The main debate surrounding the issue of tawassul revolves around whether the dead are able to hear and maintain any connection to the living, or if they have been completely severed from this world. Sunnis themselves are divided on this issue, with even some prominent Salafi scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, affirming that the dead can hear the calls of the living. Given the complexity of this discussion, it can be approached from multiple angles. Therefore, we aim to break down the discussion into several parts, each addressing a different perspective, such as those found in the Qur'an, Hadith, the views of the Salaf, and so on.
When it comes to the ability of the dead to hear the living, many of the verses in the Qur'an have been greatly misunderstood. This is because the Qur'an often employs metaphors that require tafsir (interpretation) to fully understand. For instance, there are several verses where the Qur'an speaks of the dead, but it is not referring to those who are literally dead. Instead, it refers to those who are 'spiritually' dead—those who are so stubborn, misguided, and fixed in their deviance that they might as well be dead, as they are unable to hear the truth or be guided. These verses highlight the state of people whose hearts and minds are closed off to divine guidance, not the actual physical death of individuals.
Verse 1: "You cannot make the dead hear"
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَلَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوۡاْ مُدۡبِرِينَ
You certainly cannot make the dead hear ˹the truth˺. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and walk away. [27:80]
At first glance, one might assume that the verse means the dead cannot hear, as this is the apparent meaning of the verse. However, to understand the true meaning, we must refer to the tafsir of the verse. In summary, the verse signifies:
The "dead" here refers to those who are metaphorically dead, similar to how the Qur'an describes those who refuse to accept evidence as "blind" or "deaf" (i.e., it is their hearts that are blind, not their eyes, or you cannot make the deaf hear). Similarly, the "dead" refers to those whom you cannot guide.
"Hearing" in this context does not refer to literal or physical hearing, but rather to the reception of guidance. Those who "cannot hear" are those whose hearts have been misguided by Allah, and thus, they cannot be guided to the truth.
The metaphor suggests that just as the dead cannot benefit from guidance—since they cannot change their beliefs after death—similarly, these individuals, due to their closed-mindedness, cannot benefit from guidance, as they are unwilling or unable to change their beliefs.
Al-Tabari says regarding this verse in his Tafsir al-Tabari, Vol. 18, pg. 118:
وقوله: (إِنَّكَ لا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَى) يقول: إنك يا محمد لا تقدر أن تُفِهم الحقّ من طبع الله على قلبه فأماته، لأن الله قد ختم عليه أن لا يفهمه (وَلا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَاءَ) يقول: ولا تقدر أن تسمع ذلك من أصمّ الله عن سماعه سمعه (إِذَا وَلَّوْا مُدْبِرِينَ) يقول: إذا هم أدبروا معرضين عنه، لا يسمعون له لغلبة دين الكفر على قلوبهم، ولا يُصغون للحقّ، ولا يتدبرونه، ولا ينصتون لقائله، ولكنهم يعرضون عنه، وينكرون القول به، والاستماع له.
His saying, "Verily, you cannot make the dead hear," means: You, O Muhammad, are unable to make someone understand the truth when Allah has sealed their hearts, causing them spiritual death, because Allah has decreed that they will not understand it. And "You cannot make the deaf hear the call" means: You cannot make someone who Allah has made deaf to hearing hear it. And "when they turn away, turning their backs," means: When they turn away, rejecting it, not listening to it due to the dominance of disbelief over their hearts, they do not hear the truth, nor do they contemplate it, nor do they listen to its speaker, but they turn away from it, deny it, and refuse to listen to it.
We read from Tafsir al-Qurtubi that:
(وَلا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعاءَ) يَعْنِي الْكُفَّارَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الصُّمِّ عَنْ قَبُولِ الْمَوَاعِظِ، فَإِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى الْخَيْرِ أَعْرَضُوا وَوَلَّوْا كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ، نَظِيرُهُ" صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ" كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ.
"And you cannot make the deaf hear the call" means the disbelievers who are like the deaf in their refusal to accept admonitions. When they are called to goodness, they turn away as if they do not hear, similar to the saying: "Deaf, dumb, and blind," as mentioned earlier.
We read in Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 6, pg. 543:
وَقَوْلُهُ: {إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ} أَيْ: يَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى سَمَاعِ الْحُجَّةِ وَقَبُولِهَا وَالِانْقِيَادِ لَهَا {وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَنْ فِي الْقُبُورِ} أَيْ: كَمَا لَا يَنْتَفِعُ الْأَمْوَاتُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِمْ وَصَيْرورتهِمْ إِلَى قُبُورِهِمْ، وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ بِالْهِدَايَةِ وَالدَّعْوَةِ إِلَيْهَا، كَذَلِكَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُشْرِكُونَ الَّذِينَ كُتِب عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّقَاوَةُ لَا حيلةَ لَكَ فِيهِمْ، وَلَا تَسْتَطِيعُ هِدَايَتَهُمْ
And His saying, 'Indeed, Allah hears whom He wills,' means He guides them to listen to the evidence and accept it, submitting to it. 'And you are not a dictator over them,' means just as the deceased do not benefit after their passing and their journey to their graves, persisting in disbelief in guidance and its call, similarly, these polytheists upon whom wretchedness has been decreed, you have no recourse against them, nor can you guide them.
As for the Shi’a perspective, the same interpretation is taken. One may refer to our tafsir books for the sources, but it’s very well-known that the dead are often used in metaphors to refer to those spiritually dead. For example in Al-Kāfi, Vol. 1, Ch. 9, Hadith #6:
Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (as) said: Rasulullah (sw) said, “Allah (azwj) said, ‘The discussions of the scholars among My servants are of the matters that bring the dead hearts to life if they come to and end up to My commandments.”
Another example is from al-Khisal, Book 5, Ch. 53, H. 1:
The Prophet (saw) said: “Four acts will make the heart perish: committing sins continuously; talking with women often; arguing with a fool, (since you keep talking with him, but he will never be guided to the right way), and associating with the dead!” They asked him what he meant by the dead? The Prophet of God said, “All the rich who live in ease and luxury.”
Verse 2: "The dead and the living are not the same"
A similar verse to the previous is the following:
وَمَا يَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡأَحۡيَآءُ وَلَا ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰتُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسۡمِعُ مَن يَشَآءُۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسۡمِعٍ مَّن فِى ٱلۡقُبُورِ
Nor equal are the living and the dead. God makes anyone He wills hear [His message]: you cannot make those in their graves hear. [35:22]
This verse can indeed seem off-putting if read without proper tafsir. When Allah says, "Nor are the living and the dead alike," the question arises: does this refer to the literal or metaphorical meaning? If one insists on taking it literally, then consistency would demand applying the same literal interpretation to the verse just three passages earlier, which states:
وَمَا يَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ
The blind and the seeing are not alike. [35:19]
If the earlier verse is understood metaphorically—referring to the spiritually blind who are negligent to the evidence of truth—then it follows that the phrase "Nor are the living and the dead alike" should also be interpreted in the same metaphorical sense. In this context, the "living" refers to those spiritually alive and receptive to truth, while the "dead" are those who have turned away from guidance and are spiritually unresponsive. This consistent metaphorical reading aligns with the broader themes of guidance and misguidance in the Qur'an.
We read from Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 17, pg. 371:
(إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَنْ يَشاءُ) أَيْ يُسْمِعُ أَوْلِياءَهُ الَّذِينَ خَلَقَهُمْ لِجَنَّتِهِ. (وَما أَنْتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَنْ فِي الْقُبُورِ) أَيِ الْكُفَّارِ الَّذِينَ أَمَاتَ الْكُفْرُ قُلُوبَهُمْ، أَيْ كَمَا لَا تُسْمِعُ مَنْ مَاتَ، كَذَلِكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ مَنْ مَاتَ قَلْبُهُ.
وَقَرَأَ الحسن وعيسى الثقفي وعمرو ابن مَيْمُونٍ:" بِمُسْمِعٍ مَنْ فِي الْقُبُورِ" بِحَذْفِ التَّنْوِينِ تَخْفِيفًا، أَيْ هُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ [أَهْلِ] الْقُبُورِ فِي أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَنْتَفِعُونَ بِمَا يَسْمَعُونَهُ وَلَا يَقْبَلُونَهُ
(Allah causes to hear whom He will) means: He causes his allies (the awlia) to hear whom he created for heaven. (You cannot make those in the graves hear) means: The disbelievers whose hearts have been rendered lifeless by disbelief, just as you do not hear those who have died. Likewise, you do not hear those whose hearts have died.
Al-Hasan, 'Isa al-Thaqafi, and 'Amr ibn Maymun recited, "a listener to those in the graves," omitting the tanween for ease, meaning they are in the state [of the people] of graves in that they do not benefit from what they hear nor do they accept it.
Verse 3: "They cannot hear you and will disown your worship"
Another verse that is misused when it comes to discussing the dead is the following:
إِن تَدۡعُوهُمۡ لَا يَسۡمَعُواْ دُعَآءَكُمۡ وَلَوۡ سَمِعُواْ مَا ٱسۡتَجَابُواْ لَكُمْۖ وَيَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِشِرۡكِكُمْۚ وَلَا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثۡلُ خَبِيرٍ
If you call them they cannot hear you; if they could hear, they could not answer you; on the Day of Resurrection they will disown your idolatry. None can inform you [Prophet] like the One who is all aware. [35:14]
This is referring to the idols the Quraysh would worship. It isn’t talking about the awliya who have passed away. Moreover, this ayah uses ‘دعاء’ which we previously explained to mean worship. This verse has nothing to do with tawassul, as idols unable to hear you is nothing new, it doesn’t negate the dead hearing you.
We read in Tafsir al-Qurtubi, vol. 17, pg. 365 follows:
قوله: "إن تدعوهم لا يسمعوا دعاءكم" يعني إذا طلبتم مساعدتهم في أوقات الشدائد، لن يسمعوا دعاؤكم لأنهم أصنام بلا حياة لا ترى ولا تسمع. وليس كل من يسمع يتكلم.
His saying, "If you call them, they will not hear your supplication," means if you seek their help in times of calamity, they will not hear your supplication because they are lifeless idols that neither see nor hear. Not everyone who hears speaks.
In Tafsir al-Tabari, vol. 9, pg. 350 similarly it says:
يقول تعالى ذكره: إن تدعوا أيها الناس هؤلاء الآلهة التي تعبدونها من دون الله لا يسمعوا دعاءكم؛ لأنها جماد لا تفهم عنكم ما تقولون (وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ) يقول: ولو سمعوا دعاءكم إياهم، وفهموا عنكم أنها قولكم، بأن جعل لهم سمع يسمعون به، ما استجابوا لكم؛ لأنها ليست ناطقة، وليس كل سامع قولا متيسرًا له الجواب عنه
He says, exalted is He: "If you call upon these gods whom you worship besides Allah, they will not hear your supplication, because they are lifeless and do not understand what you say. (And even if they could hear, they would not respond to you)." This means: Even if they heard your supplication directed towards them and understood that it was your speech, if hearing were granted to them, they still would not respond to you because they are not articulate beings, and not every listener finds it easy to respond.
Conclusion: The Qur'an endorses the dead hearing
We have now proven that the Holy Qur'an does not deny the ability of the dead to hear, as we have gone over the alleged proofs of those who claim it does. These verses all hold various metaphors or are in context towards idols, hence are not related to our discussion. In contrast, we find that the Holy Qur'an endorses the hearing of the dead and mentions nothing against it, as we read in the story of Prophet Salih (as) and then Prophet Shu'ayb (as) that they both called upon their people who were killed:
فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلرَّجۡفَةُ فَأَصۡبَحُواْ فِى دَارِهِمۡ جَٰثِمِينَ فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنۡهُمۡ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ لَقَدۡ أَبۡلَغۡتُكُمۡ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّى وَنَصَحۡتُ لَكُمۡ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُحِبُّونَ ٱلنَّٰصِحِينَ
An earthquake seized them: by the next morning they were lying dead in their homes. So he turned away from them, saying, 'Oh my people (Ya Qowmi), I delivered my Lord’s messages to you and gave you sincere advice, but you did not like those who gave sincere advice.’ [7:78-79]
فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلرَّجۡفَةُ فَأَصۡبَحُواْ فِى دَارِهِمۡ جَٰثِمِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ شُعَيۡبًا كَأَن لَّمۡ يَغۡنَوۡاْ فِيهَاۚ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ شُعَيۡبًا كَانُواْ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنۡهُمۡ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ لَقَدۡ أَبۡلَغۡتُكُمۡ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَنَصَحۡتُ لَكُمْۖ فَكَيۡفَ ءَاسَىٰ عَلَىٰ قَوۡمٍ كَٰفِرِين
So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone. Those who denied Shuʿayb - it was as though they had never resided there. Those who denied Shuʿayb - it was they who were the losers. And he [i.e., Shuʿayb] turned away from them and said, "O my people (Ya Qawmi), I had certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you, so how could I grieve for a disbelieving people?" [7:91-93]
So we see in these verses, that the Prophets are calling upon their people who have just been killed, just in the same way you would say 'Ya Muhammad' or in plural 'Ya Ahlulbayt', we see the same styles of the calling used by these prophets wherein they say 'Ya Qawmi', directly speaking to them despite them just being killed. This implies the dead's ability to hear and shows the Qur'an's endorsement to 'call upon' the dead and speak to them without criticising it in anyway.
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