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za

Yes The Prophet Sallahu alayhi

wasallam is Alive in his Grave!
My elders and friends firstly, we are certain that we all will taste death. There are no different
opinions regarding this irrespective of which school of thought, university or group one is
affiliated to. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 3rd Sura, al-i-
Imraan, in Verse 185:

Every soul shall have a taste of death

Death comes with the command of Allah. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy
Qur'aan, in the 3rd Sura, al-i-Imraan, in Verse 145:

Nor can a soul die except by Allah's leave

The time of death has also been fixed. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy
Qur'aan, in the 7th Sura, al-Araaf, in Verse 34:

To every people is a term appointed; when their term is reached, not an hour can they cause
delay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation).

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Death Is A Certainty

Allah says that when His decision is reached neither can it be delayed nor
advanced. I have recited three Qur’aanic verses to you that make it clear
that death is a certainty. Death comes with the command of Allah at the
appointed time. At the appointed time the person who is to die, dies
irrespective of whether he is in the security of his home. If it is not the
appointed time then a person will not die even if he is on the battlefield
where bullets are being shot and bombs are exploding. Remember, the
intimates of Allah their case is elevated, exalted and different. E.g. there is
Ahadith in the authentic collection of Bukhari and Muslim, the two notable
collections. In both of them this Hadith is present. If anyone doubts any
Hadith I quote or thinks that I uttered any falsehood then he is free to
question me. Don’t spread the news that I uttered false statements after I
leave. Question me in my presence. I am a responsible man and will lecture
the truth to you. My aim is not confrontation but to clarify the issue
properly.

In the authentic collection of Bukhari and Muslim it is stated that the Angel of Death, Hazrath
Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) came to Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with
peace) to remove his soul. You have heard that the Angel of Death comes at the appointed time
on the command of Allah. When the Angel of Death was about to remove the soul of Hazrath
Musa (may Allah bless him with peace), he asked the Angel of Death as to what he was doing.
The Angel of Death replied that he was removing his soul. Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him
with peace) slapped Hazrath Israeel, the Angel of Death. The slap caused Israeel’s (may Allah be
well pleased with him) eye to burst. Hazrath Israeel went back to Allah, minus the soul of
Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) and complained that he had been commissioned
to visit one who refuses to die. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) cured the injured eye of
Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) and said, ‘O Israeel! You should have shown
more respect to Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) and should have removed his
soul, with his permission. Go back and greet The One Who Converses With Allah (Kalimullah),
present to him My greeting and say that Allah asks if he would like to extend his earthly life,
then he should place his hand on the back of a cow and Allah will extend his earthly life by the
amount of cow hair under his palm. Also tell him that if he wishes to meet Me then the door of
union is open. Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) replied, ‘O Allah! I must return
to that man.’ Allah said, ‘Yes’.

Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) approached Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless
him with peace) and sought permission to enter into his esteemed presence. On being given
permission he presented the salutation of Allah and offered the two alternatives. Hazrath Musa
(may Allah bless him with peace) chose to allow Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with

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peace) to remove his soul at that time. Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace)
removed the soul of Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace).

This is the end of the Hadith. Let us examine the issues (masalas) contained in this Hadith. Allah
has given us intelligence and reason. Let us utilize these gifts of Allah and ponder in the light of
reason.

The Issues (Masalas) Contained In The Above Quoted Hadith

Firstly, when Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) slapped
Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace), did Hazrath Israeel (may
Allah bless him with peace) resist verbally or in action? No! He did not, yet it
was that Angel Of Death from whose clutches great oppressive rulers and
kings could not escape and up to this day none can escape. The American,
Russian and other claims that they can destroy the world with their arsenal
of weapons is helpless in protecting their leader from the Angel Of Death.
The Angel Of Death did not resist Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with
peace) verbally or in action. This teaches us that the Angel Of Death, in front
of whom all are humbled, is himself humbled in the court of the Messenger
of Allah. The Messengers Of Allah possess a high status.

Secondly, some people preach that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his
companions) has no power to do anything. A teacher of Darul Uloom Deoband, Molvi Anwar
Shah Sahib Kashmiri, has written a Commentary (sharah) on the Hadith compilation of Bukhari,
in Arabic, called Faizul Bari Sharah Bukhari. In this commentary he writes that Musa (may
Allah bless him with peace) possesses such power in his clenched fist, that one blow can shatter
the seven skies. A senior teacher of Deoband writes this. If anyone denies that Musa (may Allah
bless him with peace) possesses such power in his clenched fist, that one blow can shatter the
seven skies, then they must call Molvi Anwar Shah Sahib Kashmiri a liar. I am only making
reference to his writing. If my reference is wrong, then I allow you to punish me in any way you
will. He has written correctly. In Sahih Bukhari1[A Sacred Tradition (Hadith Qudsi)
recorded in Bukhari Vol.8, No 509] a saying of Allah is recorded, that, ‘When I love a
servant of Mine, I become his (faculty of) audition, with which he hears; I become his (faculty
of) sight, with which he sees; I become his hands, with which he grasps…’ So keeping this
hadith in mind, can’t that hand about which Allah says, ‘I become his hands, with which he
grasps’, not shatter the seven heavens? It is the hand of the Messenger, but the strength of Allah.
So my friends, I was saying that the Angel of Death, Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with
peace), humbled himself in front of Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace). Also, is not
the Angel of Death, Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) a creation of light? He

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surely is. So when his eye shattered, did it effect his constitution of light? Therefore, if the
blessed teeth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his
companions) is broken at the Battle of Uhud, his blessed body bleeds and is wounded, then it
does not effect his light (nur) status. I am drawing this parallel, for some people say that if the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) has a light (nur)
status then why did he bleed? I ask them, that if Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with
peace), is nur then how did his eye shatter?

The shattering of the eye of Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace), does not affect
his nur status, so similarly the breaking of the blessed teeth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) does not affect his nur status. We accept
that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is nur as well as the
Leader of All Humans (Sayyidul Bashar). Some people only see one aspect and don’t look at
the other. They see that at the Battle of Uhud, the lips of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him,
his family and his companions) was wounded and he bled, but they don’t see that on four
occasions the Angels opened the blessed chest of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his
family and his companions), removed his blessed heart and not a drop of blood fell. So they see
bleeding and refuse to see when he did not bleed. So Allah has provided both proofs. The
bleeding at Uhud is proof of his human status and the not bleeding on the opening of his chest is
proof of his light status. They see that the Holy Prophet Muhammad used to get sick but don’t
see that the soil that touches his feet becomes a cure for all sicknesses. They see the Holy
Prophet herding the sheep of Abu Taalib but don’t see him leading the prayer of the Prophets, at
Aqsa on the Night of Heavenly Ascension (Mi’raj). They see his walking on the earth but don’t
see his stepping on the heavenly realm (arsh). They see that he is the descendant of Hazrath
Adam (nasl) but don’t see that he is the essence (asl) of the creation of Hazrath Adam. The Holy
Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) said:

Kunto Nabiyam wa Adamu baynal ruhe wal jasad

Adam (may Allah bless him with peace) was in between body and soul (i.e.
still being fashioned) and I was already a Prophet

They concentrate on one aspect and neglect the other.

Thirdly, did Allah reprimand Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace)
for slapping the Angel of Death? No! He did not. On the contrary Allah
reprimanded, Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace), saying that
he should have interacted with Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with

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peace) after seeking permission. This points to the fact that in the Divine
Court the Prophets are highly respected and held in esteem.

Fourthly, after Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) slapped Hazrath Israeel (may
Allah bless him with peace) and burst his eye he should have placed his hand on the back of a
cow and Allah would have extended his earthly life by the amount of cow hair under his palm.
On the contrary he allowed his soul to be removed by the Angel of Death, so why did he slap
him. Actually, Hazrath Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) slapped Hazrath Israeel (may
Allah bless him with peace) to teach him the respect that should be practiced at the Holy Court of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions). Hazrath
Musa (may Allah bless him with peace) was in effect telling him, that, ‘this is the result of
dealing with the Converser With Allah (kaleemullah) without permission, so be careful in
future how you deal with the Beloved Of Allah (habeebullah).

Visit Of The Angel Of Death To Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him, His
Family And His Companions)

Allamah Imam abu Nuaim Isfahani (may Allah be well pleased with him) whose
narrations are recorded in Mishkat Shareef, has recorded this Hadith in Hilyatul
Awliya and Imam Jalalluddin Suyuti (may Allah be well pleased with him) recorded it
in Sharrus Sudoor. When the time came to go to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
him, his family and his companions) then Hazrath Israeel, approached the blessed home
occupied by the Holy Prophet and the Purified People Of His Household (ahle bayt e athaar).
Hazrath Israeel stood at the door and greeted, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! Peace
be upon you, O Beloved Of Allah!’ He then sought permission to enter the house. Hazrath Bibi
Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) told her blessed father that a Bedouin is seeking
permission to enter and whether he should be allowed? The Holy Prophet replied, ‘O My
Beloved daughter! This is no Bedouin, it is he who separates daughters from fathers, children
from parents, brothers from sisters, husbands from wives and friend from friend for he is the
Angel of Death, so allow him in.’

Hazrath Israeel (may Allah bless him with peace) came in greeted and presented Allah’s greeting
saying he was sent to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) to
act in accordance with the Holy Prophet’s desire. If the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his
family and his companions) so desires, he would remove his blessed soul or he would return. The
Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) instructed Hazrath Israeel
(may Allah bless him with peace) to remove his blessed soul. The Angel Of Death acted
accordingly. Remember, we accept that the blessed soul was removed to satisfy the Qur’aanic
injunction of ‘tasting death’. This act in no way affected the Holy Prophet’s functioning life
(Hayaat). As he was alive and functioning prior to his soul being removed, so is he alive and
functioning to this time. He is a living functioning Prophet. This is an issue of belief (aqidah).

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This is the belief of The People who follow the Prophet’s Sunnah and the Example of his
Community (Ahl as- Sunna wa’l Jamaa’a). If anyone denies this then they are being
unreasonably stubborn. Molvi Muhammad Zakarriyya Sahib, is a senior ‘a’lim of the
Tablighi Jamaat, Shaikhul Hadith of Madrasah Mazahiral Uloom, Shaharanpur, India,
who is very old and sickly; and currently living in Madinah. I saw him recently in Madinah
after I performed Hajj being brought to the mosque on a chair. He has written a book
called, ‘The virtues of Durood Shareef’ [Fazaile Durood Shareef] and another called ‘The
virtues of Hajj [Fazaile Hajj]. In both these books he has written that the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is a Living Prophet
(Hayaatun Nabi), all prophets are alive in their physical forms, perform salaah in their
graves and eat and drink. He says this belief is a consensus of opinion [ijma] and agreement
of all ulama. The senior ‘a’lim says this and the juniors blurt out they don’t accept. Those
who don’t listen to their seniors will never listen to us.

The issue of The Living Prophet (Hayaatun Nabi)

Belief (aqidah) is formulated by the directives of the Holy Qur'aan and the Hadith and not by the
saying of any Imam or Scholar (a’lim). If the statement of any Imam or Scholar (a’lim) is not in
conformity with the teachings of the Holy Qur'aan and the Hadith then it does not warrant
acceptance. Read the Holy Qur'aan, Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the 2nd Sura, al-
Baqarah, verses 154:

And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead."
Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.

Here Allah is saying that we should not say that those slain in the path of Allah are dead for they
are alive and we cannot comprehend their existence.

So it could be that someone would not say they are dead but think them to be dead, so Allah
(Almighty and Glorious is He) revealed another verse, the 3rd Sura, al-i-Imraan, Verse 169 and
170

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Think not of those who are slain in Allah's Way as dead. Nay, they live,
finding their sustenance in the Presence of their Lord;

They rejoice in the status accorded to them by Allah:

These two verses prove that the martyrs are alive so neither should they be called dead nor
thought of as dead. If anyone says or thinks they are dead is denying the Holy Qur'aan. When
the martyrs were made shaheed, were their souls removed or not? Where their bodies buried or
not? Has not thousands of years passed since they were buried? Yet Allah says we should not
think of them as dead. This proves that the removal of the soul from the body, or the body being
buried is not proof of death or the termination of a functioning life. The People who follow the
Prophet’s Sunnah and the Example of his Community (Ahl as- Sunna wa’l Jamaa’a) believe that
the life of the Prophet’s is of a higher status than that of the martyrs. So if Allah says don’t say or
think that the martyrs are dead then what must be the status of the Prophet’s who are of a higher
status than the martyrs? How can we call them dead? Their souls were removed; bodies buried
but it in no way affected their functioning life (Hayaat). I did not simply give you my analogical
conclusion, but listen to the saying of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his
companions).

The Prophets are alive in their graves, praying to their Lord [A sound (sahih) hadith related
on the authority of Hazrath Anas bin Maalik (may Allah be well pleased with him) by
al-Bazzar in his musnad, Abu Yala in his musnad, al-Bayhaqi in Hayaat al-
anbiya fi quburihim and also by many others]

In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his
companions):

Inallaha harrama alal arde antabuda ajasadal anbiyae fa nabiyulahe hayyun yurzaqu

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Allah has forbidden the earth from consuming the bodies of Prophets for the prophets are alive
and sustained [Ibn Majah; Bayhaqi in Sunan al-Kubra]

This is our belief (aqidah), the prophets, martyrs, saints and true believers are alive. The levels
of existence after death are of a different quality. The life after death of the Friend Of Allah
(awliya) is of a higher degree than the life after death of an ordinary Muslim. The life after death
of the martyrs (shuhada) is of a higher degree than the life after death of awliya, whilst the
quality of life of the Prophets (ambiya) is of a higher state than the shuhada. Our Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is the Leader Of All Prophets
hence his quality of existence and interference is of the highest state and degree.

Therefore Ala Hazrath, The Imam of the People of the Sunna (may Allah be
well pleased with them both), Maulana Shah Ahmad Rida Khan Qadri Barelvi
(may Allah be well pleased with him) says:

Tu zinda heh walla, tu zinda heh walla

Mere chasme a’lam se chup jaane wale

You are alive, I take an oath by Allah; you are alive, I take an oath by Allah

You have only veiled yourself from the world of my limited vision

The above is an excerpt from the translated lecture “Death and Acts that Benefit to the Dead” by Hazrat
Maulana Mohammed Shafee Okarvi R.A. : http://sufi.co.za/article%20okarvi%20esale%20sawaabt.htm

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