What Should Muslims Believe About Ghosts?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

I live in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country. I have a Muslim relative who genuinely believes in ghosts, to the point that she says she can regularly see them. I don’t personally understand the reality of ‘ghosts’, but I believe this is a sort of waswas, a useless distraction from belief. What she believes is odd, too, since the ghosts seem to be ‘Indonesian’ folklore ghosts and that they are lost, souls. To me, this feels theologically faulty, as it denotes some fault in the Barzakh (the grave-realm between this life and the next) or the unseen world so that ‘humans’ come back to this world. How should I view ghosts and this relative? Is it just something to be ignored?

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.

Ghosts, in the modern media sense, are a product of human imagination. They simply do not exist. [Dar Al-Ifta Al-Misriyya]

Humans generally cannot see entities from the unseen realm. While it is not impossible (Allah could make it happen if He so wills), there is no evidence to indicate that it does or has occurred. While souls can roam with Allah’s permission, there is no such concept as “lost souls” in Islam, but the concept of souls roaming does not mean that there is any “fault” with the unseen realm, and Allah knows best.

Unseen Entities

There are several unseen entities which could easily be misconstrued as “ghosts” while they are entirely unrelated. Among the established unseen entities according to Islam are Angels, Jinn, and the souls of people who had passed away.

Angels

Humans cannot see Angels in their original form, except for some of the Prophets [Jaza’iri, Al-Jawahir Al-Kalamiyya].

Jinn

The existence of Jinns is a fact, and Allah [Most High] has informed us of this in many verses of the Quran: “And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” [Quran, 51:56]

Allah [Most High] also Says that Jinns see humans from where humans cannot see them. Indeed, Allah [Most High] says: “Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.” [Quran, 7:27]

This verse means that the Jinns see humans in a way humans cannot see. However, this does not mean it is impossible for humans to see the Jinn. Instead, people may see them but not in all states. In other words, the Jinn may appear in different forms and shapes, and Allah knows best.

Souls of the Deceased

The souls of the deceased may roam the Earth if Allah allows them to do so (it’s not impossible). There is no specific, authentic, explicit evidence to prove that this happens, and Allah knows best.

The Souls of the Prophets

The Prophet (may Allah bless and give him peace) said: “The prophets are alive in their graves, and they perform prayers.” [Musnad Abu Ya’la, Bayhaqi & Ibn Hajar, Fath Al-Bari]

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 world’s hardship. 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.