Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 3 – Issues of Tawḥīd and Sunnah, p. 29
What is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah scholars regarding the barzakhī life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his blessed grave?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾammā baʿd:
The Prophet ﷺ’s passing was a real departure from this worldly life, as explicitly stated:
"خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ departed from this world.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5414)
This makes it clear that the Messenger ﷺ has left this worldly existence.
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah believe that the Prophet ﷺ is alive in his blessed grave, but this life is not dunyāwī (worldly) — rather, it is barzakhī (of the Hereafter).
Imām al-Dhahabī رحمه الله said:
“You ﷺ are alive in your grave in a barzakhī manner.”
(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 9/161; Taḥqīqī Maqālāt 1/23)
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله stated:
“After his death, even though he is alive, it is a life of the Hereafter which does not resemble worldly life — and Allah knows best.”
(Fatḥ al-Bārī 7/349, ḥadīth 4042)
From the above, it is evident that:
❀ The Messenger ﷺ is alive in his grave.
❀ This life is barzakhī and ukhrawī (of the Hereafter), not worldly.
❀ Believing that the Prophet ﷺ did not pass away, or that he is alive in a worldly manner, contradicts Qurʾān, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ.
❀ None of the senior scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah support the notion of his worldly life after death — thus, such a belief is false and invalid.
Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān حفظه الله said:
“Whoever claims that the Prophet ﷺ’s barzakhī life is like worldly life is a liar. This is the speech of those who invent falsehood.”
(al-Taʿlīq al-Mukhtaṣar ʿalā al-Qaṣīdah al-Nūniyyah 2/684)
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله also refuted those who reject the barzakhī nature of the Prophet’s life and instead depict it as worldly.
(See: al-Nūniyyah, section “Fī al-Kalām ʿalā Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ fī Qubūrihim” 2/154–155)
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Question
What is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah scholars regarding the barzakhī life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his blessed grave?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾammā baʿd:
The Prophet ﷺ Passed Away from This World
The Prophet ﷺ’s passing was a real departure from this worldly life, as explicitly stated:
"خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ departed from this world.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5414)
This makes it clear that the Messenger ﷺ has left this worldly existence.
Life in the Grave — Barzakhī Life
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah believe that the Prophet ﷺ is alive in his blessed grave, but this life is not dunyāwī (worldly) — rather, it is barzakhī (of the Hereafter).
Imām al-Dhahabī رحمه الله said:
“You ﷺ are alive in your grave in a barzakhī manner.”
(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 9/161; Taḥqīqī Maqālāt 1/23)
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله stated:
“After his death, even though he is alive, it is a life of the Hereafter which does not resemble worldly life — and Allah knows best.”
(Fatḥ al-Bārī 7/349, ḥadīth 4042)
Ahl al-Sunnah Creed
From the above, it is evident that:
❀ The Messenger ﷺ is alive in his grave.
❀ This life is barzakhī and ukhrawī (of the Hereafter), not worldly.
❀ Believing that the Prophet ﷺ did not pass away, or that he is alive in a worldly manner, contradicts Qurʾān, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ.
❀ None of the senior scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah support the notion of his worldly life after death — thus, such a belief is false and invalid.
Statements Refuting Worldly-Life Claims
Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān حفظه الله said:
“Whoever claims that the Prophet ﷺ’s barzakhī life is like worldly life is a liar. This is the speech of those who invent falsehood.”
(al-Taʿlīq al-Mukhtaṣar ʿalā al-Qaṣīdah al-Nūniyyah 2/684)
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله also refuted those who reject the barzakhī nature of the Prophet’s life and instead depict it as worldly.
(See: al-Nūniyyah, section “Fī al-Kalām ʿalā Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ fī Qubūrihim” 2/154–155)
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
