Can The Dead Hear?

Do the dead hear what takes place in this world? This question is not subject to human opinions or speculations. It is a matter of ghayb that is encompassed by Allah's knowledge, and may only be established through a clear evidence from Allah's book and His Messenger's (Sallallaahualaihi wasallam) Sunnah.
The true understanding in this regard is that the dead cannot, in general, hear what takes place on the earth. There are, however, I exceptions to this general rule that are established in the Book and the  Sunnah. We have to accept these exceptional cases and believe in them, without generalizing them beyond their boundaries.
We will establish this understanding by presenting the proper evidence and, in some cases, refuting the wrong evidence used by some people to the contrary.
 
 
Comparison with the Deaf
 
Allah says:
“So verily (0 Muhammad), you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear the call while they turn their backs to you.”[1]
 
In this ayah, Allah compares the dead disbelievers to the deaf people. This obviously indicates that they share with them the characteristic of being unable to hear. Ibn Jarir at- Tabari supports this understanding in his Tafsir (Qurânic commentary) by saying:
 
"This is a parable meaning, 'You cannot make these disbelievers understand, because Allah has sealed their hearing and has taken away their ability to understand the revealed lessons that are recited to them - just as you cannot make the dead understand by giving them hearing, because Allah has taken away their hearing faculty .'
 
He is further saying, 'You cannot make the deaf hear after they turn their backs to you, because they have been deprived of the hearing faculty. Similarly, for those whom Allah has deprived of the ability to hear and understand the ayat of His Book, you cannot help them in hearing and understanding. ' " [2]
 
At- Tabari then reported that Qatadah (Radhi Allahu anhu) said:
 
"Allah gives this parable for a kafir (disbeliever) . Just as the dead cannot hear the calls, so the kafirs cannot hear. Thus He tells, 'If a deaf person turns his back to you and you call him, he would not hear you. Similarly, a kafir would not hear, nor would he benefit from what he hears.' " [3]
 
This is also the understanding of 'A'ishah (Radhi Allahu anha), as is documented in the books of Sunnah [4]. It is also the understanding of 'Umar and others among the sahabah.
 
Those Who Are Worshipped Beside Allah
Allah says:
 
«Such is Allah your lord; to Him belongs the dominion. And those, whom you invoke instead of Him, own not even a qitmir (date pit's covering membrane). If you call upon them, they do not hear your call; and were they to hear, they could not grant your requests. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your taking them as partners. And none can inform you better than one who is well acquainted with things."» [5]
 
The disbelievers used to worship a number of people who were righteous and noble during their lifetimes. After their death, Satan inspired their followers to commemorate them with statues. These statues eventually turned into idols that were worshipped instead of Allah .
 
The above ayah clearly denies that those whom the disbelievers invoked instead of Allah could hear them. The ayah does not refer to the idols themselves, but to the persons whom they were supposed to represent. This is clear from the statement, «On the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your taking them as partners.» It is not the idols, which are irrational objects, that will be resurrected, but rather the actual people that they represented. There are many ayaat in the Qur'an indicating that when Allah resurrects the people, those who had been worshiped will turn against those who had worshiped them. However, there is nothing to indicate that the irrational objects will be resurrected as well.
 
Therefore, this ayah indicates that the righteous people,' as well as those who are of lesser virtue, cannot hear after their death.
 
 
The Ditch of Badr

THE COMBINED REPORT
Thn 'Umar, Abu Talhah, and Anas (Radhi Allahu anhu) reported that, after the battle of Badr, the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) commanded his followers to cast twenty four of the most disdainful among the dead of the Quraysh into a very filthy ditch in Badr. Then, as was his practice after victory, he spent three nights in the neighborhood of the battleground. On the third day, he had his animal prepared for departure, and then went and stood with his companions at the verge of the ditch. He called out the dead men with their names and the names of their parent saying:
 
<O so and so, son of so and so! 0 so and so, son of so and so! ... Don't you wish that you had obeyed Allah and His Messenger? Indeed, we have found our Lord's promises to us true; have you found your Lord's promises true?>
 
Whereupon 'Umar (Radhi Allahu anhu) (and others) exclaimed, "Are you addressing them after having been dead for three nights, and when these bodies have no souls in them? Can they hear? Allah says:
 
«Verily, you cannot make the dead hear you.»"
 
He (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) replied:
 
<By Him in whose hand is Muhammad's soul, They can hear me NOW; and you cannot hear what I am saying better than they can! But they cannot respond.> [6]
 
 
The understanding of the Salaf
When this incident was mentioned to A'ishah (Radhi Allahu anha), she said, "The Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) only meant that they now realized that what he told them was the truth." Then she recited the ayah:
 
«So, verily you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear the call while they turn their backs to you.» [7]
 
Commenting on the above Hadith, Qatadah said:
 
"Allah gave them life in order to hear the Prophet's (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) words, as a reproach and scorn, and to make them feel the remorse and regret for what they did." [8]
 
Ibn 'Atiyyah [9] said:
"It appears that the incident of Badr constitutes a miracle for Muhammad (Sallallahualaihi wasallam), whereupon Allah give them back the perception to be able -to hear him. Had Allah's Messenger (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) not told us of this, we would have interpreted his addressing them to carry the meaning of reproach for the living disbelievers, as well as a reassurance for the hearts of the believers." [10]
 
Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani said:
 
"Ibn ut- Tin said, 'There is no conflict between' Ibn 'Umar's hadith (of the Ditch) and the ayah; There is no doubt that the dead cannot hear. But Allah may enable that which does not normally hear to hear.. ", [11]
 
 
The Prophets Approval
It is important to point out that the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) approved of the understanding of 'Umar and others among the sahabah that the dead cannot hear. We should assume that these companions have previously gained this understanding from the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) - otherwise, they would not have hastened to object to his action of addressing the dead. And even if we assume that they were hasty in objecting without knowledge, it would then be the Prophet's (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) obligation to clarify to them their misconception. However, he did not do any of that, but only indicated that those specific dead people were able to hear him at that specific time. Thus it is obvious that he (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) approved of their general understanding in regard to this issue.
And 'A'ishah's (Radhi Allahu anha) above statement shows that she had a similar understanding to that of 'Umar and the other companions.
 
Wrong Conclusion
This is important to emphasize, especially when we realize that some scholars misinterpret this incident of the Ditch. They use the Prophet's (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) statement, <You cannot hear me better than they can,> as a proof that the dead always hear what goes on around them.
 
They often neglect the fact that he (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) has approved of their understanding and did not object to it. Thus, they turn the exceptional case, which was a miracle granted to the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) in that situation, into a general case conflicting with the clear texts of the Qurâan!
 
A Sunnah Of the Prophets
It is interesting to indicate that addressing the disbeliever after they have been destroyed by Allah is an old practice of the prophets. For instance, Allah says in regard to the people of Salih:
 
«So the earthquake seized them, and they became in their homes (corpses) fallen prone. He (Salih) turned away from them and said, "0 my people! I have certainly conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you; but you do not like advisers"» [12]
 
Thn Kathir commented on this by saying:
 
"This is a rebuke from Salih to his people after Allah had destroyed them because of their disobeying him, rebelling against Allah, rejecting the truth, and turning away from the guidance. Salih said this to them, after their destruction, rebuking and reprimanding them; and they heard him, as has been reported in the two Sahihs (AI-Bukhari and Muslim) ... "
 
He then cited the hadith of the Ditch. Note that the Qur'anic text does not express that they heard Salih. But Ibn Kathir assumed this based on the similar situation of the Ditch.
 
The Roaming Angels
Ibn Mas'ud (Radhi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) said:
 
<Allah has angels that roam over the earth, delivering to me the salam from my Ummah.> [13]
 
Similar there are many hadiths that clearly indicate that the Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) cannot independently hear the salam of the Mulsims, but needs angels to deliver it to him. This implies that he cannot hear other things as well. Also, the text of this hadith is general and makes no distinction based on distance.
Thus, if Allah's Messenger (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) cannot hear after his death what goes on the earth, this should apply more appropriately to those who are lesser than him.
 
Hearing the Footsteps of His Companions
An important evidence used by those who believe that the dead hear what goes on the earth is the Prophet's (Sallallahualaihi wasallam) description in the long hadith of al-Bara' Bin 'Azib :
 
<He hears the thumping of his' companions' shoes as they walk away from his grave.>
 
However, this clearly applies to the time when the dead person is put into his grave and the angels come to question him. It cannot be generalized to other cases. This is the only way to reconcile between the general meaning of the above ayah (as understood by 'Umar, 'A'ishah, and other companions) and this hadith.
 
Can souls of dead have any kind of contact with the living humans?
Throughout history, man has been fascinated by all aspects of the unseen. He has especially attempted to explore and understand the phenomenon of the soul - that mysterious power which activates the human body. Many questions were asked, but only a few answers were available. During the lifetime of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihe wa-sallam) the Jews of Medina sent their allies, the Makkan infidels, to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihe wa-sallam) to ask about the soul. In reply to their questions, the following Qur'aanic verse was revealed:

They ask you [O Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)] concerning the Ruh (Soul). Say: 'It is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given very little. [Soorah Al-Israa (17) :85]
To this the answer is “No” because from the Qur'aan & Sunnah it is clear that the souls of all people, believers and unbelievers, are taken up to the heavens at the time of death by angels and presented to Allah Almighty.

The record of the believers deeds is placed in a high place in heaven called Illiyyin and the sinners record is thrown into the lowest earth known as Sijjin.

As the Glorious Qurân Mentions :

"Nay! Truly the record of the evil-doers is preserved in Sijjin. And what will explain to you what Sijjin is? A register inscribed. Nay! Truly the record of the pious is preserved in Illiyyin. And what will make you know what Illiyyin is? A Register inscribed. To which bear witness those nearest to Allah (i.e. the angels).? (Soorah Al-Mutaffifin : 7-9, 18-21)

The souls are returned to their bodies temporarily for questioning by the angels.
When the soul returns, the dead person is able to hear the retreating footsteps of the men who came to bury him. This is an exception to the general rule in the Qur'aan that the dead cannot hear the living.

Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they flee, turning their backs.? (Surah An Naml : 80)

Nor are alike the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes whom He will hear, but you cannot make those in the graves hear.? (Surah Fatir : 22)

The blessed soul is taken to the heavens where it is changed into a bird and eats freely from the fruits in paradise. It rests in a state of peaceful sleep while the cool breezes of paradise flow gently over it. In contrast is the sinners soul, which is thrown with contempt into the lowest earth to feel the savage heat and stench of hell. Both kinds of soul reside in the same places as their Records of deeds.
 
This concept of souls contact with humans is what we find in the mushriks and even in many ignorant Muslims that they believe that the souls of the dead come on certain days and visit their families. And the family members cook food for the soul of that dead person of what was his favorite and many other things. This is totally against the pure teachings of Islam.