❖ The Question:Is the narration "The Prophets are alive in their graves and they offer prayers" authentic or weak? Have scholars like al-Bayhaqī, al-Subkī, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Haythamī, and al-Suyūṭī authenticated it?
"The Prophets are alive in their graves, offering prayers."
Reported by:
Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr → al-Mustalim ibn Saʿīd → al-Ḥajjāj → Thābit al-Bunānī → Anas ibn Mālik
The version in Akhbār Iṣbahān by Abū Nuʿaym also includes this narration through the same problematic chain and even omits the word "alive (أحياء)" — further weakening its credibility.
This, however, was a miraculous exception, and not a general ruling applicable to all Prophets.
The ḥadīth "The Prophets are alive in their graves and praying" is not authentic due to a majhūl narrator (Ḥajjāj) and other flaws.
No reliable evidence supports the general claim that all Prophets pray in their graves.
The only validated account is of Mūsā (عليه السلام) praying in his grave during Miʿrāj — a specific miracle, not a general rule.
❖ The Narration:
"الأنبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون.""The Prophets are alive in their graves, offering prayers."
Reported by:
- Musnad Abī Yaʿlā (6/147, Ḥadīth 3425)
- Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ by al-Bayhaqī (Ḥadīth 2 via Abī Yaʿlā’s chain)
Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr → al-Mustalim ibn Saʿīd → al-Ḥajjāj → Thābit al-Bunānī → Anas ibn Mālik
❖ Analysis of the Chain:
Problematic Narrator: Ḥajjāj (Unidentified)- The narrator Ḥajjāj is not attributed by lineage or identity, hence unknown (majhūl).
- Imām al-Dhahabī states:
"He is unknown; I am not aware of anyone narrating from him except al-Mustalim ibn Saʿīd. He narrates a munkar (denounced) report from him."
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 1/420, entry 1727)
❖ Clarification on Misidentification:
Some claim Ḥajjāj is Ḥajjāj ibn Abī Ziyād al-Aswad al-Baṣrī, but this identification is incorrect:- Imām al-Dhahabī, a master of narrator criticism, explicitly distinguishes between:
- ① Ḥajjāj ibn Abī Ziyād al-Aswad – recognized and graded ṣadūq.
- ② The anonymous Ḥajjāj – remains unknown and discredited.
- No valid isnād of this narration ever authenticates Ḥajjāj as ibn al-Aswad — any mention of it comes through unreliable narrators, such as Ḥasan ibn Qutaybah al-Madāʾinī who is matrūk (abandoned) by majority scholars.
❖ Reliability of Supporting Chains:
The version in Akhbār Iṣbahān by Abū Nuʿaym also includes this narration through the same problematic chain and even omits the word "alive (أحياء)" — further weakening its credibility.❖ Comments by the Scholars:
- Imām al-Bayhaqī did not declare the narration ṣaḥīḥ in his own book.
- Ibn Ḥajar’s attribution of authenticity is unverified and unsourced.
- al-Subkī’s view does not hold weight against the detailed criticism by Imām al-Dhahabī.
- al-Haythamī’s claim of reliability is faulty due to his overlooking the majhūl Ḥajjāj.
- al-Suyūṭī is a later scholar, whose endorsement does not override flaws in the chain.
❖ The Only Authentic Report:
The authentic ḥadīth on this topic is from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, where the Prophet ﷺ saw Mūsā (عليه السلام) praying in his grave during the Miʿrāj.This, however, was a miraculous exception, and not a general ruling applicable to all Prophets.
❖ Conclusion:
The ḥadīth "The Prophets are alive in their graves and praying" is not authentic due to a majhūl narrator (Ḥajjāj) and other flaws. No reliable evidence supports the general claim that all Prophets pray in their graves. The only validated account is of Mūsā (عليه السلام) praying in his grave during Miʿrāj — a specific miracle, not a general rule.