Do the Prophets’ Souls Roam Around?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Can the Prophets roam worldwide, and are the souls of the deceased allowed to roam around the world to see their descendants, etc., on Thursday/Friday night, and what is the evidence for that?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide us to the belief and way of life that is pleasing to Him.
The souls of the Prophets and deceased may roam the earth if Allah allows them to do so (it’s not impossible). There is no specific authentic and explicit evidence to prove that this actually happens. We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that it occurs on a Thursday/Friday night, and Allah knows best.
The Souls of the Prophets
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “The prophets are alive in their graves, and they perform prayers.” [Musnad Abu Ya’la; Bayhaqi, Hayat al-Anbiya fi Quburihim; Ibn Hajar transmitted Bayhaqi’s authentification without further commentary]
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “I passed by (the grave of) Musa (may Allah bless him and give him peace) on the night of the Ascension Mi’raj at the red sandhill, and he was standing performing a prayer in his grave.” [Muslim]
The above narrations indicate that the Prophets are, in a sense, alive and, if Allah wills, could roam the earth, and Allah knows best.
The Souls of the Believers Meet and Visit One Another
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “When the believer is dying, the angels of mercy come to him with white silk and say: ‘Come out content and with the pleasure of Allah upon you to the mercy of Allah, fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ So it comes out like the best fragrance of musk. They pass him from one to another until they bring him to the gate of heaven, where they say: ‘How good is this fragrance that has come to you from the earth!’ Then the souls of the believers come to him, and they rejoice more over him than any one of you rejoiced when his absent loved one comes to him. They ask him: ‘What happened to So and so, what happened to So and so?’
They say: ‘Let him be, for he was in the hardship of the world. When he says, ‘Did he not come here?’ They say: ‘He was taken to the pit (of Hell).’ When the disbeliever is dying, the angels of punishment come to him with sackcloth and say: ‘Come out discontent and subject to divine wrath to the punishment of Allah. So it comes out like the foulest stench of a corpse. They bring him to the gates of the earth, where they say: ‘How foul is this stench!’ Then they bring him to the souls of the disbelievers.” [Nasa’i]
The above narrations (and others) indicate that the souls of believers meet and, if Allah wills, they could roam the earth, and Allah knows best.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
