At the outset please know, that in Islam, deathis not perceived as an
endof life. It is just the end of the worldly existence as we witness
it, and the beginning of a new existence, in which the soul
experiences a new world called "Barzakh." The soul may experience this
new life with or without its original body, according to its own rank
allotted to it by Allah the Almighty, the Supreme. There are too many
proofs from the Holy Qur'an and Hadeeth (Holy Prophet's Traditions)
regarding the above, and warrant an extensive article on the same. But
that is not the question here.
The question that some people ask is that if a person is dead, can we
increase its status or decrease its torment by conveying rewards of
OURdeeds
It is the consensus of the Sahaba, the earlier Ulema,and the latter
ones that the above is (a) Effective and that (b) it is certainly
permissible, in fact meritorious, to do so.
If one wants to convey the reward of one's recitalof Holy Qur'an,
charity, Nafil Salaat (Non Obligatory), fasts and good deeds, Hajj,
Umrah etc., then one should convey it to the virtuous soul of our
beloved Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), one's
relatives, and all theMuslim men and women. All of them will receive
the same reward without any deduction; the one who has carried this
out will also receive the same reward without any loss. It is also
valid to convey the reward to the living persons. (Fatawa Shami).
Before we back up the above statements with several proofs from the
Holy Qur'an and Hadeeth, we should, as a matter of justice, look into
the objections brought against the above belief.
Those who object to this act, cite the following verse from the Holy Qur'an:
"And that man will not obtain anything except what he strove for" (Najm53:39)
They allege that the above verse clarifies that none of our deeds can
benefit one who has passed away. Such a view is incorrect. Firstly,
this Ayah exhorts people to remember that good deeds will bring good
results and evil deeds, an evil result. So they must always persist is
seeking good. And that that they must not simply depend on other
people's prayers.Secondly, most scholars are of the opinion that the
message in this verse is abrogated by the verse: "And those who
believe and whose families followthem in Faith, -- to them We shall
join their families: nor shall We deprive them of the fruit of
anything of their works: yet each individualis in pledge for his
deeds" (Toor 52:21)." This verse enters the children into Paradise
because of the righteousness of the parents.
They also cite a famous Hadeeth from Muslim Shareef:
Abu Huraira (Allah be wellpleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger
(peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: When a man dies, his acts
come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which
people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays forhim (for the deceased).
Please closely examine the above Hadeeth. The words say " his acts"
(except three) come to an end. What comes to an end, then, is the
deceased person's own actions. Thisdoes not mean that a dead person
does not benefit from anything else. He cannot increase his own reward
by any new act (even if he prays or does Zikr in the grave, as proven
from various Hadeeth). But his reward can go on increasing because of
the prayers of his son.
The above Hadeeth therefore cannot be quoted in support of the
argument that our actionscannot benefit those who are dead. In fact,
it supports the case for conveying rewards to the dead!.
Also note that the actions and beliefs of none else than the beloved
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are proof of their
wrong opinion. And also against their narrow minded opinion are the
actions and beliefs of none else than the great Sahaba (Allah be well
pleased with them).
Having negated the objections, we bring forth for your perusal several
proofs from the Holy Qur'an and Hadeeth supporting the act of
conveying rewards to those who passed away before us.
A. PROOFS FROM HOLY QUR'AN
Verse 1
And those who came afterthem say, "O our Lord! Forgive us, and our
brothers who accepted faith before us , and do not keep any malice in
our hearts towards the believers - O our Lord! Indeed You only are the
Most Compassionate, MostMerciful." (Hashr 59:10)
Note that the above verseis a very strong evidence of the practice of
the Sahaba, which was so loved by Allah that it is part of the Holy
Qur'an. Why would the Sahaba pray for the deceased people if their
prayer was of no benefit And to top itall, Allah the Almighty
hasapproved and praised their action!
Verse 2
"O our Lord! And forgive me, and my parents, and all the Muslims on
the daywhen the account will be established." (Ibrahim 14:41) :->
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