“…except that Allah returns my soul to me so that I may return his greeting.” Peace and blessings be upon him. This ḥadīth meets the criteria accepted by Imām Muslim.
In the same vein, Abū Dāwūd also transmits—on the authority of Aws ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Increase your prayers upon me on Friday and on the night before Friday, for your prayers are presented to me.”
They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how will our prayers be presented to you when you have decayed?”
He replied, “Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets.”
[The verb arima (أَرِمَ) means “to become decayed,” that is, to turn into worn-out bones. When the pronominal tāʾ is attached, the more eloquent pronunciation is to separate the doubled consonant and say arimta. Another reading, as cited in the narration, is arrimta with a doubled mīm, though the doubling may also be lightened and pronounced arimta.]
(1) Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Pilgrimage, chapter “Visiting Graves,” hadith no. 2041 (2/534). The editor indicates that its chain satisfies the criteria of Sahih Muslim.
(2) In manuscript D the name reads “son of Abi Aws,” but in Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah it is “Aws ibn Aws,” which is likewise found in the other manuscripts.
(3) The Companion referred to is Aws ibn Aws al-Thaqafi. Scholars differ over the exact form of his name; he is counted among the people of Syria. See: Usd al-Ghaba 1/139–40; Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 1/381–82, nos. 397–398.
(4) See Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Prayer, chapter “The Virtue of Friday and the Night of Friday,” hadith no. 1047 (1/635), where the wording is slightly longer. Abu Dawud also narrates it in the Book of Prayer, chapter “Seeking Forgiveness,” hadith no. 1531 (2/184) with a minor variation at the beginning; Ibn Majah records it in the Book of Funerals, chapter 65, hadith no. 1636 (1/524); and Ahmad includes it in his Musnad 4/8.
(5) The text in brackets is taken from manuscript A and is absent from the other copies as presented in the main text. Manuscript T, however, places it in the margin with the note, “marginalia in the author’s own hand,” followed by the siglum (n).