Friday, April 11, 2014

Return of the Soul and the issue of Hayaat un-Nabi (peace be upon him)


Muhammad bin Awf narrated from Abdullah bin Yazeed al-Muqri, who narrated from Haywat bin Shurayh, from Abu Sakhr Humayd bin Ziyaad, from Yazeed bin Abdullah bin Qusayt from Sayyidunah Abu Hurayrah (radiallah anhu) from the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) that:

مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ ، إِلَّا رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ رُوحِي حَتَّى أَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ

“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 Abu Dawood: 2043 - Source]

Authenticity of this hadeeth:

Introduction of Narrators:

1-    Muhammad bin Awf – Imaam Dhahabi said regarding him that: "He is al-Imaam al-Haafidh al-Mujawwid Muhaddith of Hims", and then he narrates the praises of scholars regarding him [See: Siyar A'laam al-Nabula: 12/613]. Imaam Abu Haatim said: "He is Sudooq" [al-Jarh: 241]. Imaam Nasaa'ee said: "He is Thiqah" [al-Mu'jam al-Mushtamal: 930]. Imaam Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in his book of Thiqah narrators and said: "He is Saahib-e-Hadeeth, memorizer" [9/143]. Abu Ali al-Jiyaani said: "He is Thiqah" [Tasmiyah Shuyookh Abi Dawood: 92]. Haafidh Ibn Hajar said: "He is Thiqah Haafidh" [Taqreeb]

2-    Abdullah bin Yazeed al-Muqri – Imaam Dhahabi said concerning him that: "He is al-Imaam al-Haafidh al-Aalim al-Muqri al-Muhaddith al-Hujjah Shaikh ul-Haram...." [Siyar: 10/166]. Imaam Abu Haatim said: "He is Sudooq" [al-Jarh wat Ta'deel: 939]. Imaam Ibn Sa'd said: "He is Thiqah Katheer ul-Hadeeth" [Tabaqaat al-Kubra: 5/501]. Imaam Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in his book of Thiqah narrators. [8/342]. Haafidh Ibn Hajar said: "He is Thiqah" [Taqreeb: 1/330]

3-    Haywat bin Shurayh – Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal said: "He is Thiqah Thiqah (twice)" [al-Jarh wat Ta'deel: 1366]. Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een said: "He is Thiqah" [al-Jarh: 1366]. Imaam Abu Haatim said: "He is Thiqah" [al-Jarh: 1366]. He is also declared Thiqah by Imaam Ibn Sa'd, Imaam al-Ijlee, Imaam Ibn Hibbaan, Ibn Khalfoon, Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar.

4-    Abu Sakhar Humayd bin Ziyaad – Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal said: "There is nothing wrong in him" [al-Jarh: 975]. Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een said: "He is Thiqah there is nothing wrong in him" [Taareekh Ibn Ma'een by Ad-Daarimi: 260]. Imaam Ibn Adee said: "He is Saalih al-Hadeeth" [al-Kaamil: 236]. Imaam Daaraqutni said: "He is Thiqah" [Sawalaat al-Barqaani: 93]. Imaam Dhahabi included him among those narrators who are criticized but they are Thiqah in reality. [Man Takallam feehi Wahuwa Mawthaq by Imaam Dhahabi: 1/73]. Ibn Hajar said: "He is Sudooq Yahhum" [Taqreeb: 1/181]
Imaam Nasaa'ee said: "He is Da'eef" [al-Kaamil: 236]
This Jarh is unacceptable due to two reasons: 1) Imaam Nasaa'ee is known for his strictness, 2) This Jarh is against the Jumhoor.

5-    Yazeed bin Abdullah bin Qusayt – Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een said: "He is Saalih, there is nothing wrong in him" [al-Jarh: 1152]. Imaam Ibn Adee said: "He is Saalih ur-Riwayaat" [al-Kaamil: 245]. Imaam Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in his book of Thiqah narrators [5/543]. Imaam Ibn Sa'd said: "He is Thiqah Katheer ul-Hadeeth" [Tabaqaat al-Kubra: 9/204]. Imaam Ibn Abdul Barr also declared him Thiqah. Imaam Ibn Hajar said: "He is Thiqah" [Taqreeb: 1/602]. Imaam Dhahabi mentioned him among those who are criticized but they are Thiqah in reality. [Man Takallam feehi wahuwa Mawthaq: 1/200]


The chain of this hadeeth is declared “Saheeh” by Haafidh Nawawi [Khulasat ul-Ahkaam: 1/441], Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [Iqtida as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem: P. 324], Haafidh Ibn al-Qayyim [Jalaa ul-Afhaam: 1/53], Haafidh Ibn al-Mulqan [Tuhfat ul-Muhtaaj: 2/190], and others.

Haafidh Iraaqi [Takhreej Ahadeeth al-Ahya: 1013], Haafidh Ibn Abdul Haadi [al-Saarim al-Munki: 1/114], and others have declared it to be “Jayyid (Strong)”.

Moreover, Haafidh Sakhaawi [al-Maqaasid al-Hasanah: 1/587], Haafidh Ajlooni [Kashf al-Khafa: 2/194] and others have declared the hadeeth to be “Saheeh”.

This hadeeth is Hasan but this chain is Munqati’, because the narrator Yazeed bin Abdullah bin Qusayt, who is Katheer ul-Irsaal, did not hear this hadeeth directly from Abu Hurayrah (radiallah anhu), rather he narrates it from Abu Hurayrah (radiallah anhu) with the reference of another narrator in between, which is present in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat by Tabaraani [3/262 H. 3092 - Source], and its chain is Hasan.

In this narration, the teacher of Imaam Tabaraani, “Bakr bin Sahl ad-Dimyaati” is Thiqah according to the Jumhoor, because Imaam Daya al-Maqdisi [al-Mukhtaarah: 159], and Imaam Haakim [al-Mustadrak Ala as-Saheehayn: 4/177, 643, 646] has done his tawtheeq, and Imaam Dhahabi followed him.

Moreover, his narrations are also present in Mustakhraj Abu Nu’aym [583, 586, etc] and Mustakhraj Abi Awaanah [2524, 6903], which is a clear proof of him being a Thiqah.

Allaamah Haythami writes: “Nasaa’ee declared him Da’eef, but others have declared him Thiqah” [Majma az-Zawaaid: 4/117]

Imaam Dhahabi declared him: “Mutawassit” which means the narrator of a middle level. [al-Mughni: 978]

Moreover he said: “Muhadditheen have taken narrations from him, and he is Muqaarib ul-Haal (Hasan ul-Hadeeth). Imaam Nasaa’ee said, he is Da’eef” [Meezaan ul-I’tidaal: 2/62]

While grading a hadeeth in which Bakr bin Sahl was also present, Haafidh Ibn Hajar said: “All its narrators have been declared Thiqah, except Sulemaan bin Abi Kuraymah, and there is some criticism on him” [al-Amaali al-Mutlaqah: 1/121]

Even though Haafidh Ibn Hajar had also narrated the Jarh of Imaam Nasaa’ee concerning Bakr bin Sahl in Lisaan al-Meezaan, still he deemed him to be Thiqah [2/51]

This proves that even according to Imaam Dhahabi and Imaam Ibn Hajar, the Jarh of Imaam Nasaa’ee on Bakr bin Sahl is not acceptable, rather he is Thiqah due to the tawtheeq of Jumhoor.

From this Tahqeeq it gets proven that the saying of Shaikh Albaani regarding Bakr that: “Imaam Nasaa’ee declared him Thiqah, and no one declared him Thiqah” [Silsilah ad-Da’eefah: 4/562] is wrong.

As for the criticisms of Imaam Nasaa’ee and Maslamah bin Qaasim narrated by Ibn Hajar in Lisaan al-Meezaan then their explanation is as follows:

1-    The criticism of Imaam Nasaa’ee – The answer to this criticism is that Imaam Nasaa’ee sometimes is too strict concerning the narrators. That’s why his criticism is not accepted against the tawtheeq of Jumhoor.

Moreover, this Jarh is not even proven from Imaam Nasaa’ee himself, as it is narrated from his son Abdul Kareem, whose tawtheeq is not proven from anyone. Wallahu a’lam.

2-    As for the Jarh of Maslamah bin Qaasim that: “People have criticized him” [Lisaan al-Meezaan: 2/51], this Jarh is unacceptable due to many reasons:

i-                   Maslamah bin Qaasim himself was an unreliable person, therefore, his Jarh is of no use.

ii-                No one’s Jarh on Bakr is proven except the Jarh of Imaam Nasaa’ee, which means the “people” Maslamah is pointing towards are Majhool.

iii-              The third reason is that Maslamah bin Qaasim often uses these words for those narrators who are Hasan ul-Hadeeth according to himself. For example: see Lisaan al-Meezaan [6/262]

Note: In the chain of Tabaraani, there is a narrator named “Abdullah bin Yazeed al-Askandari”. However, the correct name is “Abdullah bin Yazeed al-Muqri” as affirmed by Shaikh Albaani [Silsilah as-Saheehah: 5/338]. We will not go into its details.

In short, this narration is Authentic, and no criticism on this hadeeth is valid.

Explanation:

This hadeeth is concerning the salaam of after the Prophet’s death, as if this is an answer to some question [posed to the Prophet] which the narrator did not mention while narrating this hadeeth. Meaning, Some Sahaabi might have asked this question to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that now we say salaam to you and you reply to us, how would our salaam be after your death and how would your answer be? Upon which, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have said this hadeeth.

Some people try to deduce from this hadeeth the issue of Hayaat un-Nabi saying that, if anyone says salaam to the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) then his soul returns to him and he (peace be upon him) answers his salaam, this proves his permanent life [in grave], because there is never an inqita (disconnection) of salaam, every time, at some place, people are sending salaam on the Prophet (peace be upon him). There is not a single moment which is free from this act; therefore, this proves that the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) is permanently alive.

However, the base from which this deduction is taken, is very weak & feeble; and the building which is built on this base can easily be demolished by merely paying a little attention; because the base of this deduction is on the theory that the process of salaam never disconnects, and neither is there any disconnection from him (peace be upon him) in its answer, whereas, this idea is absolutely wrong, because:

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.

The affirmations of Muhadditheen and Aimmah are also in accordance to this.

Moreover, if you read the hadeeth of Abu Talhah (radiallah anhu), which we will mention ahead, it gets very clear that Allaah gives the answer to this salaam in the form of 10 blessings on that person.

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]

He further said: “This is the hadeeth upon which the Scholars like Ahmed and Abu Dawood trusted on the issue of saying salaam from near the Prophet’s grave.” [Ar-Radd Ala al-Bakri: 1/107]

Imaam Ibn Abdul Haadi also considers this hadeeth on saying salaam from nearby according to many Scholars. [As-Saarim al-Munki: 1/115]

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]

Haafidh Ibn Katheer etc have also established the relationship of this hadeeth with the one who says salaam to the Prophet (peace be upon him) from close by; it has nothing to do with those who say salaam from far away, the answer to which Allaah gives with 10 blessings.

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 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”.

When it becomes clear that the returning of soul and its answer which is mentioned in this hadeeth is concerning the one who says salaam standing in front of the apartment of Aa’ishah (radiallah anha) and not regarding every person who says salaam or durood in the world, so now it should be kept in mind that there has not been any period from the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) till today in which salaam is being said in front of Aa’ishah’s apartment every single moment. Therefore, the deduction of the permanent life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from this hadeeth is Baatil (Void).

2-    The words of this hadeeth are also against the mas’ala of Hayaat (life), as explained and refuted by 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]

If we consider this return of soul as the life of this world then according to the above mentioned hadeeth, the soul of every person, no matter Muslim or a Kaafir, returns to his soul, so would all of them also live a worldly life? If the return of soul here is not meant to be the worldly life, then why is it so in this case?

In fact, on the contrary to this deduction, this hadeeth is against those who hold the view of Prophet’s eternal life after his death, as Maulaana Ubaydullah Rehmaani al-Mubaarakpoori (rahimahullah) writes:

“This hadeeth is against those who are of the opinion that the souls of the Prophets have been returned to them after their [worldly] death and they now live like the martyrs. The reason of Ashkaal is that the return of soul to its body demands that it is separate from it, and this is what is called ‘Death’, this condition does not fit [the claim] of his (peace be upon him) being alive all the time….”
[Mir’aat ul-Mafateeh: 3/269]

3-    If someone tries to prove from this hadeeth that the salaam said from close by is heard by the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) himself, and tries to prove the issue of Hayaat un-Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) then – first of all – this is not affirmed in any authentic hadeeth.

Secondly, we can know reality from the following saying of Allaah The Most High:

“Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.”
[Faatir: 22]

If listening from near the grave is the proof of Aqeedah Hayaat un-Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam), then if Allaah wishes he can make hear any Muslim, in fact, he can even make the Kuffaar to hear some sound from near the grave, as reported by Sayyidunah Anas (radiallah anhu) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

“When a person is placed in his grave and his companions depart from him, he hears the sound of their sandals.”
[Saheeh Bukhaari: 1338; Saheeh Muslim: 287]

So those who make the hearing of salaam that is said near his grave to be the proof of Aqeedah Hayaat un-Nabi, would they also make this hadeeth [of Anas] to be a proof for the Hayaat (life) of all Muslims, in fact, of all Bani Aadam (every human) in the grave???

Similarly, the Kuffaar (disbelievers) of Makkah who were killed in the battle of Badr, The Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed them and said:

“Verily, they now hear everything what I say”
[Saheeh Bukhaari: 3980; Saheeh Muslim: 2874]

So those who hold the view of “Hayaat un-Nabi” because of his hearing the salaam from near the grave, would they also hold the view of “Hayaat ul-Kaafireen” because of the address of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to them???

The gist of the story is that if Allaah wishes, he can make any deceased person to hear, even if it be a Kaafir. Therefore, if we accept – for the sake of argument – concerning the salaam said near the grave, that it is heard by the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) himself then it still cannot become the proof of Hayaat un-Nabi, because Allaah sometimes even makes the Kuffaar and common deceased people to hear. So would this also prove the Hayaat of common deceased people?? NO!

Moreover, He (peace be upon him) answers this salaam. The relation of this answer is also with the world of Barzakh, which is why it cannot be heard from normal ears. Therefore, it is not correct to prove the aqeedah of Hayaat un-Nabi from this.

Ø Moreover, this is also to be understood that Salaam is of two types:

One is Salaam Ma’moor – This is the salaam concerning which Allaah has commanded Muslims that:

O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
[Ahzaab: 56]

And the second is Salaam Tahiyyah – This is the salaam which is said upon meeting anyone as a greeting.

When this much is understood then it should also be kept in mind that Salaam Tahiyyah used to be said during the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he (peace be upon him) used to answer it; and it is also said today so its answer is also given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, as is proven from the hadeeth.

This is also made clear that just like Salaam Tahiyyah used to be said from close during the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him), similarly, it would also be said to him today from close. You have already read the action of Ibn Umar (radiallah anhu) that whenever he would come from a Journey, he would say this salaam in the apartment of Aa’ishah from close to the grave.

On the contrary, Salaam Ma’moor was used to be said by all the Sahaabah in the prayer wherever they were, so why was there a need to come close to the grave upon returning from the journey? If He (peace be upon him) answered this salaam even from the person far away, then why would Sayyidunah Ibn Umar (radiallah anhu) come close to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him)??

Salaam Tahiyyah was used to be said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) even by the non-Muslims, whereas, Salam Ma’moor is restricted with the Believers, the answer to which is not even given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, rather Allaah sends 10 blessings to the person as an answer, as is proven from the Hadeeth reported by Sayyidunah Abu Talhah Ansaari (radiallah anhu):

“The Messenger of Allah (SAW) came one day with a cheerful expression on his face, and we said: "We see you looking cheerful". He said: "The Angel came to me and said: 'O Muhammad, your Lord says: 'Will it not please you (to know) that no one will send salah upon you that I will send salah upon him tenfold, and no one will send salams upon you but I will send salams upon him tenfold?”
[Musnad Ahmed: 4/29, 30; Sunan Nasaa’ee: 1283, 1295, Chain Saheeh] ([2])



This hadeeth clearly proves that 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. Therefore, when the soul of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not returned upon the salaam of every type, therefore, the issue of Hayaat un-Nabi cannot be established from this hadeeth.

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 ordained for the one who could enter into the apartment of Aa’ishah.”
[Saarim al-Munki: 1/119]

If someone does not accept these two types of salaam and persists on saying that this ruling is for every salaam and the Prophet (peace be upon him) answers all the salaams by himself, then it would necessitate the takdheeb (denial) of the hadeeth in which it is said that Allaah answers the salaam of the person by sending 10 blessings upon him. And this is also far-fetched from Aql (intelligence), moreover, it is not also established from any hadeeth.

Moreover, upon the denial of these two types of salaam, this argument would also hold true that even the Jews & Hypocrites used to greet the Prophet with Salaam in his lifetime, so would Allaah send 10 blessings upon those as well?? Whereas, we cannot we imagine the blessing and rehmah of Allaah upon the Jews and Munaafiqeen in Islaam. This proves that the salaam that is said in front of him (peace be upon him) – Salaam Tahiyyah, is different in ruling than the other salaam. This hadeeth [of Abu Talhah] is concerning the Salaam Ma’moor, which is restricted to the Believers, this is why, the command of this salaam is only given to the Believers.

4-    If He (peace be upon him) would have been alive in his grave just as he was alive before his death, meaning, if his life was not Brzakhi rather Worldly life and anyone could make him hear his voice, then the Sahaabah Karaam (radiallah anhum) would certainly have expressed their difficulties and problems to the Prophet (peace be upon him), or at-least they would have asked him to make du’aa for them, but there is no such thing proven from the Sahaabah that they ever requested anything to the Prophet (peace be upon him) besides saying salaam to him from close or from far away. On the contrary, there are many occasions which clearly negate it. For example, Sayyidunah Anas bin Maalik (radiallah anhu) narrates:

“Whenever drought threatened them, `Umar bin Al-Khattaab used to ask Allah for rain through Al-`Abbas bin `Abdul Muttalib, saying: ‘O Allah! We used to request our Prophet to ask You for rain, and You would give us. Now we request the uncle of our Prophet to ask You for rain, so give us rain.’ And they would be given rain."
[Saheeh Bukhaari: 3710]

This proves that the Sahaabah Karaam used to ask Allaah through the Du’aa of the Prophet (peace be upon him), not through his Dhaat (personality); otherwise, asking through his Dhaat was also possible after his (peace be upon him) death, if this Istisqa (asking for rain) was meant to ask through the Dhaat of Abbaas, then it was clearly a disgrace to ask through the Dhaat of Abbaas leaving the Dhaat of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which is improbable to be done by the Sahaabah. On the contrary, this asking was done through his du’aa which he (peace be upon him) used to do during his lifetime, but this process disconnected with his death.

The second thing that is proven from this is that the Aqeedah of Sahaabah Karaam was also that the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not hear our voice, even if it is from close; otherwise, they would only have asked from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to make du’aa in times of affliction.

If his (peace be upon him) life was the worldly life and he could hear and understand everything then the Noble Companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) like Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallah anhu) would never have asked his Ummati, Abbaas (radiallah anhu), to make du’aa instead of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Similarly, it is not proven in the whole encyclopedia of hadeeth that any Sahaabi ever asked from the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a request or a Du’aa besides saying Salaam.

5-    Moreover, the supporters of Hayaat un-Nabi also present the following hadeeth as their evidence:

الأنبياء - صلوات الله عليهم - أحياء في قبورهم يصلون

“The Prophets – May Allaah’s blessings be upon them – are alive in their graves, and perform prayers”
[Musnad Abu Ya’la: 6/147; Akhbaar Asfahaan by al-Asbahaani: 2/83; Hayaat ul-Anbiya by Bayhaqi: H. 1]

Regardless of the authenticity of this hadeeth, we want to ask such people that if according to your view, salaam is being said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) every single moment, and he (peace be upon him) is constantly replying to those Salaams, which proves Hayaat un-Nabi according to you then is it that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is replying to those salaams even while performing Salaah in the grave, which is something prohibited to be done in according to the Ahnaaf??? As it is written in the famous and reliable book of Ahnaaf “Hidaayah”:

“Praying person will not answer the salaam with his tongue, because it is speech, and neither would he do that with [the indication of] his hand, because that is also a salaam in Ma’nawi sense”
[Al-Hidaayah: 1/142]

It is something to ponder upon with cool mind that if Fiqh Hanafi is Bar-Haqq [based upon Truth] then the opinion of Prophet (peace be upon him) hearing and replying to the salaam of every person at every time is Mardoo (rejected), and if this opinion is correct then…. there goes the funeral of Fiqh Hanafi!

6-    Some people try to deduce the issue of Hayaat un-Nabi from the hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said concerning the second coming of Eesa (peace be upon him) that:

“If he stood by my grave and said ‘O Muhammad’, then I would certainly answer him”
[Musnad Abu Ya’la: 6584]

However, the chain of this hadeeth is Da’eef, because the narrator Abdullah bin Wahb al-Misri is Mudallis and is narrating with AN, without affirming his hearing.

Moreover, what is meant by standing in this hadeeth is that he would say Salaam, and what is meant by answer in this hadeeth is that he (peace be upon him) would give the answer to his salaam, as is narrated in another chain of the same hadeeth:

“He would certainly come to my grave to say Salaam, and I will certainly answer his Salaam”
[al-Mustadrak Ala as-Saheehayn: 2/651 H. 4162]

This chain is Da’eef as well. Muhammad bin Ishaaq bin Yasaar in its chain is also a Mudallis and is narrating with AN.

Another hadeeth that is presented on this issue is that He (peace be upon him) said:

“The Prophet’s of Allaah are alive and they are given sustenance”
[Sunan Ibn Majah: 1637]

The chain of this hadeeth is weak due to being Munqati’ (Disconnected), as Haafidh Ibn Katheer writes: “There is a disconnection in its chain between Ubaadah bin Nasi and Abu Darda (radiallah anhu), because he (Ubaadah) did not get the period of Abu Darda (radiallah anhu)” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer: 3/260, Under Surah Ahzaab: 56]

Moreover, in its chain there is another Inqita as well, as Imaam Bukhaari said: “The narration of Zayd bin Ayman from Ubaadah bin Nasi is Mursal” [al-Taareekh al-Kabeer of al-Bukhaari: 3/387]



Translated on July 18, 2012





[1] [Sunan Abu Dawood: 3753; al-Mustadrak of al-Haakim: 1/95, Chain Hasan]
[2] This hadeeth is declared to be “Saheeh” by Imaam Ibn Hibbaan (915) and Imaam al-Daya al-Maqdisi (Fath ul-Kabeer by as-Suyooti H. 142), whereas, Haafidh Iraaqi declared its chain to be Jayyid (Takhreej Ahadeeth al-Ahya H. 1004)
Sulemaan the client of Hasan bin Ali is Thiqah in its chain. Imaam Ibn Hibbaan, Imaam Haakim and Imaam Daya al-Maqdisi etc have done his tawtheeq by doing the tasheeh of his narration
A Shaahid of this hadeeth is also narrated by Sayyidunah Abdur Rahmaan bin Awf (radiallah anhu), whose chain is Hasan (Musnad Ahmed: 1/191).
This hadeeth is declared Saheeh by Imaam Ibn Hibbaan (810), and Imaam Haakim (al-Mustadrak: 1/345) declared it to be authentic upon the conditions of Bukhaari and Muslim and Imaam Dhahabi followed him in that.
Its narrator Abul Huwayrath bin Abdur Rahmaan bin Mu’aawiyyah is Hasan ul-Hadeeth according to the Jumhoor, because compared to the tad’eef of Imaam Maalik (al-Kaamil: 4/309), Imaam Nasaa’ee (Kitaab ad-Du’afa: 365), and Imaam Abu Haatim (5/284): Imaam Ibn Khuzaymah (1450), Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal (al-Jarh: 5/284), Imaam Ibn Hibbaan (Thiqaat: 3060), Imaam Haakim (al-Mustadrak: 3/72), & Imaam Daya al-Maqdisi (al-Ahadeeth al-Mukhtaara: 930), have done his tawtheeq. Moreover, the opinion of Imaam Yahya ibn Ma’een that is in accordance with Jumhoor will be taken i.e. the opinion of Tawtheeq.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.