Conveying Rewards to the Deceased (Isaale Sawaab)

Allah - in the name of - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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.
B. PROOFS FROM THE HADEETH
GENERAL PERMISSIONS (HADEETH # 1 - 4)
Hadeeth 1
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) . (Muslim)
Hadeeth 2
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What is
credited to a believer of his action and good deed after his death is
any useful knowledge he might have taught or spread, a Allah-fearing
child he might have left behind, a copy of the Qur'an he might have
left to an heir, a mosque he might have built, a house he might have
dedicated for use by travelers, a stream or river he might have caused
to run, a donation to charity (i.e. sadaqah) he might have set aside
when he was enjoying good health. Allthat catches up with himafter his
death. " (Ibn Majah)
Hadeeth 3
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'Aas (Allah be well pleased with
him): Al-'As ibn Wa'il left his will that a hundred slaves should be
emancipated on his behalf. His son Hisham emancipated fifty slaves and
his son Amr intended to emancipate the remaining fifty on his behalf,
but he said: I should ask first the Apostle of Allah. He, therefore,
came to the Holy Prophet and said: Apostle of Allah, my father left in
his will thata hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf and
Hisham has emancipated fifty on his behalf and fifty remain. Shall I
emancipate them on his behalf The Apostleof Allah said: Had he been a
Muslim and you had emancipated slaves on his behalf, or given sadaqah
on his behalf, or performed the pilgrimage, that would have reached
him. (Abu Daud)
Hadeeth 4
Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased with him) reported Allah's
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: He who
alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the
world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the
Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard
pressed, Allah would make thingseasy for him in the Hereafter, and he
who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults
in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant
so longas the servant is at the back of his brother, and he who treads
the path in search of know- ledge, Allah would make that path easy,
leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in the
house among the houses of Allah (mosques) and recite the Book of Allah
and they learn and teachthe Qur'an (among themselves) there
woulddescend upon them the tranquility and mercy would cover them and
the angels would surround them and Allahmakes a mention of them in the
presence of those near Him , and he who is slow-paced in doing good
deeds, his (high) lineage does not make him go ahead. (Muslim)
FUNERALS (HADEETH # 5 - 9)
When a Muslim dies, it is a duty on the communityof Muslims to offer a
special prayer for him during which they pray Allah to forgive him and
admit him into heaven. The funeral prayer is Fard Kifayah for the
living Muslim brothers i.e. if just one person offers it, the entire
community is absolved of this duty. But see the importance attached to
the more and more people joining the prayer. And the benefit reaching
the deceased person is obvious.
Hadeeth 5
Syeda 'A'isha (Allah be well pleased with her) reported Allah's
Apostle (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: If a company of
Muslims numbering one hundredpray over a dead person,all of them
interceding for him, their intercession for him will be accepted.
(Muslim)
Hadeeth 6
'Abdullah b. 'Abbas (Allahbe well pleased with him) reported that his
son died in Qudaid or 'Usfan. He said to Kuraib to see as to how many
people had gathered there for his (funeral). He (Kuraib) said: So I
went out and I informedhim about the people who had gathered there. He
(Ibn 'Abbas) said: Do you think they are forty He (Kuraib) said: Yes.
Ibn 'Abbas thensaid to them: Bring him (the dead body) out for Ihave
heard Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying:
If any Muslim dies and forty men who associate nothing with Allah
stand over his prayer (they offer prayerover him), Allah will accept
them as intercessors for him. (Muslim)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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