Taken from: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
Do the deceased hear (the living)?
In the light of Qur'an, Hadith, and the understanding of the early scholars (salaf), the general Islamic belief is that:
The dead do not hear – except in certain specific and exceptional situations that have been clearly stated in authentic texts.
This issue is known in Islamic theology as "Samaʿ al-Mawta" (سماع الموتى) — the hearing of the dead — and has historically been a point of theological difference among Muslims.
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ ۘ وَالْمَوْتَىٰ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ
(Surah Al-An‘ām: 36)
“Only those who listen will respond, while the dead – Allah will resurrect them.”
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَاءَ
(Surah Al-Naml: 80)
“Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear, nor make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs.”
وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ
(Surah Fāṭir: 22)
“And you cannot make those in the graves hear.”
✔ These verses clearly establish the general principle:
The dead do not hear.
❖ Imam al-Ṭabarī (310 AH) – in his Tafsīr – explains:
Allah compares the disbelievers to the dead, who cannot hear any voice, respond to any call, or understand anything.
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 4/855)
❖ ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)
❖ Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما)
❖ Imam Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله)
— All are reported to deny that the dead hear, based on:
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَىٰ
(Surah Al-Naml: 80)
✔ They argue that if the dead could hear, this analogy with disbelievers would be invalid.
(Al-Kawkab al-Durrī, p. 319)
❖ Imam al-Māturīdī (رحمه الله)
"There is no difference of opinion that the dead do not hear."
(Sharḥ al-Maqāṣid: 5/116)
❖ Imam Ibn al-Humām (861 AH, Ḥanafī)
"These verses affirm that the dead absolutely do not hear. The comparison with disbelievers is based on this established fact."
(Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 2/104)
“Those whom you invoke besides Allah do not own even a speck. If you call upon them, they do not hear you. And even if they did hear, they could not respond. On the Day of Judgment, they will deny your association.”
“Who is more misguided than one who calls upon others besides Allah – those who will not respond to them until the Day of Resurrection, and are unaware of their calls.”
While the general rule is that the dead do not hear, there are certain specific exceptions explicitly stated in the texts. These exceptions do not invalidate the general principle, just like:
① Hearing the Footsteps of the Departing
After burial, the dead hears the footsteps of those leaving the grave.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
② Battle of Badr
The Prophet ﷺ addressed the disbelievers killed in Badr and said:
“By Allah! You do not hear what I am saying more clearly than they do.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 1370, Sahih Muslim: 2875)
✔ These are specific, extraordinary incidents, affirmed by the Prophet ﷺ, and must not be generalized.
Many have misunderstood these exceptional events and concluded that the dead hear in general — a view contradicted by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf.
✔ The Shariʿah principle is clear:
The dead do not hear – except in certain specific cases where authentic texts (naṣṣ) explicitly affirm it.
✖ One cannot generalize those exceptional cases to prove that the dead hear in all circumstances.
✔ Anyone claiming that the dead hear in a particular situation must provide specific Sharʿī evidence for it.
Otherwise:
Such a claim is invalid, rejected, and amounts to tampering with Islamic belief.
☑ According to Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, and Salaf’s understanding:
❖ Question:
Do the deceased hear (the living)?
❖ Summary Answer:
In the light of Qur'an, Hadith, and the understanding of the early scholars (salaf), the general Islamic belief is that:
The dead do not hear – except in certain specific and exceptional situations that have been clearly stated in authentic texts.
This issue is known in Islamic theology as "Samaʿ al-Mawta" (سماع الموتى) — the hearing of the dead — and has historically been a point of theological difference among Muslims.
✿ Qur’anic Evidences: (General Rule)
①
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ ۘ وَالْمَوْتَىٰ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ
(Surah Al-An‘ām: 36)
“Only those who listen will respond, while the dead – Allah will resurrect them.”
②
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَاءَ
(Surah Al-Naml: 80)
“Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear, nor make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs.”
③
وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ
(Surah Fāṭir: 22)
“And you cannot make those in the graves hear.”
✔ These verses clearly establish the general principle:
The dead do not hear.
✿ View of Scholars and the Salaf:
❖ Imam al-Ṭabarī (310 AH) – in his Tafsīr – explains:
Allah compares the disbelievers to the dead, who cannot hear any voice, respond to any call, or understand anything.
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 4/855)
Views of Classical Scholars Denying General Hearing of the Dead:
❖ ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)
❖ Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما)
❖ Imam Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله)
— All are reported to deny that the dead hear, based on:
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَىٰ
(Surah Al-Naml: 80)
✔ They argue that if the dead could hear, this analogy with disbelievers would be invalid.
(Al-Kawkab al-Durrī, p. 319)
❖ Imam al-Māturīdī (رحمه الله)
"There is no difference of opinion that the dead do not hear."
(Sharḥ al-Maqāṣid: 5/116)
❖ Imam Ibn al-Humām (861 AH, Ḥanafī)
"These verses affirm that the dead absolutely do not hear. The comparison with disbelievers is based on this established fact."
(Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 2/104)
✿ Related Verses Confirming the Principle:
Surah Fāṭir (35:13–14):
“Those whom you invoke besides Allah do not own even a speck. If you call upon them, they do not hear you. And even if they did hear, they could not respond. On the Day of Judgment, they will deny your association.”
Surah al-Aḥqāf (46:5):
“Who is more misguided than one who calls upon others besides Allah – those who will not respond to them until the Day of Resurrection, and are unaware of their calls.”
✿ Exception Cases (Must Be Understood Correctly):
While the general rule is that the dead do not hear, there are certain specific exceptions explicitly stated in the texts. These exceptions do not invalidate the general principle, just like:
- All humans are born of a mother and father – yet Adam (عليه السلام) was born without either, and ʿĪsā (عليه السلام) was born without a father.
- Māyit (dead animal) is ḥarām to eat – yet fish and locusts are exceptions, and that doesn't alter the rule.
Examples of Accepted Exceptions:
① Hearing the Footsteps of the Departing
After burial, the dead hears the footsteps of those leaving the grave.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
② Battle of Badr
The Prophet ﷺ addressed the disbelievers killed in Badr and said:
“By Allah! You do not hear what I am saying more clearly than they do.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 1370, Sahih Muslim: 2875)
✔ These are specific, extraordinary incidents, affirmed by the Prophet ﷺ, and must not be generalized.
✿ Misunderstanding Due to Exceptions:
Many have misunderstood these exceptional events and concluded that the dead hear in general — a view contradicted by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf.
Final Conclusion:
✔ The Shariʿah principle is clear:
The dead do not hear – except in certain specific cases where authentic texts (naṣṣ) explicitly affirm it.
✖ One cannot generalize those exceptional cases to prove that the dead hear in all circumstances.
✔ Anyone claiming that the dead hear in a particular situation must provide specific Sharʿī evidence for it.
Otherwise:
Such a claim is invalid, rejected, and amounts to tampering with Islamic belief.
❖ Balanced Aqeedah:
☑ According to Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, and Salaf’s understanding:
- The dead do not hear.
- Some exceptional cases are affirmed through authentic texts.
- Belief in such exceptions is permissible only where texts confirm it.
- No general rule of hearing of the dead can be derived from exceptions.
