The Hearing of the Dead: A Detailed Exposition in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith

Question

A. (1) According to the texts (nusus) of the Book of Allah and the sound hadiths, which of the two beliefs concerning the hearing of the dead (sama‘ al-mawta) is correct, adopted for fatwa (mufta bih) and preponderant (rajih), and which is incorrect, not adopted for fatwa and outweighed (marjuh)? (2)

Answer

(A) Three things here call for consideration: first, isma‘ (إسماع, making someone hear); second, istima‘ (استماع, listening); third, sama‘ (سماع, hearing). The negation of isma‘ is explicitly mentioned in the Noble Book of Allah: [ar]إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ[/ar] [ar]وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ[/ar] “Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear” (Surah al-Naml,…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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