She used to interpret certain reports in part and assumed that they conflicted with some Qur’anic verses. This present issue is one of the instances in which she considered it at variance with His saying, “You cannot make those in the graves hear” (Fāṭir 22). In fact, it is not in conflict, and the sound position is that of the majority of the Companions and those who followed them, as the explicit ḥadīths establish the opposite of what she—may Allah be pleased with her—understood.

Al-Bukhārī said: ʿUbayd ibn Ismāʿīl related to us; Abū Usāmah related to us from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, who said:

“A report was mentioned in the presence of ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—that Ibn ʿUmar attributed to the Prophet ﷺ the statement: ‘The deceased is tormented in his grave because of his family’s weeping over him.’ She replied, ‘How could that be? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ only said, “He is punished on account of his own sin and wrongdoing, while his family are now weeping over him.”’ She added, ‘That is like his saying that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood over the well containing the slain at Badr and addressed them with what he said. He (Ibn ʿUmar) maintains that he ﷺ said, “They hear what I say,” whereas he only said, “They now know that what I used to tell them is true.”’ She then recited: ‘Surely you cannot make the dead hear’ (al-Naml 80) and ‘You cannot make those in the graves hear’ (Fāṭir 22), meaning: once they have taken up their seats in the Fire.”

Muslim transmitted this as well through Abū Kuraib from Abū Usāmah.

An explicit affirmation that the dead hear after burial is found in more than one ḥadīth, as we shall detail in the Book of Funerals of al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr, Allah willing.

Al-Bukhārī further said: ʿUthmān related to me; ʿAbdah related to us from Hishām, from his father, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said:

“The Prophet ﷺ stood over the well of Badr and said, ‘Have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?’ He then declared, ‘They now hear what I am saying to them.’”

This was mentioned to ʿĀʾishah, and she remarked, “The Prophet ﷺ only said, ‘They now know that what I used to tell them is the truth,’” after which she recited: ‘Surely you cannot make the dead hear…,’ completing the verse.

Muslim also recorded it through Abū Kuraib from Abū Usāmah, and through Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah from Wakiʿ, both from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah.