إِن تُسْمِعُ إِلَّا مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِآيَاتِنَا فَهُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
You can make no one listen (to you) except those who believe in Our verses, then submit themselves (to Allah). 27:81.
It is very clear that in the subject under discussion it is not purported to make the voice reach the listener, but what is intended here is that what is conveyed should be beneficial to the addressee. The Qur'an has defined the audition as non-audition if it is not beneficial from the objective point of view. This point is elaborated at the end of the verse where it is stated that you can cause to hear only those who are willing to believe. Should it mean to make them hear only, then the statement of the Qur'an would have been contrary to facts and observations, because there are many undeniable proofs that divine message was conveyed to the disbelievers, which they not only listened but also answered to reject. It is therefore, quite clear that here causing to hear means the under-standing which is beneficial. Then by calling them as dead bodies, it is further emphasized that you cannot make them realize the truth, because even if the dead, could hear and wish to accept the truth, it would not be to their avail. The dead have passed through the worldly life, where faith and good deeds did matter. After the death, both in Barzakh and the Hereafter, all infidels and disbelievers would wish for faith and righteous deeds, but then it would be too late. This statement of the verse does not bear out that the dead cannot hear. In fact this verse is silent on the subject of hearing by the dead. This subject needs separate study which follows:
Can the dead persons hear?
The issue, whether the dead can hear or not, was one of the subjects on which the exalted companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ had different points of view. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ has declared the hearing of the dead as established, but Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ has negated this understanding. Because of this difference of opinion there are two groups among the companions and the tab an (generation next to them). Some believe that the dead do hear, while others deny it. This subject is mentioned in the Qur’ an at three places. One is the same as referred above in Surah An-Naml. The other is in Surah Ar-RUm with almost similar wordings, and in Surah Al-F atir it has appeared with these words وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ, that is, ` You cannot cause those who are inthe graves to hear'. It is worth noting in all the three verses that none of them has declared that the dead cannot hear. The expression used in each one of the three verses is that 'you cannot cause them to hear'. The consistent expression used in all the three verses seems to be a clear indication that the dead may have the ability to hear but we cannot cause them to listen to us.
As against these three verses, another verse relating to martyrs reveals that they are bestowed with a special type of life in their graves. In this special life they also get food and are conveyed good tidings from Allah Ta` ala about their dear ones . The verse reads as:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ أَمْوَاتًا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ ﴿169﴾ فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿170﴾
And never take those killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather they are alive, with their Lord, well-provided, happy with what Allah has given them of His grace; and they feel pleased with the good news, about those who after them could not join them, that there shall be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. (3:169-170)
This verse corroborates that even after death some intellect and perception may be left behind in the human spirit. Rather in the case of martyrs there is a hint that such a thing does happen. As for the argument that this position relates only to the martyrs, to whom the verse refers, and not to the ordinary dead, its answer is that at least it tells that after death some intellect and perception and understanding of the world may be left behind in the human spirit. The way Allah Ta` ala has bestowed upon martyrs the honour of maintaining the connection of their spirits with their bodies and graves, He can also grace the other dead with th same ability. Sayyidna ` Holy Prophet ﷺ ، holds the view that dead do hear. This view is based on a Sahih Hadith, which is reported by Sayyidna ` Holy Prophet ﷺ . It is as follows:
مَا من احد یمر بقبر اخیہ المسلم کان یعرفہ فی الدّنیا فیسلّم علیہ اِلّا ردّ اللہ علیہ روحہ حتی یرد علیہ السّلام (ذکرہ ابن کثیر فی تفسیرہ مصححا عن ابن عمر ؓ
` When a person passes by the grave of a Muslim brother whom he knew when he was alive and he offers salam to him, Allah Ta` ala returns his spirit into his body, so that he may return the salam'. (Ibn Kathir, declaring it as Sahih)
This also proves that when a person visits the grave of a Muslim brother and offers him his salam, the dead listens to his salam and answers back. It happens like this that Allah Ta` ala returns the spirit of the dead back to this world momentarily. It confirms two points. One, that dead can hear, and second, that their hearing and our causing them to hear is not in our control, but is dependent entirely on Allah's will. Whenever He wills, they can hear and whenever He does not will, they do not hear. The above referred hadtth has made it clear that Allah Ta` ala is gracious to let the dead hear the salam of a Muslim brother, and also grants him privilege to answer back. But for any other situation or utterance it is not known whether the dead can hear or not. The research carried out by Imam Ghazzali and Allamah Subki also corroborates that it is established by this Qur'anic verse and Sahih ahadtth that under certain conditions the dead do hear the utterance of the living, but it is not known whether every dead person hears the utterance at all times of all those who are living. This also makes the Qur'anic verse and narrations on the subject comparable. It is quite possible that the dead could hear the utterance of the living at certain times and could not hear at others. This is also possible that they may hear the utterance of some and do not hear of others. Yet there is another possibility that some dead could hear and others could not. It is also established by the verses of Surahs An-Naml, Ar-Rum and Fatir that it is not under the control of human beings to cause the dead to hear; rather it rests with Allah alone to make them hear whenever He wills. Therefore, where it is established by the Sahih ahadith that the dead did hear, we should believe it; and where it is not established, both the situations are possible . Hence, we should neither accept nor deny it. For further details of the subject, my treatise on the subject may be consulted. This treatise is in Arabic and is included in Ahkam-ul-Qur'an.