one might attribute to him the alterations that befall other human corpses—their swelling, their odors, and the earth’s consumption of their flesh. Yet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stands apart from the rest of his community in this regard: he does not decay, the earth does not consume his body, nor does his fragrance ever change. Rather, even now—and ever since—his scent is sweeter than musk. He is alive in his grave (1) with a barzakh (intermediate-realm) life suited to his rank, more perfect than the barzakh life granted to the other prophets. Theirs, beyond doubt, is itself more complete and more exalted than the life of the martyrs, about whom the Book declares, “They are alive with their Lord, receiving provision” (Āl ʿImrān 3:169). Their present life in the barzakh is real, yet it is not, in every respect, the life of this world, nor, in every respect, the life of the people of Paradise; it resembles, rather, the life enjoyed by the Companions of the Cave.
Among the evidences for this is the meeting of Adam and Moses: when Moses reproached Adam, Adam refuted him by invoking the pre-existing decree (2). Their encounter was real, even though both were in the barzakh. Likewise, our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—informed us that he saw in the heavens Adam, Moses, Abraham, Idrīs, and Jesus, that he greeted them, and that his conversation with
— “The most exemplary people are tried according to the strength of their religion: if his faith is firm, his trial is severe; if his faith is weak, he is tested in proportion to it. Affliction does not cease striking the servant until it leaves him walking on earth with no sin upon him.” Related by al-Tirmidhi (2400) in the Book of Zuhd, chapter “Patience in affliction”; Ibn Majah (4033) in the Book of Trials, same chapter; Ahmad 1/172, 174, 180, 185; al-Darimi 2/320; and Ibn Hibban (699), all through the chain of Asim ibn Bahdalah → Musab ibn Saad → his father Saad. The isnad is sound (hasan) because of Asim; al-Tirmidhi graded it “hasan sahih,” and Ibn Hibban authenticated it as well (698) through the chain of Jarir ibn Abd al-Hamid → al-Ala ibn al-Musayyib → his father → Saad.
(1) The hadith “The prophets are alive in their graves” is authentic through its various chains. It is reported by Abu Ya‘la al-Mawsili, Musnad, fol. 168; Abu Nu‘aym, Tarikh Isfahan 2/83; al-Bazzar, Musnad, no. 256; and al-Bayhaqi, Hayat al-Anbiya, all on the authority of Anas ibn Malik.
(2) The debate between Adam and Moses hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari 11/441, Book of Qadar, chapter “Adam and Moses dispute”; Muslim 2652, same book and chapter; Malik 2/898, Book of Qadar, chapter “Prohibition of disputing about predestination”; Abu Dawud 4701, Sunna, chapter on Qadar; and al-Tirmidhi 2135, Book of Qadar, chapter 2.