I read your answer that quran-khani for the deceased is not permissible.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
i read your answer that quran-khani for the
deceased is not permissible. we pray sura yasin, fatiha and ikhlas and send the
sawab to our deceased parents. we feed the poor as a sadaqa for the magfirat of
our parents. is that not allowed? what did the prophet pray when he visited the
grave? how can a living person, a son, pray for the reducing of the torment of
the grave of his parents. is reciting of the quran a sawab? can he part the
reward of some of his good deeds to them. if not, why is it permissible to do
haj for the parents (badla haj). can a person pay back the loan of a
deceased?
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
What can one do for the dead
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 53 Surah
Najm verses 38-39:
38 Namely that no bearer of burdens can bear
the burden of another;
39 That man can have nothing but what he
strives for;
Related by Muslim and
Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet
(saws) said, 'The righteous works that continue to benefit a believer after his
death include the knowledge that he taught and spread among others, a righteous
son (children) whom he leaves behind, or a copy of the Qur'an that he bequeaths
to his inheritors, or a mosque that he built (during his lifetime), or a rest
house that he built for the wayfarers, or a canal of water that he dug for the
benefit of others, or a charity that he gave out of his property during his
life while he was sound of health. He will continue to receive rewards for all
these even after his death.'
Related by
In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the
Quran and the Sunnah, it is absolutely evident that the guiding principle in
Islam is that every person would receive the reward only for what he himself
strives for and the Book of Records of the deceased ceases to record anything
except three things:
Your
Question: i read your answer that quran-khani for the deceased is not
permissible. we pray sura yasin, fatiha and ikhlas and send the sawab to our
deceased parents. we feed the poor as a sadaqa for the magfirat of our parents.
is that not allowed?
Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, it is the solemn belief
of every true believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day, that there
was, is, or never will be anyone in the annuls of creation who loved Allah,
knew and understood the Commands of Allah, knew and understood what exactly is
pleasing and acceptable to Allah, or worshipped Allah Subhanah more or better
than the Noble Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah
(saws)!
Thus it is absolutely imperative that for any act to be
considered a part of the perfect deen of Islam or any deed to be acceptable to
Allah Subhanah, it has to be endorsed by Allah Subhanah in His Quran or through
the practice and authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Thus if anyone dares to comes up with any act of worship
like celebration, commemoration, or prescribes importance to any prayer, or
fast, or night or day, or invents, innovates, or adds anything in the deen of
Islam which is not endorsed by the Noble Prophet (saws), then it implies one of
three things:
Allah is our witness brother, if anyone in the annuls of
creation ever claims to have any of the above three qualities is nothing more
than a confirmed and manifest liar!; for Allah is our witness, no man in the
annuls of creation loved or worshipped their Lord more than Prophet Mohamed
(saws), no man in the annuls of creation had more knowledge of the Truth than
the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws), and Allah is our witness, the Last and Final
Revelations of The Lord Most Majestic were revealed on Prophet Mohamed (saws),
and there is none who will or can receive revelations after him (saws)!
If one brings, invents, adds or innovates any act or deed
in religion which has not been specifically endorsed by Allah and His Messenger
(saws), then it has to be a ‘bida’ (innovation in the religion after the deen
was completed on Prophet Mohamed (saws)), and Allah is our witness, every
innovation in the deen of Islam is an error in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Sahih Muslim Hadith 1885 Narrated by
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a
sermon: “The best speech is that which
is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran;
and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the
innovations (bida), and every innovation (bida) is an error.”
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4515 Narrated by
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If
anyone introduces an innovation (bida in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation (bida) or
gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (bida), he is cursed by
Allah, by His Angels, and by all the people!”
Your
Question: i read your answer that quran-khani for the deceased is not
permissible. we pray sura yasin, fatiha and ikhlas and send the sawab to our
deceased parents. we feed the poor as a sadaqa for the magfirat of our parents.
is that not allowed?
The Messenger of Allah (saws) lived a lifetime amongst his
people, and many amongst his (saw’s) closest family and loved ones died during
his (saw’s) life; but there is absolutely no evidence in his (saw’s) authentic
traditions the Messenger of Allah (saws) ever invited the believers to perform
a ‘quran-khani’ for the deceased, nor did he (saws) recite Surah Yaa-Seen on
the deceased, nor Surah Fatihah, nor Surah Ikhlaas, etc., nor is there any
evidence that he (saws) gave sadaqah or feed the poor with the specific
intention to transfer the ‘sawaab’ of these acts to the account of the
deceased!!!
When the Messenger of Allah (saws) did not perform nor
endorse these acts or rituals to be performed for the deceased, who amongst
mankind can dare to claim or know that such acts are a part of the deen of
Islam, or that such acts and rituals benefit the deceased in any way
whatsoever!
Beloved Sister, for any act or rite or ritual to be
considered a part of the deen, it is absolutely imperative that it be endorsed
by Allah and His Messenger (saws)….if any act, or rite, or ritual is not
endorsed by Allah and His Messenger (saws) then it should be absolutely clear
that the act, or rite or ritual is not a part of the deen of Islam, but an
innovation which people have invented themselves without any authority….and
each and every innovation in the deen of Islam is a grave error and a sin.
Your
Question: what did the prophet pray when he visited the grave?
Related by Tirmidhi.
Aishah reported: "I asked: 'What should
I say when I pass by a graveyard, O Messenger of Allah (saws)?' He (saws)
replied, 'Say, "Peace be upon the believing men and women dwelling here.
May Allah grant mercy to those who have preceded us and those who are to follow
them. Certainly, Allah willing, we will join you"'.
Related by Muslim.
Your
Question: how can a living person, a son, pray for the reducing of the torment
of the grave of his parents.
One of the best things a righteous son (or loved ones) can
and must do is to remain constant in supplicating their Merciful Lord for their
deceased parents and fore-parents who were believers, and implore Allah
Subhanah constantly to forgive them their sins and short-comings, have Mercy
upon them, and raise their status and rewards in the Hereafter; it is expected
that the Merciful Lord will accept their good supplications for them.
Your
Question: is reciting of the quran a sawab?
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If
anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed,
and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one
letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Lam’ is a letter and ‘Mim’ is a letter."
Allah Subhanah, in His Unending and Infinite Mercy,
revealed the Glorious Quran as a guidance for all mankind; and without an iota
of a doubt, the recitation, understanding, obedience and implementation of this
Glorious Message would rank amongst the best deeds of a believer. But this reward is for the person who does
the good deed himself, and he does not have the power or right to transfer the
reward of his deeds to whom he wills.
Your
Question: can he part the reward of some of his good deeds to them (his
deceased parents).
Sahih Muslim Hadith 6466 Narrated by
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘He who
introduced some good practice in Islam, which was followed after him (by
people), will be assured of a reward like those who followed it, without their
rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice
in Islam, which was followed subsequently (by others), he will be required to
bear the burden like that of those who followed this (evil practice), without
theirs being diminished in any respect.
Dear and beloved sister in Islam, the truth of the matter is
whatever good one does, provided one’s parents were believers and made efforts
in their lifetime to make their children good muslims, they shall have a share
of the reward of every good deed their off-spring do, without any diminish whatsoever
in the reward of the one who does the good deeds. Thus whatever good and righteous deeds an
off-spring does, provided their parents were believers and exhorted their
children towards the Truth, they will have a reward in it, whether the
off-spring wishes a reward for them or not. Such is the Merciful Accounting and
Your
Question: why is it permissible to do haj for the parents (badla haj).
There are three types or
conditions of one’s rites of worship:
A woman came to the
Prophet (saws) and said, "My mother vowed to perform the Hajj but she died
before performing it. Should I perform the Hajj on her behalf?" He (saws)
said, "Yes! Perform the Hajj on her behalf. See, if your mother had been in debt, would
you have paid her debt?" She said,
"Yes." He (saws) said, "So you should pay what is for Him, as
Allah has more right that one should fulfill one's obligations to Him."
If one’s parents or a loved one intended to perform their
obligatory Hajj pilgrimage but met with their appointment of death before they
fulfilled their intention, the Messenger of Allah (saws) permitted their off-spring
to fulfill this their parent’s debt to Allah Subhanah.
But never did he (saws) ever allow or encourage or endorse
the off-spring or anyone else to offer the missed prayers of their deceased
loved ones, or missed fasts of the dead, or the recitation of the Glorious
Quran which the deceased could and should have done himself on a constant basis
when they were alive.
Your
Question: can a person pay back the loan of a deceased?
Because the paying back of the loan concerns the
‘huquq-ul-ibaad’ or rights that are due from one human being to another, the
Messenger of Allah (saws) time and time again endorsed and encouraged the
surviving heirs and the believers to repay the debts of the deceased.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in
Islam,
Burhan
