Fatwa ID: 02276

Answered by Maulana Mujahid Hussain

Question:

My question is " do our beloved persons who have died  know about ups and downs of our lives?"

Answer:

مَرْضِيًّا عَنْكِ إِلَى رَوْحِ اللَّهِ، وَرَيْحَانٍ، وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ، فَتَخْرُجُ كَأَطْيَبِ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ، حَتَّى أَنَّهُ لَيُنَاوِلُهُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا، حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ بَابَ السَّمَاءِ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا أَطْيَبَ هَذِهِ الرِّيحَ الَّتِي جَاءَتْكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ، فَيَأْتُونَ بِهِ أَرْوَاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَلَهُمْ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ بِغَائِبِهِ يَقْدَمُ عَلَيْهِ، فَيَسْأَلُونَهُ: مَاذَا فَعَلَ فُلَانٌ؟ مَاذَا فَعَلَ فُلَانٌ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: دَعُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي غَمِّ الدُّنْيَا، فَإِذَا قَالَ: أَمَا أَتَاكُمْ؟ قَالُوا: ذُهِبَ بِهِ إِلَى أُمِّهِ الْهَاوِيَةِ، وَإِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا احْتُضِرَ أَتَتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ بِمِسْحٍ فَيَقُولُونَ: اخْرُجِي سَاخِطَةً مَسْخُوطًا عَلَيْكِ إِلَى عَذَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَتَخْرُجُ كَأَنْتَنِ رِيحِ جِيفَةٍ، حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ بَابَ الْأَرْضِ، فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا أَنْتَنَ هَذِهِ الرِّيحَ حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ أَرْوَاحَ الْكُفَّارِ

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet 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 rejoices 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 hardship of the world. 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, subject of Divine wrath, to the punishment of Allah , the Mighty and Sublime.'

So it comes out like the foulest stench of a corpse. They bring himto the gates of the Earth, where they say: 'How foul is this stench!' Then they bring him to the souls of the disbelievers

( Sunan Nasaie hadees number 1834 page 24 volume 3 Darussalam print)

This hadees is also  narrated by Bayhaqi in his Kubra, Hakim , Ibn habban and Ahmad.

Hakim , Ibn hibban , zahabi,  zubair Ali Zai and Albani -may Allah have mercy on them- are amongst some of the scholars who have classified this Hadees as Saheeh.

This Hadees teaches us that the deceased don’t know the details of what happens to those who are alive, hence their questioning of the newly deceased.

However they are aware they have left behind beloved ones in the world. They also remember who their family is, person by person, hence their questioning in the Hadees.

However this seem to be exclusive to good people  as the Hadees seem to indicate.

We  also know that a newly deceased   person can hear the footsteps of his family when they depart from  his grave.

The prophet   said
العبدإذاوضعفيقبرهوتوليوذهبأصحابهحتىإنهليسمعقرعنعالهم

Narrated Anas bin Malik Z Allah's Messenger said, "When (Allah's)slave is put in his grave and his companions return and he even hears their footsteps.

( Bukhari  Hadees 1375 Darussalam print page 262-263 Volume 2)

Also two important things worth pointing out are

That the dead cannot benefit the Living at all.

The living can benefit the dead by supplicating for them and doing good deeds on their behalf.

So I would advise you to carry out some good deeds for your deceased loved ones. They shall inshallah reap the benefits of your efforts immediately and when you meet them in the hereafter, they will meet you ,being pleased with you.

An Allah Knows best.

Written by Maulana Mujahid Hussain

 Checked and approved by Mufti Tosir Miah 

Darul Ifta Birmingham