❖ Presentation of Deeds to the Deceased and Recognition of Grave Visitors: Sharʿī Rulings ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 561
And does the deceased recognize those who visit their grave?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
✔ There is no authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) narration confirming that the actions of the living are presented to the deceased.
✔ The account mentioned in Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (Vol. 3, p. 439) under verses 52–53 of Sūrah ar-Rūm concerning the relatives of ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah (رضي الله عنه) is baseless and unfounded.
✔ Anyone who claims this report to be authentic is obligated to produce a complete chain of narration with authentication of the narrators (asmāʾ ar-rijāl).
✔ Merely referencing a book is not sufficient proof in ḥadīth sciences.
✔ In the same section of Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, the mentioned report is quoted from the work of Ibn Abī ad-Dunyā, and one of its narrators is Khālid ibn ʿUmar al-Umawī.
✔ Scholars of ḥadīth have labelled Khālid ibn ʿUmar al-Umawī as:
(See: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Vol. 5, pp. 394–395)
✔ This example alone is enough to demonstrate the unreliability of such reports.
✔ A narration suggesting that the deceased recognizes the visitor to his grave is attributed to Fāṭimah bint ar-Riyān.
✔ However, the biographical details of Fāṭimah bint ar-Riyān are non-existent or unknown.
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله) declared this narration as weak (ḍaʿīf) and criticized other reports with similar content.
(See: as-Silsilah aḍ-Ḍaʿīfah, Vol. 9, p. 475, Ḥadīth no. 4493; also pp. 473–476)
✔ The narration you mentioned from Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 3, p. 165, Ḥadīth no. 12683) is also weak due to the presence of an unknown narrator (majhūl) described only as ʿamman samiʿa (“from someone who heard”).
(Shahādat Magazine, February 2004 Edition)
There is no authentic evidence supporting that the deeds of the living are presented to the dead, or that the deceased recognizes those who visit their graves.
The narrations often cited for such beliefs are either weak or fabricated, and should not be used as a basis for ʿaqīdah or practice.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 561
❖ Do the Deeds of the Living Reach the Dead?
And does the deceased recognize those who visit their grave?
❖ Response:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
➊ Presentation of the Living's Deeds to the Dead
✔ There is no authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) narration confirming that the actions of the living are presented to the deceased.
✔ The account mentioned in Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (Vol. 3, p. 439) under verses 52–53 of Sūrah ar-Rūm concerning the relatives of ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah (رضي الله عنه) is baseless and unfounded.
✔ Anyone who claims this report to be authentic is obligated to produce a complete chain of narration with authentication of the narrators (asmāʾ ar-rijāl).
✔ Merely referencing a book is not sufficient proof in ḥadīth sciences.
➤ Verification of the Chain
✔ In the same section of Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, the mentioned report is quoted from the work of Ibn Abī ad-Dunyā, and one of its narrators is Khālid ibn ʿUmar al-Umawī.
✔ Scholars of ḥadīth have labelled Khālid ibn ʿUmar al-Umawī as:
- Kadhdhāb (liar)
- Munkar al-ḥadīth (narrator of rejected ḥadīth)
- Matrūk al-ḥadīth (abandoned in narration)
(See: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Vol. 5, pp. 394–395)
✔ This example alone is enough to demonstrate the unreliability of such reports.
➋ Does the Deceased Recognize Grave Visitors?
✔ A narration suggesting that the deceased recognizes the visitor to his grave is attributed to Fāṭimah bint ar-Riyān.
✔ However, the biographical details of Fāṭimah bint ar-Riyān are non-existent or unknown.
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله) declared this narration as weak (ḍaʿīf) and criticized other reports with similar content.
(See: as-Silsilah aḍ-Ḍaʿīfah, Vol. 9, p. 475, Ḥadīth no. 4493; also pp. 473–476)
➌ Concerning the Ḥadīth from Musnad Aḥmad
✔ The narration you mentioned from Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 3, p. 165, Ḥadīth no. 12683) is also weak due to the presence of an unknown narrator (majhūl) described only as ʿamman samiʿa (“from someone who heard”).
(Shahādat Magazine, February 2004 Edition)
✔ Conclusion
There is no authentic evidence supporting that the deeds of the living are presented to the dead, or that the deceased recognizes those who visit their graves.
The narrations often cited for such beliefs are either weak or fabricated, and should not be used as a basis for ʿaqīdah or practice.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
