[Q 476] How the Believer Sees the Prophet ﷺ in the Grave

QUESTION:

What is the correct concept regarding the appearance of the Prophet ﷺ in the grave?
Will the Prophet ﷺ himself come into the grave of the believers, or will the believer be shown the appearance of Mustafa Kareemﷺ?

ANSWER:

In the blessed Ahadith (sayings of the Prophet ﷺ), it is only narrated that the angels will ask the deceased regarding the Prophet ﷺ in these words: “(ما تقول في هذا الرجل)” — “What did you use to say about this man?”

From these words, it becomes clear that the sacred person of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ will be made distinct and recognizable before the deceased. However, regarding what the exact nature of this will be, the scholars state that the Aathaar (reports) do not describe its specific manner. Nevertheless, the commentators of Hadith have mentioned a few explanations:

The first explanation is that all the veils between the grave and the Blessed Chamber (Rawdah Anwar) will be lifted.

The second explanation is that a blessed likeness (Shabeeh Mubarak) of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ will be with the angels Nakeerain (the two angels who question in the grave), and they will point towards it and ask the question.

The third explanation is that the Beloved Prophet ﷺ himself will personally (Nafsan Nafees) come into the grave.

The commentator of Sahih Bukhari, Mufti Shareef-ul-Haq Amjadi رحمۃ الله عليه, while answering a similar question, stated:

“In the blessed Ahadith, it is only mentioned that Nakeerain will ask: ‘ما تقول في هذا الرجل’ (What did you use to say about this man?). It is evident that this question refers to the Holy Prophet ﷺ, and his sacred person will be distinct and recognizable to the deceased. However, the method of how this distinct recognition will occur is not mentioned in this Hadith, nor in any other Hadith.
As far as I know, nothing about this has been transmitted from the noble Sahabah (Companions رضي الله تعالى عنهم) or the great Tabi’een (Successors). But since this is a very important question, the commentators of Hadith have provided three explanations:
1. All the veils between the grave and the Green Dome (Gumbad Khizra) will be lifted, and the deceased will be blessed with seeing the Radiant Beauty of the Prophet ﷺ, while Nakeerain (the two angels, Munkar and Nakeer) will point towards him and ask.
2. The blessed likeness (Shabeeh Mubarak) of the Prophet ﷺ will be with Nakeerain, and they will point towards it and ask.
3. The Holy Prophet ﷺ himself will personally come into the grave.”

(Fatawa Sharh-e-Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 406)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 19th October 2025