What is the validity of the statement that the earth does not consume the bodies of the prophets

Question:
Is it true that the earth does not consume the bodies of the prophets? And does that mean that the body of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) remains as it was on the day he was buried?

Answer:
It was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as narrated by the people of the Sunan, that he said—(peace and blessings be upon him): And in another wording: O Allah—(peace and blessings be upon him)—they said: O Messenger of Allah, how is our prayer presented to you when you have decayed? Meaning, when you have been reduced to dust. He said: It was narrated by the people of the Sunan.
However, its chain of narration is not entirely sound; some scholars have pointed out defects in it. The well-known view among scholars is that it is authentic, that its chain is good, and that there is no harm in it. It indicates that the bodies of the prophets are not consumed by the earth, but rather they remain fresh and intact, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us. However, this hadith is not among the hadiths whose authenticity is certain; rather, some scholars have spoken about it. But the stronger position is that it is good and that there is no harm in its chain.
And this is not specific to the prophets; rather, it may occur for some of the righteous. People have witnessed, and people have known, both in the past and in recent times, bodies buried for hundreds of years that the earth does not consume, from among the righteous, the good, the martyrs, and non-martyrs. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is capable of all things , and He has the perfect wisdom, (Exalted and Majestic is He).
But the text came specifically regarding the bodies of the prophets: And his (peace and blessings be upon him) soul is in Paradise, in the highest of the highest, in the highest company, and his body is in the earth.
But it came in the hadith narrated by Abu Dawud with a good chain: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And this response may be direct, or it may be through the angels, for it came in another hadith: So he conveys the greetings through the angels who transmit the greetings of the Ummah to him (peace and blessings be upon him). And his (peace and blessings be upon him) soul is in the highest of the highest in Paradise, in the best place (peace and blessings be upon him). And Allah made for him a rank in Paradise, in the highest of ranks, which is the Intercession, the highest rank in Paradise for him (peace and blessings be upon him).
And so it is with the souls of the believers; the souls of the believers after death are in Paradise. It came in the hadith that they are like birds that hang in the trees of Paradise, like birds that Allah makes to fly in Paradise wherever they wish, and they eat from the fruits of Paradise, and they return to their bodies if Allah wills .
As for the souls of the martyrs, Allah placed them in the bellies of green birds as a replacement for their bodies which were killed in the path of Allah. Allah gave them these green birds so that their souls would be in their bellies, roaming in Paradise, roaming in Paradise wherever they wish, then returning to lamps hanging under the Throne, falling into them, settling in them, and roaming in Paradise wherever they wish.
And by this we know that the souls of the prophets and all the believers are in Paradise in this world, in the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection), they go to Paradise, and Allah raises them to Paradise, and they eat from its bliss and its good. But the souls of the prophets are better, and the soul of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the best of souls, the highest, and the most virtuous.
And these souls return to their bodies if Allah wills, they return to their bodies at the time of questioning, at the questioning of the angels after burial, the soul returns to the body, and it answers what it is asked. If it is asked: Who is your Lord? My Lord is Allah. Who is your Prophet? My Prophet is Muhammad. What is your religion? My religion is Islam. Then at that time, Allah expands for him in his grave, and opens for him a door to Paradise, from which comes its spirit and its fragrance, and he says: O Lord, establish the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth; because he sees that he will increase in good.
As for that criminal disbeliever, if he is punished—we seek refuge in Allah—he says: O Lord, do not establish the Hour, O Lord, do not establish the Hour, because he knows that he will move to something worse than that. We ask Allah for well-being, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.