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Traditional Scholarship & Modern Misunderstandings
Understanding The Ahle al-Sunnah -
By Abu Ammar

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4) The permissibility to say 'Ya Muhammad'

The sensitive issue of whether or not Muslims can say the words 'Ya Rasool Allah' or 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) needs to be clarified, since this issue divides the Muslim community and causes a great deal of friction among the Muslims throughout the world. Basically, there appears to be what we could label as two "schools of thought"; one insists that stating "Ya Rasulu'llah!" is 'shirk' and that infact, any Muslim proclaiming it goes outside the pale of Islam. Now the other school believes that it is indeed permissible to say so, based on evidences from the Salaf, and the tafsirs of later day scholars. However, they do not insist that one must proclaim this, or that it is even a fard to do so; rather, it is permissible to do so. This is, and always has been, the stance of the Ahl as-Sunna.

Those who believe that it is impermissible to say 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) not only say that there are no evidences to support the permissibility, but also believe that the prefix of 'Ya', can only be used when that person who is being called upon is present, as opposed to being absent. The proclamation of 'Ya Muhammad!', or 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not an innovation (bid'a) that crept in after the first three generations but, contrary to modern misconceptions, was initiated and practiced within these generations, as we shall see, Allah willing. Also, it is a fact that the death of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not prevent the later generations to proclaim 'Ya Muhammad!', even though there were great distances between them and Madina.

As we shall aim to demonstrate to the readers in this chapter, insha'llah, if it is wrong today [or even Kufr and shirk as some of our brothers declare], to proclaim 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) why then, did the Sahaba and Tabi'un in and the later generations of Muslims do so? Would those brothers who oppose the Muslims of saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) apply the same criteria to the first generations of this Umma as they do for the believers of today?

The permissibility of saying 'Ya!' For someone who is not physically present.

One of the main arguments used against the believers on this issue, is the one of the impermisibility of using the prefix 'Ya' (Oh!) to someone who is not physically present.

Innovation in the Language

The understanding that one is not able to use 'Ya!' for an absent person is an innovation (bid'a) in Arabic grammar. To the minority holding this view, it appears that this is the only way of accusing the majority of Muslims to be constantly committing an impermissible deed, or even shirk and kufr as others may profess.

We first would like to invite those who hold the above view, to examine one of the most respected classical dictionaries of the Arabic language, the Lasan al Arab of Ibn Manzur (d. 711 hijri). Ibn Manzur states that 'Ya!' can be applied for either a person who is near, or far, from the caller.

[Ibn Manzur al-Afriqi, Lasan al-Arab, under the word 'Ya']

Since those Muslims often claim that saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is shirk, I now propose to examine the views of Ibn Taymiyya on this issue. Why? Well, it is mainly because these very brothers have given Ibn Taymiyya the noble title of Shaykh al Islam, and such, use him as an authority (if not the foremost) in their attempts to practice Islam as the Salaf (pious predecessors) did. Ibn Taymiyya writes:

"When someone calls upon someone else, saying 'Ya!', it may be used in one of two ways: physically or by the knowledge of that person. An example of this is when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) warned the people of the time of Dajjal, "Yaa 'ibaadillaahi! Fathbutu..." (Oh servants of Allah! Keep your feet steadfast...). The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said this to the people who would be present at the time of Dajjal, and who were not yet born.

Another example is when Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking through the plains of Karbala and said, 'Ya Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! Fasbir! ('Oh, [my son] Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! Be patient [when facing the enemy in this place]') This was because 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was informed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that his son, Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), would be martyred at Karbala. Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called Husayn despite the fact that he was not present with him, and even though Husayn could not hear his father, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) remained in his father's thoughts"

[Ibn Taymiyya, Minhaj-as-sunna, chapter 'Aswad-al-Qadeem']

The above example demonstrates, as provided by Ibn Taymiyya, that, at least in one way, 'Ya' can be used in the Arabic language to call someone who is not physically present, but who is present in the thoughts of the caller, as when Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) remembered his son and called to him.

Evidence to support the permissibility of saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)

Hafiz ibn al-Qayyim writes that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

"Send salutations on me, but send more salutations on Friday. When you recite the salutation, your voice will reach me wherever you are. Some Companions asked, "Even after your death?"The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, "Allah has made it unlawful for the earth to decompose my body"

[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-ul-Afhaan, page 145]

Imam Nasa'i narrates that there are specific angels who visit the earth and whose sole duties are to go to the people who send salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and then to take those salutations to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

[Mishkat, chapter on 'salat al Nabi']

The above mentioned Ahadith indicate that if anyone were to send salutations to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) he himself would either hear the salutations, or an angel will convey them to him. In both cases salutations will reach the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

The Salaf Used to Say 'Ya Muhammad!'(may Allah bless him and grant him peace)

Imam Bukhari, Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same question: if a person's foot becomes numb, what should he do? Their recommendations were the same, and included with their answer the following hadith:

"Some time after Rasulu'llah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had passed away, 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Najd where one day his foot became numb. As a remedy to alleviate the pain, a person advised him, "Remember the one whom you love the most!". Upon hearing this Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Ya Muhammad! (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)" and his foot made an immediate recovery from numbness"

[Bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab; Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani, Tuhfah al Dakireen, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu', and also an-Nawawi, Kitab al Adhkar]

Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya writes,

"In the same way as 'Abd Allah ibn Umar's foot became numb and he remembered the one he loves the most, 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbas's foot also became numb. Someone also advised him to remember the one who he loves the most, whereupon 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbas exclaimed 'Ya! Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his foot immediately recovered from numbness"

[Ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu']

Qadi Shawkani relates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

"If one is in trouble or is in distress, he should perform two nawafil rakats and then make a supplication. One should say 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Allah Most High will grant them what they requested and their problems and troubles should be resolved.The scholars of hadith say that this hadith is authentic and at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani record it.

[Qadi Shawkani, Tofah al Dhakireen, chapter on 'Salat al-Hajat']

Hafiz Ibn Kathir, Imam at-Tabari and Imam Ibn al-Athir all wrote:

"During the Khilafa of Abu Bakr as-Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a battle against the false prophet, Musaylima of Najd. When the battle commenced, the Muslims lost their footing at which point Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) and the rest of the Companions called out 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and proceeded to win the battle"

[Tabari, Ta'rikh at-Tabari; Ibn Kathir, Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir; and Ibn al-Athir and Ibn Jarir, Ta'rikh Qamil, chapter on 'Musaylima Kazzab']

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:

"During the Khilafa of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a famine outside the city of Madina. A Companion called Bilal ibn Harith al Muzni (may Allah be pleased with him) said to his people, 'The famine is very severe, [let us] sacrifice a goat.' Apart from a red bone nothing came from the goat [the goat was very thin due to famine and as such, there was no meat on the bones]. Bilal ibn Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) called out, 'Ya Muhammad! (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)'.The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then appeared in the dream of Bilal ibn Harith and informed him that there will be rain"

[Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir, chapter on 'Khilafah of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)]

As-Sayyid Mawdudi writes:

"When Hajaj ibn Yusuf had placed tax upon some new Muslims, they left Basra crying with their fuqaha [scholars] and they were all saying, 'Ya Muhammad!, Ya Muhammad!'"

[Mawdudi Sayyid, Khilafa wa Malukiyat, page 270 and Ta'rikh Ibn al-Athir]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:

"After the occasion of Karbala, Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be well pleased with her) [the sister of Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him)] and her company were taken as prisoners to Syria. When she passed the dead bodies she proclaimed: 'Ya Muhammad! Your Husayn is drenched in blood without a shroud or a grave', and 'Ya Muhammad! Your daughters are taken prisoners and your children have been killed'"

[Ibn Jarir and Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir, chapter on 'Karbala']

NOTE: Karbala took place in Iraq in 60AH. At that time Zaynab (may Allah be well pleased with her) said 'Ya Muhammad!'

Imam Waqdi writes:

"During the khilafa of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a battle at Halb. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said 'Ya Muhammad! Ya Muhammad!' and shouted, 'Oh Companions! Stay firm footed!'

['Allama Waqdi, Futoohusham, chapter on 'The Battle of Halb']

Imam Ibn Sa'd writes:

"After the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had passed away, Arwa ibnt 'Abd al Muttalib (may Allah be well pleased with her) recited: 'Ya Rasulu'llah! You were our place of hope' "

[Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, chapter on 'The Death of the Prophet']

Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:

"Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) relates:'I was sitting in the company of Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid in Baghdad when Shaykh Shibli came before us. Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid stood up and hugged Shaykh Shibli, kissed his forehead and sat him by his side.' Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) enquired: 'You are the Shaykh [Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid] whilst the whole of Baghdad regards Shibli as majnun [mad] - why have you treated him with so much respect?' To this, Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid replied, 'I have done nothing strange; I have treated him exactly as I have seen the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) treat him. In my dream I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) kiss Shibli between his two eyes. I asked the Prophet,'Why did you treat Shibli in this way?' to which he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, 'I love him because after every salaah he recites the last verse of Sura Tauba after which he recites 'Sallal la ho 'alayka Ya Muhammad!' ['Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you Oh Muhammad!') three times"

[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham.,page 80]

The above mentioned Ahadith clearly illustrate that the Companions and others of the Salaf used to say 'Ya Muhammad' or 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' when they experienced difficulty, and that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did help them, either by making supplication for their success or appearing in their dreams to comfort them. Those Companions who were ill and said 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' found that they would get better; and if they were in a battle which they were losing, they would soon win; and if they were facing a famine, they would soon have rain.

The last quotation from Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) loves the one who pronounces 'Ya Muhammad!' to a considerably high degree. All these occurances took place many years after the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).So if it was kufr to say 'Ya Muhammad!' today and after the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet would not have expressed any love for Shibli. Also, if this is an unreliable narration, why did Ibn al-Qayyim choose to quote it? Was he someone who supported shirk or kufr?

What has been said above supports the fact that it is not kufr or shirk to call out 'Ya Muhammad'. However, people will still insist that, despite all the above, to say 'Ya Muhammad!' is shirk, and will deduce to the fact that this is a form of worshipping someone besides Allah. They often put forward the following aya of the Qur'an:

"And the mosques are only for Allah, so worship none with Allah"

[Sura al Jinn, verse 18]

This is just a doubt and a misunderstanding of the grammatical use of the words 'Tad`u/Yad`u' in the Arabic language, since 'Tad'u' and 'Yad'u' have been used in two different contexts in the Qur'an: in the context of worship and also in the context of calling.

In the above verse it has been used in the context of worship and we agree that anyone who worships something besides Allah is a kafir and a mushrik. However, when a Muslim says 'Ya Rasulu'llah!', he is not worshipping the Messenger of Allah(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but merely calling him; just as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) called all the people to Hajj[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under 'Sura Hajj'] and as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called Sariah. This type of calling is not worship, an example of which is provided in the Qur'an when Allah commanded Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to call the dead birds [Sura al-Baqara, verse 260]

This should demonstrate that the word 'call' is not always used in the context of worship. Whoever says 'Ya Muhammad!' cannot be called either a kafir or mushrik because he is calling out of love for the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as was the case when the Salaf called upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). His intention is not the intention to worship him.

The Pious Can Hear from Afar

1) The Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) heard the conversation of the ants from a distance.

[al- Qur'an, Sura al Namal, verse 19]

2) The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard the footsteps of Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) in Paradise.[Bukhari, Kitab-al-Manaqib, and Muslim, Fazail Bilal]

3) Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:

"The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated:'I hear the voice of every person who sends salams (peace and blessings) upon me, wherever he may be.'

[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham, page 145]

4) When women quarrel with their husbands who are righteous (and who go to paradise) the hoors (fair maidens of Paradise) listen to their arguing from Paradise whilst they are still on the earth [Mishkat al-Masabih, chapter on 'Mu'ashirat-an-Nisa']

To conclude this chapter, we would like to state that:

From the above statements it is proved that the pious can hear from a far distance, by the grace of Allah Most High.

Secondly, it is not shirk to call them using the word 'Ya!'. We would like to clarify that to call upon the pious using 'Ya!' is simply permissible, being neitherfardh, wajib nor sunna.

Thirdly, as proven, the Salaf did proclaim 'Ya Muahammed!' at times of distress - and this difficulty was alleviated.

The reason for writing this article is only to make clear to those people who shout 'kafir' and 'mushrik', that those Muslims who address the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) using the word 'Ya!' are doing nothing wrong, as this is permissible.

We also say that help should only be asked from Allah Most High. We should only present the waseela of the pious, when asking from Allah.

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5) The true picture concerning the death of our Prophet

There are those misinformed people who believe that the Ahl as-Sunna wa'l Jama'a actually believe that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not die!!What a gross accusation!!The true belief of the Ahle Sunna wa'l Jama'a is that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),did die, but he is alive in his grave.

It is in the grave that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is presented with our deeds, and makes supplication on behalf of the ummah. This will be looked into further in another chapter of the book, insha'llah.

There are also instances where the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will appear in our dreams and comfort us with good news and glad tidings.

We also believe that to send salaam (salutations) to our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be met with a reply. There are many narrations that support this, which will be discussed later on in this book.

Blasphemic Belief

A great cholar of the Ahl as-Sunna wa'l Jama'a, Sayyid Ahmad Sa'id Shah Kazmi, writes:

"The one who states that the soul of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not taken and he never died, is a Kafir and is out of the circle of Islam"

[Kazmi, Ahmad, S, S., Hayaat-un-Nabi, p8 ]

This is the belief of the Ahle Sunna wal Jammat but the people who say the Ahle Sunna believe that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has not passed away, have falsely accused us.

Shaykh al-Makka, Shaykh 'Alawi Maliki, says that the meaning of the anbiya (prophets) passing away, is that they have been taken away from us and we cannot see them - just like the angels.

[Malki, M, A Mafaheem, page 165]

Proof that Prophets are alive.

Allah Most High says in the Qur'an,

"...those who have been slain in the way of Allah, never think of them as dead; but they are alive with their Lord, from whom they get their sustenance" [Sura al-Imran, verse 169]

Of course, it goes without saying that the position of the Prophets (peace be upon them) is above and beyond the status of those who are martyred in Allah's way.This, however, implicates that he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is alive too.

Qadi Shawkawni writes:

"In the Qur'an it is mentioned that martyrs are alive and food is provided for them. The Prophets and righteous people are a lot higher in status than them so what will be their place? It has been proven through Ahadith that Prophets are alive in their graves.Both Imam at-Tirmidhi and Imam al-Bayhaqi have said that these are authentic Ahadith"

[Qadi Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar,vol 3, page 82]

Proof from the Hadith that Prophets are alive in their graves

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: 'On the night of Mi'raj I passed Prophet Musa's grave.He was standing in his grave and offering salat.'

[Muslim, chapter 'Fadhail Musa']

Qadi Shawkawni writes:

"Scholars agree that our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is alive in his grave and the earth does not eat the bodies of the Prophets"

[Qadi Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, chapter on 'Hajj']

Hafiz Ibn Qayyim writes:

"Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said that on Fridays send as many blessings as you can on me.From wherever you sends blessings to me, your voice will reach me.The Companions enquired, 'Even after your death?' Our 'Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied in the affirmative. This is because Allah Most High has made the bodies of the Prophets haram [forbidden] for the earth to eat"

[Ibn Qayyim, Jala ul Afham, page 63 ]

Imam Darmi writes:

"Sa'id Ibn al-Musayyib says, 'In the days of Harrah (when Yazeed attacked Madina.) I was alone in Masjid-e-Nabavi for three days when there was no adhan or iqamah.I heard the adhan from the grave of our Prophet, and that's how I knew the time of salat"

[Darmi, chapter on 'Fadail Sayyid al-Mursalin' ]

Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya writes:

'A group of people heard the answer of their salaam. And, in the days of Harrah, Sa'id ibn al- Musayyib heard the voice of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying the adhan, from the grave.And there are more events like these and they are all true.

[Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtidah Siratul-Mustakeem, page 373 ]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

"'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that in his dream he saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and there was dust upon him, from travelling. In his hand was a bottle in which there was blood. I asked him, 'What is this?'He replied, 'My grandson Husayn and his Companions have been martyred, and I have collected the blood spilt by them and I shall present this blood to Allah Most High.' This is an authentic narration.

"Umm al-Mu'minin Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) states: 'I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in my dream; there was dust upon his hair and beard. I asked him: 'O Messenger of Allah, why is there dust on you?' He replied:'I am returning from Karbala' "

[Ta'rikh Ibn-e-Kathir, chapter on 'Karbala']

The pious can talk after passing away.

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

"Zaid ibn Kharjah was one of the pious that talked after his death. When he died and was placed in his coffin, he started to talk and said: 'I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah and his name Ahmad was mentioned in the previous scriptures (Old Testament and New Testament); and Abu Bakr and 'Umar were two caliphs and now it is Usman's Government. Four years have passed and there are two years to go and conflicts will come and Muslims will become weak.' A lot of scholars verify this narration including Imam Bukhari and Imam al-Bayhaqi.

"There was another pious person who talked after his death. 'Abdullah Ansari reports that 'In the time of Ali's Caliphate I was walking among the martyred and a person spoke, saying that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Abu-Bakar and Usman are all true.' A group of scholars say that talking after passing away is true and these are authentic narrations"

[Tareek Ibn Kathir and Ibn Kathir, Sirat an-Nabi, chapter on 'al-Mujazaat'. Also, Ta'rikh ul Kabeer, Ta'rikh Bagdad, al-Jahrhu-Tadeel, Tahdeed al Tahdeeb, Usd al-Gaba; Bukhari,, Al Asabah - biography of Zaid ibn Kharjah; Khatib ibn abi Hatim, Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Imam Ibn Atheer].

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

"There was a Tabi'i called Ribee ibn Harraash, and he said 'I will not laugh until I know whether I am going to go to Heaven or Hell.' When he died, and was bathed and placed in the coffin, he started to smile and started to talk. He said, 'I met Allah and He was pleased with me and I asked him to give me permission to go back to the people and tell them that Allah is pleased with me, and He gave me permission. I am going back.' This is in accordance with saying of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that 'There will be a follower [Tabi'i] and after his death he will speak; and he will be the best among the tabi'een"

[Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir, Sirat un Nabi, chapter on Miracles; Ta'rikh-e-Bagdad, Tahdeeb at Tahdeeb, Ibn Kathir, Al Jahr hu wa Ta'deel; Khatib Baghdadi, Hafiz al-'Asqalani; Ibn abi KHatim, Biography of Ribee ibn Harraash].

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

"Ata ibn Khalid stated:'My Aunt went to the grave of Hamza (may Allah be well pleased with him) and said, "Assalaamu 'alaikum!'She heard the answer of the salaam and the voice was coming from under the earth. She said, 'I recognised the answer of my salaam as I recognise that Allah Most High has created me, and as I recognise the difference between day and night - that is how clear it was. Besides my slave and I there was no other person, which is why I was frightened' "

[Ibn Kathir, Sirat an-Nabi, chapter on 'Battle of Uhud']

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

"A young person used to come to the Mosque for his prayers. One day a woman with bad intentions invited him to her house. When he was in her house, he recited a verse from the Holy Qur'an loudly and collapsed and died from the fear of Allah. The people prayed the funeral prayer and buried him. 'Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) asked:'Where is that young individual who used to come to the Mosque for his prayers?'They replied:'He passed away and we have buried him'. 'Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) went to his grave and called out to him and recited a verse from the Holy Qur'an:'But for him who fears to stand before his Lord there are two Paradises'[Sura al-Rahman, verse 46]The young man replied from his grave 'Indeed Allah has given me two Paradises'

[Tafsir Ibn Kathir under Sura al-'Araf, verse 202]

It is proven that our Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), is alive in his grave. Shaykh ul Makka, Shaykh 'Alawi Maliki says that the passing away of the Prophets only means that they have been taken away from us and we cannot see them, just as we cant see the angels. (Mafahim page 165 Shaykh 'Alawi Maliki)

From the above we can conclude that the Prophets and the Righteous people are alive and can talk after they have passed away, and they can answer our Salaams after passing away. They are fully aware of the worldly matters, through the power that Allah most High, has granted them. Their life is much better than ours.

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