Is it correct that the Prophet (sws) answers those who send blessings on him in the grave? I have been told that the Prophet (sws) himself has said that whenever someone invokes Allah\u2019s blessings for him, Allah returns the soul to his body until he replies to his salutation. Is the Had\u012bth authentic?<\/p>\n
The text of the Had\u012bth follows:<\/p>\n
Ab\u016b Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (sws) said: Whenever someone sends blessings upon me the Almighty return me my soul so that I respond to it. ( Ab\u016b D\u0101\u2019\u016bd, No: 2041)<\/p>\n
First of all, it should be remembered that it is a Ghar\u012bb report. The author of Mu\u2018jam Al-Awsat has also recorded this tradition and observed:<\/p>\n
None has narrated this Had\u012bth from Yaz\u012bd but Ab\u016b Sakhar and none narrates from Ab\u016b Sakhar but Haywah, and \u2018Abdull\u0101h Ibn Yaz\u012bd is the only person who has narrated this tradition. (Mu\u2018jam Al-Awsat, No: 3092) <\/p>\n
The narrator, Ab\u016b Sakhar, has been declared weak by some authorities of the science of Had\u012bth:<\/p>\n
Ish\u0101q Ibn Mans\u016br has reported that Yahy\u0101 Ibn Mu\u2018\u012bn said: \u2018Ab\u016b Sakhar Ham\u012bd Ibn Zay\u0101d is Da\u2018\u012bf\u2019. And Ahmad Ibn Sa\u2018ad Ibn Ab\u012b Maryam also reported that Yahy\u0101 Ibn Mu\u2018\u012bn said that Ab\u016b Sakhar Hamid Bin Zayy\u0101d Al-Kharr\u0101t is Dha\u012bf-ul-Had\u012bth. Nis\u0101\u2019\u012b also declared the same. (Yusuf Mizz\u012b, Tihdh\u012bb Al-Kam\u0101l, 4th ed., vol. 7, (Beirut: Al Mu\u2019assasah Al-Ris\u0101lah, 1994), p. 368)<\/p>\n
Regarding Ham\u012bd Ibn Sakhar, I heard Ibn al-Hammad say that Ham\u012bd Ibn Sakhar, the one from whom H\u0101tim Ibn Ism\u0101\u2018\u012bl narrates is D\u2018\u012bf. (Yusuf Mizz\u012b, Tihdh\u012bb Al-Kam\u0101l, 4th ed., vol. 7, (Beirut: Al Mu\u2019assasah Al-Ris\u0101lah, 1994), p. 370)<\/p>\n
The text of the Had\u012bth also contradicts some basic Qur\u2019\u0101nic concepts. According to this Had\u012bth the Prophet (sws) though dead, is given life to respond and this process goes on. Whereas the Qur\u2019\u0101n tells us that after we die, we will only be resurrected on the Day of Judgment. <\/p>\n
Due to these reasons the scholars have tried to interpret the words of the Had\u012bth to fit it in the Qur\u2019\u0101nic stance on the issue and other reliable narratives. Some hold that returning of the soul is metaphorical for the returning of his power to speak etc. After mentioning all the possible interpretations and comments, the author of \u2018Aawnu\u2019l-Ma\u2018b\u016bd has concluded the discussion with the following words:<\/p>\n
To sum up, this narrative is not without ambiguity. [Muhammad Shams Al-Haqq Al-\u2018Az\u012bm, \u2018Awn Al-Ma\u2018b\u016bd, 3rd ed., vol. 6, (Beirut: D\u0101r Al-Fikr, 1979), p. 29]<\/p>\n
We understand that until and unless an acceptable interpretation of the text is offered and the reliability of the chain of narrator is established we should not consider this Had\u012bth as an authentic saying of the Prophet (sws). <\/p>\n
Answered by:<\/strong> Tariq Mahmood Hashmi<\/p>\n Date:<\/strong> 2015-03-30<\/p>\n