❖ Question: What is the Authenticity of the Hadith: "The Prophets are Alive in Their Graves, Praying"?
الأنبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون
(“The Prophets are alive in their graves, and they are praying.”)
Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri
This hadith appears in:
الحجاج بن الأسود (al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad) — Majhūl (unknown)
There is often confusion between two narrators:
✔ It is incorrect to conflate al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad with al-Ḥajjāj bin Abī Ziyād.
Therefore, the narrator in this hadith is not reliable.
The text (matn) of the hadith is popular and widely quoted,
but
its chain is weak due to the presence of a majhūl (unknown) narrator.
So, while the concept may align with other theological views,
this specific narration cannot be accepted as authentic due to its weak chain.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
الأنبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون
(“The Prophets are alive in their graves, and they are praying.”)
Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri❖ The Answer:
This hadith appears in:
- Musnad Abī Yaʿlā (ḥadīth no. 3425)
- Ḥayāt al-Anbiyā’ ʿalayhim as-salām (1)
and similar compilations.
❖ Chain of Narration:
✦ The primary issue lies with the narrator:
الحجاج بن الأسود (al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad) — Majhūl (unknown)
❖ Important Clarification on the Narrator's Identity:
There is often confusion between two narrators:
| Narrator | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad | Majhūl (unknown) | This is the narrator in the chain of the hadith in question. |
| al-Ḥajjāj bin Abī Ziyād al-Aswad al-Qassāmīlī | Thiqah (trustworthy) | A different individual altogether. Reliable and well-known. |
✔ It is incorrect to conflate al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad with al-Ḥajjāj bin Abī Ziyād.
❖ Supporting Evidence:
- In the chain, the student (tālib) of al-Ḥajjāj is:
Mustain bin Saʿīd, who is known to narrate from al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad, not from al-Ḥajjāj bin Abī Ziyād. - Furthermore, no narration chain identifies al-Ḥajjāj in this hadith as “bin Abī Ziyād” —
he is consistently named only as “al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Aswad”.
Therefore, the narrator in this hadith is not reliable.❖ Verdict:
The text (matn) of the hadith is popular and widely quoted,but
its chain is weak due to the presence of a majhūl (unknown) narrator.So, while the concept may align with other theological views,
this specific narration cannot be accepted as authentic due to its weak chain.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
