5a] Conveying Rewards to the Deceased (Isaale Sawaab)

5a]
The benefit of the above verse is obvious. The prayer of Prophet
Syedna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), includes all believers- right from
the beginningi.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 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 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 they nursed me when I was young."
(Bani Israel 17:24)
This verse is in fact a command from Allah for all believers to seek
mercyfor their parents. So what is your opinion Will not the command
of Allah hold any benefit for the deceased parent It certainly does.
Also note that there are several other verses from the Holy Qur'an
that teachus to pray, and the prayer includes all Muslim brothers &
sisters (living, passed away or yet to be borne).
Readers are requested to reflect on the fact that theabove verses are
part of the Holy Qur'an - they are read perhaps millions of times
every day all over the world, as part 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 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) .
(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. All that catches up with him after
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 willthat 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 fatherleft in
his will that a hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalfand
Hisham has emancipated fifty on his behalf and fifty remain. Shall I
emancipate them on his behalf The Apostle of Allah said: Had he been a
Muslim and you had emancipated slaves on hisbehalf, or given sadaqah
on his behalf, or performed the pilgrimage,that would have reached
him. (Abu Daud)
Hadeeth 4
Abu Huraira (Allah be wellpleased 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 onewho is hard pressed,
Allahwould make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who
conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults
inthe world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so
long as the servant is at the back of his brother, and he who treads
the path insearch 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 recitethe Book of Allah
and they learn and teach the Qur'an (among themselves) there would
descend upon them the tranquility and mercy would cover them and the
angels would surround them and Allah makes a mention of them in the
presence of those near Him , and he who is slow-paced in doing
gooddeeds, his (high) lineage does not make him go ahead. (Muslim)
FUNERALS (HADEETH # 5 - 9)
When a Muslim dies, it is aduty on the community ofMuslims to offer a
special prayer for him during which they pray Allah to forgive him and
admit him into heaven. :->

5] Conveying Rewards to the Deceased (Isaale Sawaab)

5]
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) :->

4a] Can women gather in the house of one of their number to offer Taraweeh prayer?

4a]
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 591; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in
Irwa'al-Ghaleel, 493.
And it was narrated from 'Aa'ishah that she would give the call to
prayer andlead other women in prayer, standing in the middle of the
row.
And 'Aa'ishah led women in obligatory prayers, standing in the midst of them.
And it was narrated that Hujayrah bint Haseen said: Umm Salamaah led
us in prayer standing in the midst of the women.
And it was narrated from Umm al-Hasan that she saw Umm Salamah, the
wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
leading women in prayer, standing with them in their row.
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after narrating
these reports:
In conclusion, these reports are sound and may be acted upon,
especially since they confirm the general meaning of the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Women are the
twin halves of men…"
Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), p. 153-155.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
She should recite out loudin prayers where it is required to recite
out loud, but if there are any men present, she should not recite out
loud, unlessthey are her mahrams, in which case she may do so.
Al-Mughni, 2/17
And Allaah knows best.

4] Can women gather in the house of one of their number to offer Taraweeh prayer?

4]
We live in a village in which there are no women who go to the mosque,
and there is no space for women in the mosque. Is it permissible for
women to gather in one house to pray Taraweeh in congregation? If that
is permissible, should the prayer be recited quietly or what? How can
they pray in congregation if the prayer is to be recited aloud like
Fajr or 'Isha' and one of them leads theothers – should she recite out
loud or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is permissible for women to gather to pray Taraweeh in the house of
one of them, subject to the condition that there isno wanton display
of adornments (tabarruj) involved in their going out, and that there
is no danger of fitnah.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
There is nothing wrong with women attending Taraweeh prayers so long
as there is no danger of fitnah, subject to the condition that they go
outin a decorous manner, notmaking a wanton display of their
adornments or wearing perfume. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 14, question no. 808.
But it is better for each of them to pray on her own in her house, and
in an inner part of the house. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said that it is better for women to offer
obligatory prayers in theirhouses than to pray in themosque, so it is
more apt that this should also applyto naafil prayers.
It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
best mosques for women are the innermostparts of their houses."
Narrated by Ahmad, 26002; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Targheeb, 341.
Indeed it is better for a woman to pray in her home than to pray in
congregation in al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah) or in the Prophet's
Mosque behind the Prophet himself (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
It was narrated from Umm Humayd, the wife ofAbu Humayd al-Saa'idi (may
Allaah be pleased with them both) that she came to the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allaah,
I love to pray with you." He said: "I know that you love to pray
withme, but your praying in your room is better for you than your
praying in your house, and your praying in your house is better for
you than your praying in your courtyard,and your praying in your
courtyard is better for youthan your praying in the mosque of your
people, and your praying in the mosque of your people is better for
you than your praying in my mosque." So she gave orders that a
'mosque' be built for her in the innermost and darkest part of her
house, and she used to pray there until she met Allaah (i.e., died).
Narrated by Ahmad, 26550; classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah, 1689;
classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 340.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled: It is
preferable for a woman topray in her house rather than in her
courtyard, andin the mosque of her people rather than in the Mosque of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), eventhough
one prayer offered in the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is equivalent toone thousand prayers offered in
any other mosque. This is the evidence that the words of the Prophet
(peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him), "One prayer in this mosque
of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any other mosque" refer
only to men and not women.
Al-Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeem Abaadi (may Allaah have mercy on him)said:
It is better for women to pray in their houses because then there is
no danger of fitnah. This ruling is even more emphatic because of the
wanton display (tabarruj) and adornment of women.
'Awn al-Ma'bood, 2/193
Secondly:
If women gather togetherin one house in accordance with the conditions
mentioned above, it is permissible forthem to pray in congregation.
The one who is leading them in prayer should stand in themiddle of the
(first) row, not out in front, and she should not lead men in prayer
even if they are her mahrams. She should recite our loud just as men
do in the prayers where reciting out loud is required, so long as no
men except her mahrams can hear her voice.
It was narrated that UmmWaraqah bint 'Abd-Allaah ibn Nawfal
al-Ansaariyyahasked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) for permission to appoint a muezzin in her house who would call
her to prayer, and he told her to lead the people of her household in
prayer.
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 591; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in
Irwa'al-Ghaleel, 493. :->