Some persons believe that the deceased do not have the power to hear.
The Aqeeda of the Ahle Sunnah Wal Jama'at is that the dead have the
power of hearing. When the Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) passed by a graveyard he used to
say: "O Dwellers of the Grave! Peace be upon you! May Allah forgive you
and us. You have come before us and we are to come after you." (Jaame
Tirmizi; Shara Sudoor fi Ahwaali Mouta wal Quboor) The words "Ya Ahle
Quboor" make it obvious that the dwellers of the grave can hear. Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) reports that the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Verily, when a person is
placed in the grave and when his friends return, then he hears the
sound of their footsteps (shoes)". (Mishkaat Shareef; Sahih Bukhari) When the nations of Thamud were destroyed after the punishment of Allah
Ta'ala descended upon them, Sayyiduna Saleh (alaihis salaam) spoke to
them. The Holy Quran confirms says: "Hence he turned his face away and
said, 'O my people! Undoubtedly, I did deliver to you the Messages of
my Lord, and wished you good, but you do not approve the well
wishers'." (Part 8, Ruku 17) In this verse of the Holy Quran, the Nabi
of Allah Ta'ala addresses the dead by using the term "Ya" which is
proof enough that the dead can hear. When the Kufaar were defeated in the Battle of Badr and were thrown
into a well, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) stood
beside the well and spoke to the dead. He said, "O certain person, son
of certain person. O certain person, son of certain person. Does this
make you sad that you should have followed Allah and his Rasool (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam)?" He then said, "Verily I have found the promise
of my Creator to be true. Did you find the promise of your Creator to
be true? " When Sayyiduna Umar Farouk (radi Allahu anhu) heard this, he
said, "Ya Rasoolallah! (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Are you
conversing which such bodies in which there are no souls?" The Holy
Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said, "A Oath on that Being in
Whose control is the life of Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam)!
You cannot hear better than them, that which I am saying." (Mishkaat
Shareef; Sahih Bukhari Shareef; Sahih Muslim Shareef) Therefore, when one visits the graveyard, it is permissible to greet
the inmates of the Qabar as they can hear and they even respond to our
greetings.
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