How is a deceased person questioned in the grave about his Prophet, "Who is your Prophet?", if this deceased person lived and died before the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?

Scholars differ on whether the questioning in the grave is exclusive to this nation (Ummah) or general to it and others, presenting several views:

First: That it is exclusive to this nation, because the previous nations had their messengers come to them, and if they refused to believe, they were swiftly punished. Whereas the nation of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was protected from punishment in this world due to their outward state, so questioning was legislated for them after their death to distinguish the wicked from the good. Among those who favored this view is Al-Hakim Al-Tirmidhi.

Second: To withhold judgment and not definitively decide on the matter. Ibn Abd al-Barr inclined towards this view.

Third: That the questioning is general to this nation and others. This view is the most preferred in terms of evidence, and it is the choice of Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-Qurtubi, and others. The proponents of this view argue that the hadiths regarding the torment of the grave indicate its occurrence for disbelievers and previous nations, as Allah Almighty said: (And there was no nation but that there had passed within it a warner) and (Then We will surely question those to whom [messengers] were sent, and We will surely question the messengers). Also, it is narrated in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The Jews are tormented in their graves," and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Only the Jews are afflicted," then it was revealed to him that this nation would be afflicted in their graves. This indicates that torment and affliction in the grave occur among nations other than this one, and questioning in the grave is part of this affliction.