Is the statement by a friend that the dead do not hear any speech whatsoever, even what happens in the homes of their children or at their graves after burial, apart from the sound of sandals, correct?

The issue of the dead hearing the speech of the living is a point of contention among scholars.

Aisha denied this, based on His (Allah’s) saying: {Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear} and {Nor can you make those in graves hear}, and some scholars agreed with her on this.

However, the majority of scholars, including Al-Tabari and Ibn Qutaybah, held that the dead can hear, citing the Hadith of Al-Qalib (the well).

The preponderant opinion is that the dead generally hear the speech of the living, though it is not necessarily continuous hearing, and they may hear in some circumstances but not others.