At the outset please know, that in Islam, death is not perceived asan
end of 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 experiencethis
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
OUR deeds
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 recital of Holy Qur'an,
charity, Nafil Salaat (NonObligatory), 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 the Muslim men and women. All of them will receive
the same rewardwithout 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 amatter 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" (Najm 53:39)
They allege that the above verse clarifies thatnone 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, anevil 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 follow them in Faith, -- to them We shall
join their families: nor shall We deprive them of the fruit of
anything of theirworks: yet each individual is in pledge for his
deeds" (Toor 52:21)." This verse entersthe children into Paradise
because of the righteousness of the parents.
They also cite a famous Hadeeth from Muslim Shareef:
Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased 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, recurringcharity, or
knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him
(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. This does not mean that a dead
persondoes not benefit from anything else. He cannot increase his own
rewardby 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 ofthe prayers of his son.
The above Hadeeth therefore cannot be quoted in support of theargument
that our actions cannot 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 Hadeethsupporting the act of conveying
rewards to those who passed away before us.
A. PROOFS FROM HOLY QUR'AN
Verse 1
And those who came after them say, "O our Lord! Forgive us, and
ourbrothers 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, Most Merciful." (Hashr 59:10)
Note that the above verse is 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 benefitAnd to top it all, Allah theAlmighty has
approved and praised their action!
Verse 2
"O our Lord! And forgive me, and my parents, andall the Muslims on the
day when the account will be established." (Ibrahim 14:41)
The benefit of the aboveverse is obvious. The prayer of Prophet Syedna
Ibrahim (peace be upon him), includes all believers - right from the
beginning i.e. those before him, and till the end of this world i.e.
even those who are not yet born. Al Hamdo Lillah! And this prayer is
often made in the last part (Qaadah) of our Salaat.
Verse 3
And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith, -- to
them We shall join their families : nor shall We deprive them of the
fruit of anything of theirworks: yet each individual is in pledge for
his deeds." (Toor 52:21)
This verse says that children will be admitted into Paradise because
of the righteousness of the parents.
Verse 4
And lower your wing humbly for them, with mercy, and pray, " My Lord!
Have mercy on them both , the way theynursed me when I was young."
(Bani Israel 17:24)
This verse is in fact a command from Allah for all believers to seek
mercy for their parents. So what is your opinion Will not the command
ofAllah hold any benefit for the deceased parent It certainly does.
Also note that there are several other verses from the Holy Qur'an
that teach us to pray, and the prayer includes all Muslim brothers &
sisters (living, passed away or yet to be borne).
Readers are requested toreflect on the fact that the above verses are
part of the Holy Qur'an - they are read perhaps millions of times
every day all over the world, aspart of regular recitation, and also
as Qirat within Salaat, and also as prayer in the last part (Qaadah)
of Salaat.
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