Hadith 5652

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: While we were with Umar between Makkah and Madinah, we saw the crescent moon. I was sharp-sighted and saw it, but no one else claimed to see it. I kept saying to Umar, “Don’t you see it?” but he could not. Umar said, “I will see it while lying ¹ on my bed.” Then he began telling us about the people of Badr, saying, “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) showed us the places where the people of Badr would fall the day before, saying, ‘This is the place where so-and-so will fall tomorrow, Allah willing.’” Umar said, “By the One who sent him with the truth, they did not miss the boundaries the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set.” They were piled in a pit, one over another. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went to them and said, “O so-and-so son of so-and-so, and O so-and-so son of so-and-so, have you found what Allah and His Messenger promised to be true? I have found what Allah promised me to be true.” Umar said, “O Messenger of Allah, how do you speak to bodies without souls?” He said, “You are not more capable of hearing what I say than they are, except they cannot reply to me.” [Narrated by Muslim] In Umdat al-Ri’ayah: From his statement, “You are not more capable of hearing what I say than they are,” it is understood that the dead hear. No strong evidence negates the dead’s hearing, neither from the Qur’an nor the Sunnah. Rather, authentic and clear narrations affirm it. For a detailed discussion, refer to the Book of Jihad, Chapter on the Rulings of Captives.