1. Q115. Can we pray to those buried in graves?
Answer.
1. GOING TO GRAVES ALLOWED:
Sahih Muslim 2 : 2130 Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said “ - - - so visit the graves for that
makes you mindful of death .”
Sahih Muslim 2 : 2131 Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said “I Forbade you to visit the grave ,
but you may now visit them - - - - - - ."
Hence Rasoolullah (SAW) permitted us to visit the graves since it reminds us about our
death and that very soon even we will be buried somewhere. But what do we do after
going there? We can pray FOR them. But we cannot pray TO them.
2. ALLAH IS CLOSE TO US:
Many people give the example that suppose we want to get our child admitted to school
and we know the vice-principal won’t we go to him and ask him to convince the principal
on our behalf to give admission to the child. Similarly they say these men in the graves
are the vice-principals who recommend our case before Allah.
Let us suppose in this same example the principal is so close to us that he considers you
to be like a member of his family. In such a case if you go to the vice-principal to
recommend your case the principal will feel bad about it. He will ask why couldn’t you
come to me directly.
Another example is that suppose your father is very close to you. He tells you Beta
whatever you want tell me I will get it for you. Even then if you want a small favour from
him and you tell his friend to recommend your case he will feel bad about it.
Allah (SWT) is so close to us that He tells us in the Quran in Surah Qaf 50 :16
“ - - -We (Allah) are CLOSER to him (man) than (his) jugular vein.”
Can we imagine this? The jugular vein is the vein that is closest to our heart Allah is
closer to us than that also!
He tells us in Surah Baqara 2 : 186
“When My servants ask thee concerning me, I am indeed CLOSE (to them) : I
listen to the prayer of EVERY SUPPLAINT who calls on me.”
Allah (SWT) is close to us we don’t need anybody in between to bring us closer to Allah.
In fact it is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Zumur 39 : 3 that the pre-Islamic Arabs
with regard to the worship of their idols used to say
“We only serve them that they may bring us nearer to Allah”
3. DEAD CANNOT HEAR:
The Quran tells us in Surah Naml 27 : 80

2. “ Truly thou cannot cause the DEAD TO HEAR nor can thou cause the deaf to
hear the call”
Again the Quran repeats the same message in Surah Rom 30 : 52
“So verily thou cannot make the DEAD TO HEAR nor can thou make the deaf to
hear the call.”
The Quran tells us in no uncertain terms that the dead CANNOT hear us. We may be
praying to them, we may be seeking their wasilah but they cannot hear us. Some people
argue that no those whom we pray to are not DEAD they are LIVING. They quote a verse
from the Quran which is mentioned in two places in the Quran Surah Baqarah 2 : 154
and Surah al- e Imran 3 :169
“And say not of those who slain in the way of Allah “ They are dead.” Nay, they
are living though ye perceive it not.”
We have to consider this verse in context. The context was that after the battle of Uhud
many Muslims were martyred. The Meccan Pagans used to come and tell the Muslims
that your so many men have died. So Allah (SAW) revealed this verse that they are not
dead but they are living. Since according to Islam even after a person dies there is life.
The righteous are rewarded and the wrong doers are punished. Death is not the end of
all affairs. But a very important fact, which we should more fully realize, is that the life
after death is very much different from our life on earth. Spiritually we are surely alive
but physically we are dead. If some one claims that there is no difference some points
should be pointed out to him:
a. The property of a dead person is divided among his heirs. If that person is
alive them how is it that he is living and his property is distributed away?
b. Their wives have to pass through the period of Iddah for four months and ten
days. How is it that their husbands are alive and they are passing through Iddat
?
c. After their Iddat is over they are free to remarry. How is it that their
husbands are alive and they are remarrying?
All these points clearly indicate that the ALIVE after death is in no way like the way we
are presently alive. Still if somebody argues then it can be pointed out to them that the
Quran says in
Surah al-e-Imran 3 :185
“ Every soul shall have a taste of death.”
If they have not died when will they die? The Quran says every soul has to die. Even
then if someone argues then there is a verse in the Quran in Surah
Fatir 35 : 22 which says
“ - - - - You CANNOT make those to HEAR who are buried in Graves.”
Question that arises that the person in question is he buried in the grave or not? The
answer “YES”. Then according to the Quran they cannot listen to us. In this verse Allah

3. (SWT) is not going in the details of whether the person is alive or not. It simply tells us
that if the person is buried in the grave then he CANNOT listen to us.
4. The Quran says in Surah Ahqaf 46 : 5
“Who is more astray than one who invokes besides Allah, such as will not
answer him, to the day of Judgement and who (in fact) are unconscious of their
call (to them)?”
The Quran says in Surah Fatir 35 : 14
“If you invoke them they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen
they cannot grant it (your request) to you.”
This verse tells us that first of all anyone besides Allah we call on cannot listen to us.
Even if he was to hear he would not be able to do anything for us.
5. Only your aid we seek:
We are made to say multiple times in Salah every day in Surah al-Fateha 1:5“Thee
alone do we worship and only thine aid we seek”
This is so that it gets firmly entrenched in our minds that we should seek only Allah’s
help.
6. Allah’s Promise:
Allah (SWT) promises to us in the Quran in Surah Mumin 40 : 60
“And your lord says “Call on me; I will answer your prayer.””