Now here you have opened a whole other can of worms. You are putting forward an Aqida that I don't accept, i.e., you believe that the deceased are present in their graves. We believe that the deceased are not in this world, including in the cemetery. We further believe that the deceased cannot hear, whether from afar or in proximity of their graves. So when we invoke Salam with Khitaab upon the inmates of the Maqbara when we are inside the Maqbara, it is not because we believe the deceased can hear us since we are in proximity to their bones, rather, it means that the Angels are conveying our Salam to them. Therefore, I dispute your premise that in the Maqbara the deceased is Haadir. The deceased is Ghaa'ib whether in the Maqbara or far away from the Maqbara.
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَىَّ إِلاَّ رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ رُوحِي حَتَّى أَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمَ
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: No one gives greetings of salaam,
except that Allah will restore my soul to me, so that I may reply to him with the greeting of salaam. [Sunan Abi Dawud #2041 ; Grading: Hasan(Albani).
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The chain of this hadeeth was criticized by some scholars, and they tried to weaken it, however their criticism was refuted in detail, along with explanation in this link:
http://ahlul-isnaad.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/return-of-soul-and-issue-of-hayaat-un.html?m=1 This hadeeth does not prove at all that the Prophet (peace be upon him) answers every single person who sends salaam, no matter if he says salaam from nearby or from far away, rather this hadeeth is only concerning the one, who sends salaam to him from nearby. Because he (peace be upon him) has himself affirmed regarding the one sending salaam from far away that it is the angels that bring his salaam to him, and the reply to this salaam is also not proven from him. Therefore, it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah himself, who is the narrator of this hadeeth also, that the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said: “Do not take your houses as graves and do not take my grave as a place of festivity (which you visit repeatedly). Send blessings upon me for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are” [Musnad Ahmed: 2/367, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2041, Chain Hasan]
Moreover, Sayyidunah Abdullah bin Mas’ood (radiallah anhu) narrates: The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said: “Allaah has angels who go around on earth, conveying to me the salaam of my ummah.” [Narrated by al-Nasaa’ee, 1282; classed as Saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1664]
These ahadeeth explicitly prove that the one who sends salaam from far away does not come under the same ruling as the one who sends salaam from nearby, because there is no mention that he (peace be upon him) would also answer the salaam of one who sends salaam from far away, whereas, the proof is established regarding the one sending salaam from nearby.
Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah writes: “The scholars have understood [from this hadeeth] that this salaam [regarding which it is said that Prophet’s soul returns to his body] is only that which is said near the Prophet’s grave, this hadeeth is not a proof for the one [sending salaam] from far away” [Ar-Radd Ala al-Bakri: 1/107]
What is meant by nearby is only the apartment of Aa’ishah (radiallah anha), where he (peace be upon him) is buried. This is why, whenever Sayyidunah Abdullah bin Umar (radiallah anhu) would return from a journey, he would come near the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say: “Peace be upon you O Messenger of Allaah, peace be upon you O Abu Bakr, Peace be upon you O My Father (Umar)” [Fadhal as-Salaat ala an-Nabi by Qaadhi Ismaa’eel bin Ishaaq (Pg 81-82), Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Bayhaqi (5/245), Chain Saheeh]
This proves that the returning of soul is only related to the person who says Salaam standing right next to the grave, as Allaamah Shanqeeti writes: “All [Scholars] are agreed upon that this [Prophet’s returning of Salaam] is only achieved by one who says salaam to him from close….” [Adhwaa ul-Bayaan: 8/838]
Abu Tayyib Shams ul-Haqq al-Adheemaabaadee (rahimahullah) writes: “The correct opinion is that this hadeeth is concerning the one who visits the [grave of the] Prophet (peace be upon him), as for those who are far away, then the angels convey his salaam to him (and Allaah answers this salaam with 10 blessings).” [Awn al-Ma’bood fi Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood: 6/22]
Abul Hassan Ubaydullah bin Muhammad Rehmaani al-Mubaarakpoori (rahimahullah) writes: “The correct opinion is that what is meant from this hadeeth is the salaam that is said close to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as is understood by many other Scholars.” [Mir’aat ul-Mafateeh Sharh Mishkaat ul-Masabeeh: 3/263]
The most explicit of all proofs is that Imaam Abu Dawood (rahimahullah) has brought this hadeeth under the chapter heading “Visit of the Grave”(باب زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ).
There are two types of Salaam. One is a salaam that is said from the near which is Salaam Tahiyyah, and whose answer is given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself; while the other salaam is that which is said from far away, the answer to which is not given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, rather Allaah sends blessings on that person instead.
Imaam Ibn Abdul Haadi explains both these types in the following words:
والمقصود هنا أن نعرف ما كان عليه السلف من الفرق بين ما أمر الله به من الصلاة والسلام عليه وبين سلام التحية الموجب للرد الذي يشترك فيه كل مؤمن حي وميت ويرد فيه على الكافر....
“The purpose here is that we know the difference between the salaat and salaam ordained by Allaah, and
the salaam of Tahiyyah, the answer to which is obligatory, and in this all living and deceased Muslims are alike, and in which we are to answer the salaam of even a Kaafir…”
[Saarim al-Munki: 1/125]
He further said:
وهذا السلام لا يقتضي رداً من المسلم عليه، بل هو بمنزلة دعاء المؤمن للمؤمنين واستغفاره لهم، فيه الأجر والثواب من الله، ليس على المدعو لهم مثل ذلك الدعاء، بخلاف سلام التحية، فإنه مشروع بالنص والإجماع في حق كل مسلم. وعلى المسلم عليه أن يرد السلام ولو كان المسلم عليه كافراً، فإن هذا من العدل الواجب،ولهذا كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يرد على اليهود إذا سلموا بقول ((وعليكم))
“This salaam (salaam Ma’moor) does not demand an answer for the one who said it, rather it is a Du’aa & Istighfaar of a Mu’min for other Mu’mineen, there is reward of Allaah in it. The one for whom this Du’aa is made, it is not necessary for him to return a du’aa similar to it; as compared to Salaam Tahiyyah for verily it is ordained upon every Muslim from the Nass [of Qur’aan-o-Sunnah] and the Ijmaa of Ummah, it is from the right of every Muslim. And for whom Salaam Tahiyyah is said, it is obligatory for him to reply it, even if he [the one who said the salaam] is a Kaafir. This is why when the Jews would salute the Prophet (peace be upon him), he would reply them with ((Alaikum))”
[Saarim al-Munki: 1/118-119]
He further writes:
فالصلاة والسلام عليه صلى الله عليه وسلم في مسجده وسائر المساجد وسائر البقاع مشروع بالكتاب والسنة والإجماع، وأما السلام عليه عند قبره من داخل الحجرة فهذا كان مشروعاً لما كان ممكناً بدخول من يدخل على عائشة....
“Salaat and Salaam upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his Mosque, or any other mosque, or any place of the world is ordained (Mashroo’) due to the proof from Kitaab, Sunnah, and Ijmaa.
As for the salaam upon him close to his grave after entering the apartment [of Aa’ishah] then it was only mashroo' for the one who could enter into the apartment of Aa’ishah.”[Saarim al-Munki: 1/119]
Imaam Ibn Abdul Haadi (rahimahullah), he writes:
وليس هذا المعنى المذكور في الحديث، ولا هو ظاهره، بل هو مخالف لظاهره، فإن قوله: ((إلا رد الله علي روحي)) بعد قوله: ((ما من أحد يسلم علي)) يقتضي رد الروح بعد السلام، ولا يقتضي استمرارها في الجسد . وليعلم أن رد الروح إلى البدن وعودها إلى الجسد بعد الموت لا يقتضي استمرارها فيه، ولا يستلزم حياة أخرى قبل يوم النشور نظير الحياة المعهودة، بل إعادة الروح إلى الجسد في البرزخ إعادة برزخية، لا تزيل عن الميت اسم الموت. وقد ثبت في حديث البراء بن عازب الطويل المشهور في عذاب القبر ونعيمه في شأن الميت وحاله أن روحه تعاد إلى جسده، مع العلم بأنها غير مستمرة فيه وأن هذه الإعادة ليس مستلزمة لإثبات حياة مزيلة لاسم الموت، بل هي أنواع حياة برزخية
“This above mentioned meaning [of Hayaat un-Nabi] is not mentioned in this hadeeth, and neither is this the apparent meaning of the hadeeth, rather it is against its apparent meaning, for verily his saying ((except that Allaah will restore my soul to me)) after his saying ((no one gives greetings of salaam…)) demands the return of soul after the salaam, and these words do not demand the presence of soul in the body permanently. It should be known that the return of soul to the body, and its return towards the body after the death does not prove its presence in there permanently, and neither is it a proof of a second life before the day of resurrection, which is like the worldly life. On the contrary, the return of soul in Barzakh is a Barzakhi return, which does not remove the name of death from the deceased. In the lengthy hadeeth of Bara’ bin Aazib (radiallah anhu) ([1]) concerning the punishment and rewards of grave, it is said that the soul of a deceased is returned to his body, whereas, we know that this soul does not remain in the body permanently, and neither is it a proof of a life which would remove the name of death from the deceased, rather it is a type of a Barzakhi life….”
[Saarim al-Munki: 1/222-223]
Therefore this explanation backs my argument, that we address inhabitants with Khitaab, when we are near to it, not from far away. Because from near the grave is salaam of Tahiyyah.
Abu Abdullah AlQurtubi said
قلت: روى البخاري رضي الله عنه؛ حدّثني عبد الله بن محمد سمع رَوْح بن عُبادة قال: حدّثنا سعيد بن أبي عَرُوبة عن قتادة قال: ذَكَر لَنا أنس بن مالك " عن أبي طلحة أن نبيّ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمر يوم بدر بأربعة وعشرين رجلاً من صناديد قريش فقُذِفوا في طَوِيٍّ من أطواء بدر خَبيثٍ مُخْبِث، وكان إذا ظهر على قوم أقام بالعَرصة ثلاث ليال، فلما كان ببدر اليومَ الثالث أمر براحلته فشدّ عليها رحلُها ثم مشى وتبعه أصحابُه، قالوا: ما نُرَى ينطلق إلا لبعض حاجته، حتى قام على شفير الرَّكِيِّ، فجعل يناديهم بأسمائهم وأسماء آبائهم يا فلان بن فلان ويا فلان بن فلان أيسركم أنكم أطعتم الله ورسوله؛ فإنا قد وجدنا ما وَعَدنا ربّنا حقًّا فهل وجدتم ما وَعَد رَبُّكم حقًّا؛ قال فقال عمر: يا رسول اللهٰ ما تُكلِّم من أجساد لا أرواح لها؛ فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «والذي نفس محمد بيده ما أنتم بأسمع لما أقول منهم» "
قال قتادة: أحياهم الله حتى أسمعهم قوله توبيخاً وتصغيراً ونِقمةً وحسرةً وندماً. خرجه مسلم أيضاً. قال البخاري: حدّثنا عثمان قال حدّثنا عَبْدة عن هشام عن أبيه عن ابن عمر قال: وقف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على قلِيب بدر فقال: «هل وجدتم ما وَعَد رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا» ثم قال: «إنهم الآن ليعلمون أن الذي كنت أقول لهم هو الحق» ثم قرأتْ { إِنَّكَ لاَ تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ } حتى قرأت الآية. وقد عورضت هذه الآية بقصة بدر وبالسلام على القبور، وبما روي في ذلك من أن الأرواح تكون على شفير القبور في أوقات، وبأن الميت يسمع قرع النعال إذا انصرفوا عنه، إلى غير ذلك؛ فلو لم يسمع الميت لم يُسلَّم عليه. وهذا واضح وقد بيّناه في كتاب «التذكرة».
I (Qurtubi) say: It is narrated by Bukhari from Abu Talha: On the day of badr, the Prophet ordered that the corpses of twenty four leaders of Quraish should be thrown into one of the dirty dry wells of badr. (It was a habit of the Prophet that whenever he conquered some people, he used to stay at the battle-field for three nights. So, on the third day of the battle of badr, he ordered that his she-camel be saddled, then he set out, and his companions followed him saying among themselves." "Definitely he (i.e. the Prophet) is proceeding for some great purpose." When he halted at the edge of the well, he addressed the corpses of the Quraish infidels by their names and their fathers' names, "O so-and-so, son of so-and-so and O so-and-so, son of so-and-so! Would it have pleased you if you had obeyed Allah and His Apostle? We have found true what our Lord promised us. Have you too found true what your Lord promised you? "'Umar said, "O Allah's Apostle! You are speaking to bodies that have no souls!" Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, you do not hear, what I say better than they do."
Qatada said, "Allah brought them to life (again) to let them hear him, to reprimand them and slight them and take revenge over them and caused them to feel remorseful and regretful." This is also mentioned by Muslim, Bukhari said Narrated Ibn 'umar: The Prophet looked at the people of the well and said, "Have you found true what your Lord promised you?" and said "Now they know that what they were told is truth" and recited "You can not make the dead hear" with this verse The narration of Badr and
saying salam to the graves, and it is also narrated that the ruh is around the edge of the grave sometimes, and that the dead hears the footsteps of people. If the dead do not hear the salam than there is no point of sending salam to them and this is clear and I have mentioned it in my book alTadhkirah[Tafsir Qurtubi tafsir of verse 80 Surah Naml]
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked
السؤال
ابن القيم رحمه الله في كتابه الروح ذكر: أن الميت يعلم بزيارة الزائر في يوم الجمعة، وخص ذلك بيوم الجمعة، وما أدري ما دليله؟ وهل الآثار التي أوردها صحيحة، أم فيها ضعف؟
الجواب
أما الآثار التي أوردها لا أدري عنها، وأما تخصيص ذلك بيوم الجمعة فلا وجه له، فإن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: (زوروا القبور فإنها تذكر الموت) ، وثبت عنه أنه زار البقيع ليلاً كما في حديث عائشة الطويل المشهور، وعلى هذا فتخصيص معرفته للزائر بيوم الجمعة لا وجه له، كذلك روى أصحاب السنن بسندٍ صححه ابن عبد البر وأقره ابن القيم في كتاب الروح، أنه (ما من رجل يسلم على مسلم يعرفه في الدنيا إلا رد الله عليه روحه فرد عليه السلام في أي وقت) .
Question:
Ibn al Qayyim Rahimaullah mentioned in Kitab al Ruh that the dead knows the one who visit him on Friday, Is there any evidence that they recognize specifically on friday? The athaar regarding this issue are authentic or weak?
Answer:
I don't know about the athaar mentioned regarding this. It is baseless to specify friday, as the Prophet peace be upon him said: "visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death." And it is proven from him that he visited al Baqi at night as mentioned in the famous long hadith of Aisha. There is no point in specifying that on friday the dead may recognize the visitor, as it is mentioned by the People of Sunan with the chain, Authenticated by Ibn Abdul Barr which is accepted by Ibn Al-Qayyim may Allaah have mercy upon him in Kitab al Ruh that (the Prophet peace be upon him said:) "
whenever a Muslim passes by the grave of another Muslim whom he used to know and greets him, Allaah The Almighty restores his soul so he can return the greeting." in it (there is evidence of recognizing) any time.
"لقاء الباب المفتوح" (لقاء رقم/9، سؤال رقم/37)