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سلسله احاديث صحيحه
Silsilah Sahihah
الايمان والتوحيد والدين والقدرBook of Faith, Monotheism, Religion, and Divine Decree
Ways of conveying reward to the deceased
Hadith 41
اُردوEn
- " أما أبوك فلو كان أقر بالتوحيد، فصمت وتصدقت عنه نفعه ذلك ".
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: As bin Wa'il made a vow in the days of ignorance that he would slaughter one hundred camels (but he died before fulfilling the vow). His son Hisham bin As slaughtered fifty camels from his share, and the other son, Sayyiduna Amr, asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If your father had affirmed the oneness of Allah and you had fasted or given charity on his behalf, it would have benefited him."
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Mahfooz Ahmad
Benefits:
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: This hadith is clear evidence that it is permissible for Muslim parents to give charity (sadaqah) and to fast on behalf of their deceased, as a means of conveying reward (isal al-thawab), even if the parents did not make a bequest (wasiyyah) for such acts. Since children are considered the “earnings” of their parents, the good deeds performed by children on behalf of their parents fall under the generality of this verse:
«وَان لَّيْسَ لِلإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى» [سوره نجم 39] “And that man will have nothing except what he strives for.”
Therefore, there is no need to categorize the ahadith regarding children and parents as specific or general in nature.
All the ahadith on this subject are specific to children and parents, but Majd ibn Taymiyyah, in [المنتقي], deduced from these specific ahadith that a person may perform such righteous deeds for the benefit of any deceased person as a means of conveying reward. However, this deduction is not correct, because the claim is general—that anyone can perform these righteous deeds for anyone else—while the evidences are specific. There is no evidence that provides the general benefit that righteous deeds can be performed on behalf of every deceased person, except for a few specific matters, which Imam Shawkani rahimahullah has mentioned in [نيل الاوطار: 78/4 - 80] and the author has mentioned in [احكام الجنائز و بدعها]. [صحيحه: 484]
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah, in [احكام الجنائز وبدعها: ص 168 - 178], under the heading «ما ينتفع به الميت» (the means by which the deceased benefits), has presented a very beneficial discussion. We will only quote its summary; those interested should study it themselves.
He states: The following matters can be beneficial for the deceased:
➊ A Muslim making supplication (du'a) for him.
➋ The guardian (wali) of the deceased fasting vow (nazr) fasts on his behalf.
➌ A person paying off the debt of the deceased.
➍ The reward of righteous deeds performed by pious children continues to reach their parents, because children are the “earnings” of their parents; however, this does not diminish the reward of the children in any way.
➎ Those beneficial traces and ongoing charities (sadaqah jariyah) which the deceased himself performed. [احكام الجنائز وبدعها: ص168 ـ 178]
In our society, gatherings such as “Qul Sharif” and “Khatm Sharif” are arranged on specific appointed days for the purpose of conveying reward (isal al-thawab). This is among the types of innovation (bid‘ah); this method of conveying reward is not established by any verse or hadith.
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: This hadith is clear evidence that it is permissible for Muslim parents to give charity (sadaqah) and to fast on behalf of their deceased, as a means of conveying reward (isal al-thawab), even if the parents did not make a bequest (wasiyyah) for such acts. Since children are considered the “earnings” of their parents, the good deeds performed by children on behalf of their parents fall under the generality of this verse:
«وَان لَّيْسَ لِلإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى» [سوره نجم 39] “And that man will have nothing except what he strives for.”
Therefore, there is no need to categorize the ahadith regarding children and parents as specific or general in nature.
All the ahadith on this subject are specific to children and parents, but Majd ibn Taymiyyah, in [المنتقي], deduced from these specific ahadith that a person may perform such righteous deeds for the benefit of any deceased person as a means of conveying reward. However, this deduction is not correct, because the claim is general—that anyone can perform these righteous deeds for anyone else—while the evidences are specific. There is no evidence that provides the general benefit that righteous deeds can be performed on behalf of every deceased person, except for a few specific matters, which Imam Shawkani rahimahullah has mentioned in [نيل الاوطار: 78/4 - 80] and the author has mentioned in [احكام الجنائز و بدعها]. [صحيحه: 484]
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah, in [احكام الجنائز وبدعها: ص 168 - 178], under the heading «ما ينتفع به الميت» (the means by which the deceased benefits), has presented a very beneficial discussion. We will only quote its summary; those interested should study it themselves.
He states: The following matters can be beneficial for the deceased:
➊ A Muslim making supplication (du'a) for him.
➋ The guardian (wali) of the deceased fasting vow (nazr) fasts on his behalf.
➌ A person paying off the debt of the deceased.
➍ The reward of righteous deeds performed by pious children continues to reach their parents, because children are the “earnings” of their parents; however, this does not diminish the reward of the children in any way.
➎ Those beneficial traces and ongoing charities (sadaqah jariyah) which the deceased himself performed. [احكام الجنائز وبدعها: ص168 ـ 178]
In our society, gatherings such as “Qul Sharif” and “Khatm Sharif” are arranged on specific appointed days for the purpose of conveying reward (isal al-thawab). This is among the types of innovation (bid‘ah); this method of conveying reward is not established by any verse or hadith.
Source: Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah: Commentary by Muhammad Mahfooz Ahmad, Page: 41
