Answer
Short Answer: Yes, in a way. Other than Jesus, all the prophets died normal, human deaths. But, “A Muslim believes that prophets are alive in their graves in a specific form of life, the “how?” of which is known only to Allah. Failing to realize the how of this life does not mean that we should deny it completely. There are many hadiths supporting this belief.”
Salam Dear Brother,
Thank you very much for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
First of all, one of the brilliant pieces of advice given to us by Prophet Muhammad is to be keen to learn what benefits us.
Sometimes, we need to think about what we are going to do with the answer even before we pose the question.
This focus on fruitful learning makes the learning process a productive one.
Yes, Prophets Are Alive In Their Graves
Now, coming to the core of your question of if prophets (peace be upon them all) are alive in their graves, the answer is yes.
A Muslim believes that prophets are alive in their graves in a specific form of life, the “how?” of which is known only to Allah.
Failing to realize the how of this life does not mean that we should deny it completely. There are many hadiths supporting this belief.
In addition to this, we have the decisive verses of the Quran, which Muslims believe is the word of God, that tell us about the life of martyrs with their Lord.
If we are in a position to accept this by the text of the Quran regarding martyrs, then we should be able to accept it about prophets.
Some Proof
The most solid proof is from the mouth of Prophet Muhammad himself:
He said: “Of the best of your days is Friday, so send blessings to me frequently on that day as your prayers are reviewed by me.”
They asked him: “How can you review our blessings after your body has decayed, O messenger of Allah?”
He said: “Allah has prohibited the earth to eat the bodies of prophets.” (Abu Dawud)
Imam Al-Suyuti, a famous Muslim scholar, in his book Al-Hawi, has stated that the life of the Prophet Muhammad and all other prophets in their graves is decisively well-known, because the evidence that support this are well-understood and established.
Another Islamic scholar, Imam Al-Bayhaqi, has actually written a whole chapter on the issue of the life of prophets in their graves.
There is the very well-known hadith on the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra and al-Miraj) which is mentioned in Sahih Al-Bukhari.
Therein, we are told about the Prophet Muhammad meeting many other prophets and messengers while ascending to the seventh heaven.
He told us that he met some of them at a certain level of heaven and others at other levels of heaven.
Leave the “How?” To Allah
Therefore, we can say that the prophets being alive after their death is a very well-established fact that cannot be denied except by someone who has very little knowledge or no knowledge at all.
With this said, we should bear in our minds that the life of prophets in their grave is still known completely to Allah Almighty.
Therefore, we should accept what has been narrated to us without arguing about how such life could be perceived.
We should also try to apply the teachings of prophets and send peace to them all in order to get blessings into our life.
And Allah knows best.
I hope this helps.
Salam and please keep in touch.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
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