Did our souls before life have relationships?

Question

Assalamu Alaikum! In the last friday khutbah, I thought I heard the khateeb say that souls made relationships with each other before going to the body. Was what I heard correct (in other words, is this a real thing), was this close to some other proof, or what I heard makes zero sense?

Answer 1

Asalaam alaikum

I believe this is the Hadith you are referring to,

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The souls are troops collected together. They come close upon what they recognize, and they differ upon what they reject.” [bukhari & Muslim]

This Hadith is muttafaqun alayhi (meaning it's authenticity is agreed upon by both bukhari and Muslim)

On the commentry of this Hadith, Al-Nawawi said,

“When bodies meet in the world, they come together or differ according to how they were created. The righteous will incline to the righteous, and the evil will incline to the evil.”

Just for the sake of more clarity and better understanding, I'll quote from the commentry of ibn hajar of this Hadith as well,

Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth: Concerning the phrase Souls are like conscripted soldiers al-Khattaabi said: This may refer to their similarity as regards good or evil, righteousness or corruption. Good people are inclined towards other good people, and evil people are similarly inclined towards other evil people. Souls feel affinity with others according to the nature in which they were created, good or evil. If souls natures are similar, they will get along, otherwise they will not be on good terms with one another. It could be that what is being referred to is the beginning of creation in the realm of the unseen when, it is reported, souls were created before bodies, and used to meet one another and express their pessimism about the future. When souls have entered bodies (come to the physical realm) they may recognize one another from the past, and may be on friendly terms or otherwise based on that past experience.

Many scholars have commented on this Hadith and I'll quote one more,

Al-Qurtubi said: Although they are all souls, they differ in different ways, so a person will feel an affinity with souls of one kind, and will get along with them because of the special quality that they have in common.

Reference :

Commentry on sahih Muslim

Fath Al bari

May Allah the mighty and sublime grant us mercy and guide us to the straight path.

Allah knows best