Introduction
The dead cannot hear or respond to prayers. Today, many people in our society offer prayers to the deceased, regarding them as saints. Some believe that these individuals will intercede with Allah on their behalf and secure blessings for them.
What the Holy Quran Says About the Dead
You cannot make the dead hear! (Al-Quran 27:80)
The living and the dead are not alike. Allah makes whom He wills to hear. You cannot make those in the graves hear. (Al-Quran 35:22)
If you call upon them, they do not hear your call; and even if they were to hear, they would not answer you. On the Day of Resurrection, they will deny the partners you associated with Allah. None can inform you like the All-Knowing. (Al-Quran 35:14)
Mosques belong to Allah alone; so do not call upon anyone else alongside Allah! (Al-Quran 72:18)
Who is more astray than the one who calls upon others besides Allah—those who cannot answer him until the Day of Resurrection? They are unaware of the calls made to them. (Al-Quran 46:5)
The greatest of all Awliya (saints/friends of Allah) is our Messenger, the Prophet (peace be upon him). Even he cannot hear the Salam (salutations of peace) we offer. It is the angels who convey the Salam we recite to the Prophet (peace be upon him). 1265 – Narrated by ‘Abd al-Wahhāb ibn ‘Abd al-Ḥakam al-Warrāq, who said: Mu‘ādh ibn Mu‘ādh narrated to us from Sufyān ibn Sa‘īd... and narrated by Maḥmūd ibn Ghaylān, who said: Wakī‘ and ‘Abd al-Razzāq narrated to us from Sufyān, from ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Sā’ib, from Zādhān, from ‘Abd Allāh, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Allah has angels who roam the earth; they convey to me the Salām (greetings of peace) from my Ummah (community)."
Narrator: ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) – Al-Nasā’ī (1265)
Allah caused a righteous servant to die for 100 years. Then, He revived him and asked, "How long did you sleep?" The righteous servant replied, "I slept for a day or a short while."
Despite having slept for 100 years, the righteous servant did not even know how long he had slept. He was unaware that the donkey he had brought with him had died and decomposed; he only realized this after the Lord informed him.
Or, consider the one who passed by a village—a town that had fallen into complete ruin. He wondered, "How will Allah bring this back to life after its destruction?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then brought him back to life. He asked, "How long have you remained [here]?" He replied, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Not so! You have remained a hundred years. Look at your food and your drink—they have not spoiled. And look at your donkey! [We did this] to make you a sign for the people. Observe how We assemble the bones [of the donkey] and clothe them with flesh!" When it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah has power over all things."
Al-Quran (2:259)
The dead cannot provide help
Those whom you call upon besides Him cannot help you; indeed, they cannot even help themselves. Al-Quran (7:197)
He is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs all dominion. Those whom you call upon besides Him do not possess authority over even the slightest speck. Al-Quran (35:13)
O mankind! A parable is set forth for you, so listen to it attentively! Those whom you call upon besides Allah—even if they were to gather together—could not create a single fly. If a fly were to snatch something away from them, they could not retrieve it from the fly. Both the seeker and the sought are weak. Al-Quran (22:73)
If the deceased was a righteous servant, he sleeps just as a newlywed groom sleeps. How would the prayers we offer reach righteous servants who are asleep until the Day of Judgment? Allah has placed a strong barrier between us and the dead. Our voices will certainly not pierce the barrier established by Allah to reach the ears of the righteous servants who are asleep [in their graves].
(To the righteous, it will be said in the grave,) "Sleep peacefully."
Narrator: Asma (RA) | Bukhari (7287)
When death comes to any of them, he will say, "My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good deeds in the life I have left behind!" By no means! These are merely words he utters. And behind them lies a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.
Al-Quran (23:100)