed or different, O Shaykh. They imagine that the Prophet is present, responding to them, and that he is alive in his grave, as evidenced by the fact that you utter, "Peace be upon you, O Prophet," yes.
The student : Addressing, I mean.

The Shaykh: Now clarify.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : You clarified something I needed to understand.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This refutes those who used to say during his lifetime that he was in Madinah, he was in Madinah, and the people of Makkah would say, "Peace be upon you, O Prophet." Did they call out to the Messenger and address him?

The questioner : Or did he hear? Yes.
The student : He is, well, I mean.

The questioner : Yes, so the knowledge is contrary to the two narrations... yes.

The Shaykh : No, I do not want that.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I want, I want that what they bring up against us to be refuted against them, because we all agree that the Muslims during his lifetime, (peace and blessings be upon him), in the various lands of Islam at that time, used to say, "Peace be upon you, O Prophet." Do they understand from this that they were addressing him and that he, (peace and blessings be upon him), was hearing? I do not think... so, whatever their answer to this was, that is our answer.

The questioner : Some people say that when the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), passed away, his spirit was released; in life, it was bound.

The Shaykh: Mmm.