The Intermediate Life of the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the Reality of Traditions

Question

Are the noble Prophets, peace be upon them, alive in their graves? If they are alive, is the reality of their life mentioned in the Shariah books or not? Also, what is the meaning of the hadith ((الانبياء احياء في قبورهم)) (Al-Bayhaqi)?

Answer

الحمد للہ، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!

First of all, it is necessary to know that the hadith mentioned in the question ((The Prophets are alive)) was narrated by Imam Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, in his treatise Hayat al-Anbiya with three chains of transmission as marfu‘ (attributed to the Prophet) and with one chain as mawquf (attributed to a Companion).
All four narrations end with the last narrator being Hazrat Anas, may Allah be pleased with him. However, upon investigation, it appears that the chains of transmission of all four are very weak and unreliable. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they are fabricated (mawdu‘).

Therefore, it is necessary to mention these chains of transmission in detail and to explain the condition of the narrators.

First Narration

Imam Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:

((اخبرنا ابوسعيد احمد بن محمد بن الخليل الصوفى احمد الله قال انبآ ابواحمد عبد الله بن عدى الحافظ قال ثنا قسطنطين بن عبد الله الرومى قال ثنا الحسن بن قتيبة المدائنى ثنا المسلم بن سعيد الثقفى عن الحجاج بن الاسود عن ثابت البنانى عن انس رضى الله عنها قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الابنياء احياء فى قبورهم يصلون.))

Weaknesses of the Chain

Qustantin bin Abdullah al-Rumi: He is unknown, and being unknown is considered a severe flaw. His name and lineage indicate that he was a Roman person, and the enmity of the Romans towards Islam is well-known. Therefore, there is a strong possibility of suspicion regarding him.

Hasan bin Qutaibah al-Mada’ini: Imam Darqutni says: “Matrook al-Hadith” (abandoned narrator). According to the experts of the principles of Hadith, the narration of such a narrator is neither worthy of following nor of being cited as evidence. Because a Matrook narrator is generally accused of lying.

Therefore, this narration is not acceptable as evidence due to these two major reasons; in fact, calling it a Hadith is not correct.

Second Narration

Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentions in the same treatise:

((اخبرنا الثقة من أهل العلم قال انبا ابوعمرو بن حمدان قال انبا ابو يعلى الموصلى ثنا ابو الجهم الارزق بن على ثنا يحى بن ابى بكر ثنا المسلم بن سعيد عن الحجاج عن ثابت البنانى عن انس بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله ﷺ الانبياء احياء فى قبورهم يصلون۔))

Weaknesses of the Chain

Al-Bayhaqi’s Sheikh here is ambiguous because he only wrote “Al-Thiqa min Ahl al-Ilm” (trustworthy among the people of knowledge). A student considering his teacher trustworthy is not sufficient unless experts in Jarh and Ta’dil also authenticate him. When the name is not even mentioned, this ambiguity weakens the narration.

Yahya bin Abi Bakr: His mention is not present at all in the books of Rijal. Therefore, he is unknown and not well-known.

Thus, this narration is also unreliable.

📌 Summary of the first part:

Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned two narrations about the prophets being alive in their graves, which are very weak, unreliable, and not acceptable as evidence.

Third narration

Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentions another narration in his Risalah Hayat al-Anbiya:

((اخبرنا ابوعبدالله الحافظ ثنا ابوحامد احمد بن على الحسنوى املاء ثنا ابوعبدالله محمد بن عباس الحمصى ثنا ابوالربيع الزهرانى ثنا اسماعيل بن طلحة بن يزيد عن عبدالرحمان بن ابى ليلى عن ثابت عن انس رضى الله عنه عن النبى ﷺ قال: ان الانبياء لا يتركون فى قبورهم بعد اربعين ليلة ولكنهم يصلون بين يدى الله عزوجل حتى ينفخ فى الصور۔))

Weaknesses of the chain

There are many major defects in this narration:

Abu Hamid Ahmad bin Ali al-Hasanawi

He is known for lying.

Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

“هو في الجملة غير محتج بحديث”

(This narration is not acceptable as evidence).

Khatib al-Baghdadi said: “لم يكن بثقة” (He was not trustworthy).

Imam Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Jurjani said: “هو كذاب” (He is a liar, meaning he fabricated false hadiths).

Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm also used similarly strong words.

➝ Therefore, this narrator is a liar and unreliable.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Abbas al-Himsi

No biography of him is present in the books of Rijal.

He is unknown and not well-known.

Ismail bin Talhah bin Yazid

He is also unknown.

Imam Nasir al-Din al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him (Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da’ifah, Volume 3), writes that neither did he find its status nor did any Muhaddith mention it.
➝ From this, it is understood that it is also unknown.

Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Abi Layla

Regarding him, it is mentioned in the books of Rijal: “سئ الحفظ جدا” (his memory was extremely weak).

Conclusion

These four defects are such that even one of them would have been sufficient to invalidate a narration. But here all four have come together. Therefore, this narration is very weak and unreliable.

Fourth Narration (Mawquf)

Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:

((أخبرنا ابوعثمان الإمام رحمه الله أنبا زأهربن احمد أنبا ابو جعفر محمد بن معاذ المالينى ثنا الحسين بن الحسن ثناء مومل ثنا عبد الله بن ابى حميد الهذلى عن ابن المليح عن انس بن مالك الانبياء فى قبورهم احياء يصلون۔))

Weaknesses of the Chain

This narration is Mawquf and contains three major weaknesses:

Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Mu’adh al-Malini: Unknown, his biography was not found.

Mu’mil bin Abdul Rahman al-Thaqafi: Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: “Weak”.

Abdullah bin Abi Humaid al-Hadhali: Hafiz Ibn Hajar says: “متروک الحدیث” (extremely unreliable).

Conclusion

This Mawquf narration is also very weak and not a proof.

📌 Summary of the second part:

Imam Bayhaqi’s third and fourth narrations are also unreliable. Their narrators are liars, unknown, weak, and abandoned. Therefore, no authentic proof of the life in the graves of the Prophets, peace be upon them, can be established from these chains of narration.

The Intermediate Life of the Prophets, Peace Be Upon Them

Now the question is, if Imam Bayhaqi’s narrations about the life of the Prophets, peace be upon them, are weak and inadmissible, then what is the actual reality?

In the light of the Holy Quran

When according to the texts of the Quran, the martyrs are alive, then how can there be doubt about the life of the Prophets, peace be upon them, who are the leaders of the martyrs?

Allah Almighty says:

﴿إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ﴾

﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ….﴾

﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِي۟ن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ….الاية﴾

From these verses, it is clear that the Prophets, peace be upon them, and the martyrs have departed from this world and have experienced death. Their worldly life has ended.

That is why we say about the Holy Prophet ﷺ that his blessed age was 63 years. If his worldly life had not ended, today his age would have been more than fourteen hundred years.

The Reality of the Intermediate Life

The life that the Prophets, peace be upon them, have after the end of worldly life is the life of the Barzakh realm, as stated in the Holy Quran:

﴿بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُ‌ونَ﴾

Meaning, they are alive but you cannot perceive their life.

In another place it is stated:

﴿بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَ‌بِّهِمْ يُرْ‌زَقُونَ﴾ (آل عمران)

Meaning, they are alive with Allah and are provided sustenance there, not in this world.

Summary

The worldly life of the Prophets, peace be upon them, has ended.

Now they have a special Barzakh life.

This life is real and complete but not like the life of this world.

Its perception is beyond human intellect and senses.

((وهذا ظاهر وباهر لاينكر مبتدئى فضلا عن عالم.))

Meaning, this matter is so clear that even a common person cannot deny it, let alone a scholar.

📌 Summary of the third part:

The Prophets, peace be upon them, are alive in their graves but this life is not worldly; rather, it is Barzakh life. We cannot know its condition because it is beyond our senses.

The Reality of the Life of the Prophets, peace be upon them

It should never be understood that the Prophets, peace be upon them, have a worldly life in which they enjoy worldly pleasures and routines.
Rather, their worldly life ended with death. Reason, narration, and observation all testify to this.

The life that remains for them is the life of the Barzakh (intermediate realm), about which the Quran states:

﴿بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُ‌ونَ﴾

➝ They are alive, but you do not perceive their life.

﴿بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَ‌بِّهِمْ يُرْ‌زَقُونَ﴾ (آل عمران)

➝ They are alive with Allah and receive provision there.

Important Point

This life is not worldly but Barzakh (intermediate).

Its perception is completely beyond our intellect and senses.

It is enough to believe that Allah Almighty has granted them a special and complete life that pertains only to the realm of Barzakh.

Supplication

May Allah Almighty protect us from exceeding limits and grant us the ability to remain steadfast on the truth. Ameen.

📌 Summary of the Fourth Part:

The Prophets, peace be upon them, are alive, but their life is in the Barzakh (intermediate realm), not worldly. Their being alive does not mean that they are involved in worldly affairs; rather, it is a special life whose state is known only to Allah.

((ھذا ما عندی واللہ اعلم بالصواب))