Tirmidhi

Authentication of the Hadith:
The chain of narration (isnad) of this hadith is hasan li-dhatih (good in itself).
Al-Tirmidhi has graded it as “hasan gharib” and Ibn Hibban [الاحسان : 7031] has declared it authentic (sahih).
This hadith is also present in Imam Bayhaqi’s book “Ithbat ‘Adhab al-Qabr” [ح54، 55 بتحقيقي] through the chain of narration of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq al-Madani, and according to the preferred opinion, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Madani is hasan al-hadith (a reliable narrator).

Jurisprudence of the Hadith:
➊ The questioning of the deceased in the grave by the two angels Munkar and Nakir is a reality.
➋ At the time of questioning and answering, these angels are sent in a frightening form so that the deceased becomes aware of his past life and fears Allah. The believer remains protected by Allah’s grace.
➌ By «هذا الرجل», what is meant is not “present” but “absent,” because the believer says: «هُوَ» “He.” This is the third person (absent) form.
By «هذا الرجل», it is not meant that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is shown in the grave. In an authentic hadith, it is mentioned that the deceased, in response to this question, says: «اي رجل» “Which man?” See: [المستدرك للحاكم 3801/1 ح1709، وسنده حسن، و صحيح ابن حبان، الاحسان : 3119/3103و صححه الحاكم و وافقه الذهبي]
If the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were seen in the grave, the deceased would never ask, “Which man?”
➍ Nowadays, some followers of blind imitation (taqlid) try to establish taqlid from «ولاتليتَ», whereas what is meant by it is the recitation of the Book of Allah or following the noble Prophets (alayhim as-salam).
➎ What answer the deceased will give in the grave—Allah informs these two angels of it beforehand, and the angels do only what they are commanded. The angels neither say nor do anything of their own will; therefore, their saying, “We knew you would say this,” is by Allah’s revelation. Allah alone possesses the complete knowledge of the unseen of the heavens and the earth.
➏ The punishment of the grave, and the grave being opened or constricted, are realities, even though the exact nature and observation of this are unknown to the people of this world.
➐ The righteous believer is made to sleep in the grave; therefore, he no longer has any connection or relationship with the people of this world or the world itself. To believe that this sleeping deceased sees the world outside the grave and hears people’s voices is incorrect and rejected. The person whom Allah caused to die for a hundred years—when He revived him, he did not know that he had been dead for a hundred years; rather, he said: “I remained (in the state of death) for a day or part of a day.” See: [سورة البقرة : 259]
➑ The meaning of “sleeping like a bride” is by no means that the righteous person in the grave gets married every year; therefore, celebrating his ‘urs (death anniversary) every year is not required. The people of innovation (ahl al-bid‘ah) who celebrate the ‘urs at the graves of some of their supposed saints every year have no evidence for this from the Qur’an, hadith, consensus (ijma‘), or the reports of the pious predecessors (salaf salihin); rather, this act is an innovation (bid‘ah) for which there is no proof in any of the four sources of evidence (adillah arba‘ah).
➒ It is not permissible to act upon hearsay and unsubstantiated statements of common people without investigation.
➓ The reward of the grave and the punishment of the grave are both realities.