Question
Can the deceased in the grave hear the person visiting him?
Answer:
ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﯿﻢ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Yes, it is established from authentic narrations that the dead can hear, however they can only hear with the permission of Allah ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ. It is mentioned in a hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, when a slave is placed in his grave, and his companions leave him, he hears the stepping sound of their shoes.” (Abu Dawud) It is also established from other narrations that the dead recognize those whom they knew in this world when they come to visit him. In addition, they rejoice when people come to visit them and find solace in their company. The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is no Muslim that passes by the grave of his brother whom he recognized in this world then says salam to him, except that Allah returns back to him his *ruh *(spirit) so that he may respond to him by also saying salam.”1 (Al-Ruh of Ibn Qayyim)
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Al-Ruh: p. 9 (Maktaba Asriya); Al-Tazkira: p. 130 (Darul Kitab Al-Arabi); M’aariful Quran: v. 6, p. 614 (Maktaba-e-Darul-’Uloom)