Short answer
No. Islam teaches that the dead do not come back. At death the soul passes behind a barrier, the barzakh, until the Day of Resurrection (23:99-100). The dead do not roam among the living. The love and grief we feel for them are real. No one's place after death depends on offerings. It is in God's (﷾) hands, and He wrongs no one (4:40). Islam does not deny that people meet strange things. Many have ordinary causes. Islam also teaches that unseen beings, the jinn, share our world. If something real lies behind a sighting, it may be jinn, not the dead. That is an explanation, not a claim that any story is true. Prayer and refuge belong to God (﷾) alone. The Qur'an teaches the words: "I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind" (114:1). The dead cannot answer or help, and the living need not fear them.
Full explanation
The seventh month and the wandering dead
In Chinese tradition the seventh lunar month is a time for the dead. Its high point is the Ghost Festival, often called the Hungry Ghost Festival. In mainland China many count it a custom rather than a religion. Families burn paper clothing and paper money before the ancestral tablets (wooden plaques bearing the ancestors' names), for their own dead. Food and paper money are also offered for spirits who have no descendants to care for them. In the 1860s an American writer in Fuzhou recorded offerings to destitute spirits of the dead, such as those of beggars. Many feared these spirits could bring illness or trouble in business. In medieval China the festival also had a Buddhist side. Lay people gave offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors.
Pew notes that in mainland China it is often considered a custom (xisu), rather than a religion (zongjiao), to venerate ancestors' spirits and to observe the (Hungry) Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month.
Doolittle records that in Fuzhou, some time in the seventh month, generally before or about the fifteenth day, families observe the burning of paper clothing in the middle of the seventh month. Its stated aim is to provide clothing and money for their dead ancestors. Paper money and paper clothing are burned before the ancestral tablets, where incense and candles have been lit.
Werner writes that the city god is believed to take special care of the k'u kuei, the spirits who have no descendants to worship them and offer sacrifices to them. At the Seventh Month Festival he is carried round the city to keep order among them, while the people offer food to them and burn paper money for their benefit.
Describing burials in Fuzhou, Doolittle records that an offering of paper clothing, paper money, incense and steamed cakes was also made for the destitute spirits of the dead in the lower world, such as the spirits of lepers and beggars. He says such offerings were also made in front of shops and homes, for example in a slight illness or before a business venture, because these spirits were believed to injure health and upset business, so that many feared them.
Teiser studies the festivities of the seventh lunar month in medieval China, one of the most important annual celebrations, in which lay people presented offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors.
Confucius on the spirits of the dead
Confucius (Kongzi) honoured the dead, but said little about where they are. The Analects, in James Legge's English, says of him: "He sacrificed to the dead, as if they were present." He taught that wisdom is, "while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them". A disciple asked him about death. Confucius turned the question back to life: "While you do not know life, how can you know about death?" The Analects does not say where the dead are.
“He sacrificed to the dead, as if they were present. He sacrificed to the spirits, as if the spirits were present.”
“Fan Ch'ih asked what constituted wisdom. The Master said, 'To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.'”
“Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, 'While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?' Chi Lu added, 'I venture to ask about death?' He was answered, 'While you do not know life, how can you know about death?'”
The common ground: death is not the end
Behind these customs stands a belief Islam shares: death is not the end of a person. The Qur'an says that God (﷾) takes the souls at death. The soul does not perish with the body. Islam also shares the wish to remember the dead with love. Where Islam differs is in where the dead are, and in what reaches them.
“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.”
Behind a barrier until the Day they are raised
The Qur'an speaks plainly of where the dead are. It describes a dying man who begs to be sent back, to put right what he neglected. The answer is "By no means!" Behind the dead is a barzakh (a barrier) until the Day they are raised. Yusuf Ali translates the word as "Partition". The Prophet (ﷺ) said that each dead person is shown his place morning and evening until the Resurrection. The Qur'an also says that God (﷾) takes the souls at death. Of the dead it says: "those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back". So the dead do not roam among the living, and they do not come back as ghosts.
“(In Falsehood will they be) Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life),- "In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." - "By no means! It is but a word he says."- Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.”
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when one of you dies, he is shown his place morning and evening, in Paradise if he is of its people and in the Fire if he is of its people, and he is told that this is his place until Allah raises him on the Day of Resurrection.
“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.”
No soul depends on our offerings
Chinese tradition worries for the dead who have no one to make offerings for them. Islam answers that worry. No one's place after death depends on what the living burn or set out. Each person's place is in God's (﷾) hands, and "Allah is never unjust in the least degree". On the Day of Judgment not even the weight of a mustard seed is overlooked. So no soul is forgotten, and none is left waiting on what the living give.
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
“We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.”
What reaches a parent who died a believer
In Islam, what reaches the dead is what God (﷾) has said reaches them. For a parent who died a believer, a child's prayer and charity both do. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that a person's deeds end at death, except three: lasting charity, useful knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for him. A man asked whether his mother, who had died suddenly, would have the reward if he gave charity for her. The Prophet (ﷺ) said yes. So at any time, a Muslim prays to God (﷾) for a believing parent. He gives charity to people in need on that parent's behalf.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a person dies, his deeds come to an end except three: lasting charity, knowledge that people benefit from, and a righteous child who prays for him.
Aisha reports that a man told the Prophet (ﷺ) that his mother had died suddenly. He thought she would have given charity if she had lived, and he asked whether she would receive the reward if he gave charity for her. The Prophet (ﷺ) said yes.
Ancestors who died before Islam reached them
Most readers' grandparents were not Muslim. The Qur'an speaks of those who joined others with God (﷾) in worship, even close family. It says it is not fitting for the Prophet (ﷺ) and the believers to pray for their forgiveness. The verse adds a condition: "after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire". So a Muslim does not ask God's (﷾) forgiveness for a relative who died outside Islam. That is a rule for his own prayers. It is not a verdict on the person. The Qur'an also says that God (﷾) does not visit with His wrath "until We had sent a messenger". So the message must first reach a person. And it says that "Allah is never unjust in the least degree". Whether and how the message reached each person, God (﷾) alone knows. No Muslim may declare where any particular person stands with God (﷾). That belongs to God (﷾), who is just. The page "What happens to people who never heard of Islam or of Jesus?" gives the full answer.
“It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.”
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).”
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
What people see: the jinn
Islam does not deny that people meet things they cannot explain. Many such experiences have ordinary causes. Tiredness, fever and illness can make people see or hear what is not there. Illness needs a doctor: the Prophet (ﷺ) said God (﷾) has sent down no disease without its cure. Islam also teaches that there are beings we do not normally see. The Qur'an calls them the jinn, created from fire free of smoke. The jinn are not all alike. The Qur'an tells of jinn who said: "There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary". So if something real lies behind what is called a ghost, it may be jinn, not the dead. This is an explanation, not a claim that any particular story is true. The guide "The jinn" on this site sets out what the Qur'an and the authentic hadith say about them.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said God has not sent down any disease without also sending down its cure.
“He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:”
“'There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary: we follow divergent paths.”
Refuge with God (﷾) alone
The Qur'an tells of people who "took shelter with persons among the Jinns". The scholar Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) explains that the Arabs before Islam did this when they camped in a lonely valley. Instead of calming their fear, it made them more afraid. In Islam, safety is sought from God (﷾), never from unseen beings. Harm and good come only as God (﷾) wills: if He touches you with hurt, none can remove it but He. The Qur'an's last two chapters teach the words of protection: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn". Every night the Prophet (ﷺ) recited them, with Surat al-Ikhlas (chapter 112, on God's (﷾) oneness), before he slept. He also said there is no bad omen (tiyara), and no Safar, which many scholars explain as the month his people held unlucky. So in Islam no month is to be feared. Prayer goes to God (﷾) alone. Those called on besides Him, the dead among them, cannot answer or help.
“'True, there were persons among mankind who took shelter with persons among the Jinns, but they increased them in folly.”
Ibn Kathir explains that before Islam, when Arabs camped in a lonely valley, they would seek refuge with the chief of that place's jinn, so that no harm would come to them. When the jinn saw people seeking refuge with them out of fear, they increased them in fear and terror (rahaq), so that people feared them all the more. He also reports that others read the word as sin, or as the jinn growing bolder against them.
“If Allah do touch thee with hurt, there is none can remove it but He: if He do design some benefit for thee, there is none can keep back His favour: He causeth it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn From the mischief of created things; From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; From the mischief of those who practise secret arts; And from the mischief of the envious one as he practises envy.”
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind, The King (or Ruler) of Mankind, The god (or judge) of Mankind,- From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who withdraws (after his whisper),- (The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind,- Among Jinns and among men.”
Aisha reports that every night, when the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed, he cupped his hands together, recited Surat al-Ikhlas, Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nas, and blew into them. Then he wiped his hands over as much of his body as he could, beginning with his head, his face and the front of his body. He did this three times.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said there is no 'adwa, no tiyara (bad omens from birds), no hama and no Safar. Many scholars explain 'adwa as disease spreading by its own power apart from God, hama as the owl taken as a sign of death, and Safar as the month held unlucky.
“"And the places of worship are for Allah (alone): So invoke not any one along with Allah;”
“He merges Night into Day, and he merges Day into Night, and he has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye invoke besides Him have not the least power.”
“If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of Judgment they will reject your "Partnership". and none, (O man!) can tell thee (the Truth) like the One Who is acquainted with all things.”
One life, then the return to God (﷾)
Islam's answer is calm. Every soul will taste death, and is paid in full only on the Day of Judgment. Until then the dead wait behind the barrier, in God's (﷾) hands. The Qur'an points to a sign of that Day: God (﷾) gives life to the dead earth, "and thus shall ye be brought out". So the living need not fear the dead. They can remember them, and turn to God (﷾). Islam is a deen, a complete way of life: belief, worship, family and character together. The page "What is Islam?" shows it in one place. The Qur'an asks you to test it. It says the Prophet (ﷺ) was sent to all people, and calls him the Seal of the Prophets, the last of them. Read it, and ask whether it is from the Lord of the Worlds.
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”
“It is He Who brings out the living from the dead, and brings out the dead from the living, and Who gives life to the earth after it is dead: and thus shall ye be brought out (from the dead).”
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
“O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided."”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
Point by point
Qur'an 23:99-100 — Surat al-Mu'minun (The Believers), verses 99-100
“(In Falsehood will they be) Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life),- "In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." - "By no means! It is but a word he says."- Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.”
Cited for
People have seen ghosts.
The response
Islam does not mock such experiences, or deny them. Tiredness and illness can make people see or hear what is not there, and illness has its cure (Bukhari 5678). Islam denies only that the dead roam among the living (23:100). If something real lies behind a sighting, it may be jinn, beings we do not normally see (55:15). That is an explanation, not a claim that any story is true.
Where it lands — Islam does not deny the experience. It denies that the dead are its cause: they are behind a barrier until the Day they are raised.
Qur'an 4:40 — Surat al-Nisa (The Women), verse 40
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
Cited for
I have felt my grandmother in the house.
The response
Islam does not mock such feelings, or deny them. What we feel and remember of those we love is real: it is love and grief. Love can make the dead feel near. But the dead do not roam among the living: they are behind a barrier until the Day they are raised (23:100). She is in God's (﷾) hands, and He wrongs no one (4:40).
Where it lands — The love is real. The dead are not among us: they are in God's (﷾) hands, behind a barrier until the Day they are raised.
Qur'an 2:154 — Surat al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 154
“And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.”
Cited for
The Qur'an itself says some of the dead are alive.
The response
It says this of those slain in God's (﷾) way. They live "finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord" (3:169): provided for by their Lord, not by the living. It is a life "ye perceive (it) not" (2:154). They are with their Lord, not among us.
Where it lands — The verses speak of a life with God (﷾) beyond the barrier. They do not bring the dead back among us.
Qur'an 35:14 — Surat Fatir (The Originator), verse 14
“If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of Judgment they will reject your "Partnership". and none, (O man!) can tell thee (the Truth) like the One Who is acquainted with all things.”
Cited for
Muslims say the dead can hear in their graves. So our ancestors can hear us.
The response
Islam teaches that whatever the dead hear is what God (﷾) lets them hear, behind the barrier (23:100). The Qur'an says of those called on besides God (﷾): "if they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer)" (35:14). So hearing would not let them answer or help. A Muslim calls on God (﷾) alone (72:18).
Where it lands — The dead may hear what God (﷾) lets them hear. They cannot answer or help, so prayer goes to God (﷾) alone.
Qur'an 55:14-15 — Surat al-Rahman (The Beneficent), verses 14-15
“He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:”
Cited for
Muslims believe in jinn. That is just ghosts by another name.
The response
The jinn are not the dead. The Qur'an says they are a creation of their own, made from fire free of smoke (55:15). Islam asks no one to seek refuge with them (72:6). A Muslim seeks refuge in God (﷾) alone (113-114).
Where it lands — The jinn are created beings, not the souls of the dead, and the answer to them is to turn to God (﷾).
Qur'an 4:40 — Surat al-Nisa (The Women), verse 40
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
Cited for
If we stop the offerings, our ancestors will be left with nothing.
The response
In Islam the dead are in God's (﷾) hands. For a parent who died a believer, a child's prayer and charity given for them reach them (Muslim 1631; Bukhari 1388). For those who died outside Islam, a Muslim does not ask God's (﷾) forgiveness (9:113). That is a rule for his own prayers. It is not a verdict on your parents or grandparents. The verse gives its condition: "after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire". The Qur'an also says God (﷾) sends no wrath "until We had sent a messenger" (17:15). He is "never unjust in the least degree" (4:40). No Muslim may declare any person's fate. That belongs to God (﷾).
Where it lands — The dead are not provided for by what the living burn. They are in the hands of a God who wrongs no one.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6990 — Kitab al-Ta'bir (Interpretation of Dreams), hadith 6990
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said nothing is left of prophethood except al-mubashshirat. Asked what they are, he said: true good dreams, which bring glad news.
Cited for
My grandmother came to me in a dream and asked for offerings.
The response
Love often brings the dead into our dreams, and such a dream can be a comfort. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that nothing is left of prophethood except good dreams that bring glad news (Bukhari 6990). So a dream may bring comfort or good news. It does not bring a new command from God (﷾). No one's place after death depends on offerings; it is in God's (﷾) hands, and He wrongs no one (4:40). For a parent who died a believer, pray to God (﷾) and give charity for them (Muslim 1631; Bukhari 1388).
Where it lands — A dream may move us to remember the dead. What reaches them is what God (﷾) has said reaches them.
Perspectives
Chinese tradition: the dead live on and receive offerings
In the seventh month, families burn paper money and paper clothing for their ancestors. They also make offerings for wandering spirits who have no descendants to care for them.
The spirits of the ancestors live on, and what the family burns for them provides for them.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that the soul lives on, but behind a barrier until the Resurrection (23:99-100). What reaches a parent who died a believer is a child's prayer to God (﷾) and charity given for them.
Spirits with no descendants wander, and offerings keep them from doing harm.
Rebuttal
In Islam no soul's place depends on what descendants give; it is in God's (﷾) hands, and He is never unjust (4:40). Harm comes only as God (﷾) wills (10:107). So refuge is sought in Him alone (113:1-5).
The Islamic perspective
The dead do not come back. They wait behind a barrier, the barzakh, until the Day of Resurrection, in God's (﷾) hands. Whatever is real in what people call ghosts may be jinn, and refuge is sought in God (﷾) alone.
After death there is a barrier, the barzakh, until the Day of Resurrection, and no one is sent back.
No one's place after death depends on offerings; God (﷾) judges every soul, and He is never unjust.
A child's prayer, and charity given on a parent's behalf, reach a parent who died a believer.
Unseen beings, the jinn, share our world; whatever is real in a sighting may be jinn, not the dead.
Refuge and prayer belong to God (﷾) alone; those called on besides Him cannot answer or help.