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In the grave,will a picture or image of Rasulullah be shown to the deceased by the angels?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Darulfiqh.com

Can you send me the hadith and its authenticity that states, that in the qabar, a picture or image of Rasulullah will be shown to the deceased by the angels?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

An excerpt of the Hadīth in reference is:

يُقَالُ مَا عِلْمُكَ بِهَذَا الرَّجُلِ؟ -صحيح البخاري, ج 1, ص 28: دار طوق النجاة

Translation: The deceased will be questioned in the grave: “What do you know about this man?” (Sahīh Al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, Page 28: Dār Tauq An-Najāh)

This Hadīth is in Sahīh Al-Bukhārī, thus it is authentic.

The Ulemā have various opinions regarding the circumstance and set up of the question.  Since a demonstrative pronoun is used in reference to Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam, some Ulema hold the opinion that the picture of Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam will be portrayed for the deceased.  This view is stated by Mullā Alī Al-Qāri Rahimahullāh in his commentary on Mishkāt Al-Masābīh named Mirqāt Al-Mafātīh. [1]

Other Ulemā are of the view that the veils between the deceased and the blessed grave of Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam will be lifted and the deceased will view Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam.  This view is quoted by Al-Allāmah Qastalāni Rahimahullāh.  However Allāmah Al-Qastalānī says after quoting this opinion that he has not seen any narration supporting this view. [2]

Another view is of Qādhī Ayādh Rahimahullāh.  He mentions that there is a possibility that the name of Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam will be taken during the interrogation.  Thereafter, the demonstrative pronoun will be used to question the deceased. [3]

However, other Ulemā say that the usage of the demonstrative pronoun is not a sufficient proof to prove that Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam will be visible for the deceased.  They say that the indication of the pronoun is towards the information present in the mind.  Hence, once the question is asked, the deceased will automatically know that the question is regarding Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam.  [4] [5] [6]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mawlana Abdul Azīm bin Abdur Rahman,
Student Darul Iftaa
US

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net


[1] (فَيَقُولَانِ: مَا كُنْتَ تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا الرَّجُلِ؟) : قِيلَ يُصَوَّرُ صُورَتُهُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ فَيُشَارُ إِلَيْهِ (مرقاة المفاتيح, ج 1, ص 210: دار الفكر)

[2] قيل: يكشف للميت حتي يري النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم وهي بشري عظيمة للمؤمن ان صح ذالك ولا اعلم حديثا مرويا في ذلك والقائل به انما استند بمجرد ان الاشارة لا تكون الا للحاضر لكن يحتمل ان يكون الاشارة لمافي الذهن فيكون مجازا قاله القسطلاني (بذل المجهود, ج 18, ص 291-292: دار الديان للتراث

[3] قَالَ القَاضِي ذهب بَعضهم إِلَى أَنه يمثل لَهُ فِي الْقَبْر وَالْأَظْهَر أَنه يُسمى لَهُ وَلَا يمثل فَيُقَال مَا علمك بِهَذَا الرجل (الديباج على صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج, ج 2, ص 491: دار ابن عفان للنشر والتوزيع

[4] لكن يحتمل ان يكون الاشارة لمافي الذهن فيكون مجازا قاله القسطلاني (بذل المجهود, ج 18, ص 291-292: دار الديان للتراث

[5] فتاوي محمودية, ج 3, ص 368: مكتبه محموديه

[6] كشف الباري عما في صحيح البخاري, ج 3 كتاب العلم, ص 498: مكتبه فاروقيه

This answer was collected from DarulFiqh.com, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Faraz ibn Adam al-Mahmudi, the student of world renowned Mufti Ebrahim Desai (Hafizahullah).

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