The question about the condition of carcass or a dead body in the grave whether it could see what happens in the living world has the basis from the report of our mother, Aishah r.a and others.
Regarding the question on whether a deceased soul returning to its body or hovering on its grave while listening or seeing something in the living world or other times? It says that the soul returns to its body while listening or seeing something according to times. This is mentioned in hadiths.
The soul is in contact with its body though already leaving the body at any time or pace where He Wills it to happen. Although it is only for few moments like the angels descend to the world or the light of the sun reaching the earth or like a person who gain his consciousness and rising up from his sleep for few seconds and sleep again.
Some evidences show that souls and spirits are hovering over their graves. Says Mujahid: "The souls are at their graveyard (close to its material body) for seven days beginning from the day he passed away and buried. It's sometimes close to its physical body and sometimes away.
Anas bin Malik r.a says: "I was told that those (departed) souls or spirits could move anywhere they wanted to and the God knows more than His creatures." (Majmu' Fatawa chap 23 pg. 362)
Ibnu Taimiyyah mentions in his book: "Whilst the question about what has been told by the God about the life of the martyrs in the Barzakh, they are given the sustenance and it is also mentioned in valid hadiths that the souls of the martyrs will be entered into the paradise."
Thus, many opinions from scholars stating that this matter or state mentioned by Ibnu Taimiyyah in his kitaab is specific to the martyrs. It is not referring to Ahlus-Siddiqeen or the people of righteousness and others. Other valid opinion such as what stated in the Sunnah and Ibnu Taimiyyah is not only specific to the martyrs but also to others. The martyrs were specifically mentioned in the Quran as there were assumptions that a person would die when defending himself from being bullied and oppressed by others who worship materials and believe not in freedom of others. So, he would back off and letting himself to be sunken under oppressions. So, the God mentions this specifically in Revelation for a believer to protect himself from being bullied by those who were deflected from worshiping Him alone. It is also the same with the prohibition to kill innocent children because of the fear for being poor. It is the fact that many people would also kill their children, adolescence and fetus even when killing them is prohibited! (Majmu' Fatawa chap. 24 pg. 332).
Soul of Martyrs
When we talk about this issue of martyrdom, I am sure many would associate this to violence because it is rampant in Western world as if Western world is so holy, saintly human-being, civilized over others (in term of arrogance) and never waging war to others. But in history, these kind of things had already happened. It is not unique only to people in modern time like today who have to defend themselves but also in the antiquity such as in Bar Kochba Rebellion (132-136 CE) where those Judeans were suppressed by pagan Romans in Judea before the rise of noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
Martyrs also refer to those who were brutally killed because of their faith such as the parents of Amr bin Yasser which is one of the companion of noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w. It happened in Meccan period when the light began to rise up again. Amr's father is Yassir bin Amir and his mother is Sumayya bint Khayyat. We always recite prayers for their souls.
In narrations that I listened from elders and teachers while I was a little Muslim boy, these figures were among those who were mentioned to my ears. Both of these martyrs were slaves to a rich idolater. But now, I am amazed to Sumayya because she is a woman and she had to bear brutal torments of influential man in the society of the particular period because of her faith to the God through the prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w. She just died without EU intervention regarding human rights nor media coverage nor receiving sympathy from Civilized Western world or other 'human-being'.
Those who killed Sumayyah and her husband were non-Muslims but idolaters. Their house were burn, they were stricken with hot iron-rod, their eyes were poked out, and other brutal torments to force them to leave their faith toward the God and His messenger, Muhammad s.a.w. Nobody in Orientalism mention and herald this aloud to the world, right. I feel so sick when I read and watching figures such as Hirsi Ayan Ali and others like her. She and these people are so cheap in term of materialism comfort. They will get what they want but it will never satisfy them forever because they have no soul and spirit. What is so amazing with Western Civilization???! I see emptiness and no-spiritualism. I am more amazed to those in Himalayan range of mountains compared to those in Europe or the United States. They are not rich but they don't have to fear the death because there is nothing to be left behind (houses, nice food, properties and estate, children, position as leaders, praises from fellow creatures and etc).
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!
