Prophets Helping After their Deaths

Question

Can a prophet help a nation after his death? If not, then how did prophet Moses (pbuh) help reduce number of prayers from 50 times to 5 even though Moses (pbuh) was a prophet and we are not his nation?

Response

For this particular discussion, I am not commenting on the narrative that states that the number of prayers were fifty and then reduced since that is not the primary topic of your question, although there're a number of issues with that narrative.

To address the question regarding a prophet helping a nation after his death, the important thing to note is that the actions of these prophets were taken by them in their lifetimes even though they had effects lasting beyond their deaths. This phenomenon is not only restricted to prophets but is in fact true of all human beings. The only difference is that prophet’s actions are usually in the religious domain.

However, this does not imply that after his death, a prophet can perform and act, take an action or help someone. Now that prophet Moses (pbuh) is dead, he cannot help us in anyway whatsoever and neither can prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Only the living people can help each other and results of their actions may have effects lasting beyond their lifetimes. If people keep benefiting from one’s good actions after their death, they keep getting reward for it too and such actions were referred to by the Prophet (pbuh) as 'sadaqa jariyah' (صدقة جارية), i.e. continual good.

I also want to highlight that the attribute 'al-hayyi' (الحي), meaning the Ever-Living, belongs only to God. That is He is the only one who is Ever-Living and can therefore help men eternally. Even the prophets are like ordinary mortals as explained in Quran 18:110 and therefore cannot help us after their deaths.