The meaning of the Prophet’s soul being returned to Him in the grave

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Does the narration that the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and give him peace) soul is returned to him in his grave contradict the belief that the Prophets are alive in their graves?

Answer

There is no contradiction between this narration and belief. The intermediary realm (the Barzakh), aka the world of the grave, is not like that of this world. Although the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) is not alive in a physical, worldly sense, he is alive spiritually in this next realm.

That said, his blessed soul is in constant witnessing and presence with the Divine realities, and as an honor to us, Allah Most High returns to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) a level of attentiveness to those of his community who are sending blessings upon him such that he replies to them. [Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]

The matter is not one of life or death for the soul lives forever. The narration is a matter of attentiveness, a matter of consciousness of the affairs of this world. [Ibid.]

Another valid interpretation of this matter is what the great scholar, Ibn al-Malak (Allah have mercy on him) said, “Another meaning of Allah Most High return his blessed soul to him is that Allah Most High informs him that such and such person has sent blessings upon you.” [Ibid.]

It is important to realize that the intermediary realm is incomparably different from this world (dunya). That law and rules of time, distance, etc… are specific to this realm. The next realm is exponentially greater and the one after that even more so.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.