Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 181
29 November 1905 181 Benefiting from the Dead A person asked, ‘Can a person benefit in his life from a connec- tion with someone who is dead or from the connection with his spiritual guide, [He further asks] and does the other person also receive a benefit?’ The Promised Messiah as replied: Sufis say that a person can gain benefit even after death. In fact, they say that the circle [of beneficence] is limited while a per- son is alive and that after death, that circle widens. Everyone acknowledges this. Accordingly, this is acknowledged to such an extent that when Jesus descends from the heavens, since he will not know Arabic, what will he do? Some say that he will study to acquire knowledge of Arabic and that he will also study Hadith and Fiqh [Islamic Jurisprudence]. Some say that it will be a matter of shame for him to be the disciple of a maulaw i. For this reason, it is believed that he will sit in the grave of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and gain benefit while sitting there. However, both these things are actually wrong. This much is proven from this, however, that they believe that benefit can be derived from graves. Nonetheless, it should be remembered that this matter should not be by way of shirk [associating part- ners with Allah], as it is generally seen.