We were along with Umar between Mecca and Medina that we began to look for the new moon. And I was a man with sharp eye- sight, so I could see it, but none except me saw it. I began to say to 'Umar: Don't you see it? But he would not see it. Thereupon Umar said: I would soon be able to see it (when it will shine more brightly). I lay upon bed. He then made a mention of the people of Badr to us and said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) showed us one day before (the actual battle) the place of death of the people (participating) in (the Battle) of Badr and he was saying: This would be the place of death of so and so tomorrow, if Allah wills. Umar said: By Him Who sent him with truth, they did not miss the places (of their death) which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had pointed for them. Then they were all thrown in a well one after another. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then went to them and said: O, so and so, the son of so and so; O so and so, the son of so and so, have you found correct what Allah and His Messenger had promised you? I have, however, found absolutely true what Allah had promised with me. Umar said: Allah's Messenger, how are you talking with the bodies without soul in them. Thereupon he said: You cannot hear more distinctly than (their hearing) of what I say, but with this exception that they have not power to make any reply.
The Book of Paradise, its Description, its Bounties and its Inhabitants
Sahih Muslim 2873 - Commentary by Classical Scholars
Contextual Analysis
This narration from Sahih al-Muslim demonstrates the profound knowledge granted to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) by Allah. The incident occurs during a journey between Mecca and Medina, where the companions sought the new moon, establishing the timeless connection between celestial observations and Islamic rituals.
Divine Foreknowledge
The Prophet's precise foretelling of the martyrs' death places at Badr exemplifies 'ilm al-ghayb (knowledge of the unseen) bestowed exclusively upon messengers. Scholars emphasize this was not personal knowledge but divine revelation, affirming his prophethood.
Addressing the Deceased
When the Prophet spoke to the martyrs in the well, he demonstrated that the dead in their graves hear and comprehend, though they cannot respond. Classical commentators explain this as a special privilege for prophets and martyrs, whose souls remain connected to their bodies in the grave, unlike ordinary deceased.
Spiritual Realities
Umar's initial confusion highlights the limitation of human perception compared to prophetic insight. The martyrs' confirmation of divine promise reinforces the certainty of Paradise for those who die in Allah's cause, their testimony echoing through eternity.
Theological Implications
This hadith establishes several creedal matters: the truth of prophethood, the reality of martyrdom's rewards, the continued existence of the soul after death, and the special status of those who fight in Allah's path - their testimony serving as eternal proof for the living.