No one greets me except that Allah restores my soul to me so that I return his greeting
Narrator in the source: Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one greets me except that Allah restores my soul to me so that I return his greeting."- Grade in the source
- Its chain of narrators is Hasan/Sound
- Reported by
- Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Ahmad
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 6222 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلَّى الله عليه وسلم قال: «ما مِنْ أحَدٍ يُسلِّمُ علي إلا ردَّ اللهُ عليَّ رُوحي حتى أردَّ عليه السَّلامَ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that his soul is restored to him to return the greeting of whoever greets him, whether he is near or far. Life in the Barzakh (the period between death and resurrection) and the grave is a matter of the unseen, and no one knows its reality except Allah, Who is Competent over all things.
Lessons from the hadith
- Encouraging the act of frequently invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
- The Prophet's life in his grave is the most perfect life a man can have in his Barzakh and no one knows its reality but Allah Almighty.
- This Hadīth is not proof that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has a life like the one we have, so the people of Shirk would not take this as a pretext for seeking relief from him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, it is a Barzakh life.
References (original Arabic)
سنن أبي داود (3/ 384) (2041). مسند أحمد (16/ 477) (10815). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 486). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 477). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 964).