It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Prophets (peace be upon them) are alive in their graves, and they pray there (that is, they remain occupied in worship)."
Abu Ya'la transmitted it from Abu al-Jahm al-Azraq bin Ali, from Yahya bin Abi Bukayr, while al-Bazzar transmitted it from Rizqullah bin Musa, from al-Hasan bin Qutaybah; both of them from al-Mustalim bin Sa'id, from al-Hajjaj bin al-Aswad, from Thabit al-Bunani, from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Bazzar further said: To our knowledge, no one narrated it from Thabit except al-Hajjaj, and no one transmitted it from al-Hajjaj except al-Mustalim; and al-Hajjaj has no other narration from Thabit besides this one.
Al-Bazzar also mentioned another chain of this hadith, in which he narrates from Muhammad, from Abd al-Rahman al-Harrani, from al-Hasan bin Qutaybah, from Hammad, from Abd al-Aziz, from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Bazzar said: We do not know of anyone who corroborated (mutaba'ah) al-Hasan bin Qutaybah in this narration of his from Hammad.
Hadith Referenceالمطالب العالية بزوائد المسانيد الثمانية / كتاب أحاديث الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام / 3446
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف جدًا
Hadith Takhrij«حکم الحدیث المطالب العالیہ محققاً تنسیق د. سعد بن ناصر بن عبد العزيز الشَّثري- مکتبہ شاملہ :إسناد أبي يعلى: فيه ضعف لجهالة حال الأزرق. وإسناد البزّار: ضعيف جدًا الحسن بن قتيبة متروك. قال الهيثمي في المجمع (8/ 214)، رجال أبي يعلى ثقات. » «أخرجه مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد برقم: 13811، 13812، وأخرجه البحر الزخار المعروف بمسند البزار 10 - 18 برقم: 6391، 6888، وأخرجه إتحاف الخيرة المهرة بزوائد المسانيد العشرة برقم: 6531/1»