Question

Kindly provide the reference for the following incident:

There was a group from the Banu Israil who went to visit a graveyard. There they said, “How about if we pray two rak’ahs and ask Allah to resurrect someone, so we can ask him about death.” So they prayed two rak’ahs and asked Allah Ta’ala to resurrect one of the dead. A man was resurrected, who had the sign of sujud (prostration) on his forehead. He said, “What do you want from me? I died one hundred years ago and the pain of death only just stopped at this moment.

Answer

Imam Waki’ ibn Jarrah (rahimahullah) and Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) have recorded this incident on the authority of Sayyiduna Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (radiyallahu ‘anhuma).

(Kitabuz Zuhd of Imam Waki’, pg. 84 and Az Zuhd of Imam Ahmad, Hadith: 88)

Al-Muhaddith, Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah (May Allah protect him) has declared the chain of Imam Waki’ as sound (hasan).

(Footnotes on Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hadith: 27017)

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar

Checked by: Mawlana Haroon Abasoomar