Source: Ghair Masnoon Nafli Namazain by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
The practice of offering ṣalāh (prayer) on behalf of a deceased person is not established in Islam.
Narration:
من يضمن لي منكم أن يصلي لي في مسجد العشار ركعتين أو أربعا ويقول هذه لأبي هريرة
“Who among you will guarantee to pray two or four rakʿāt in Masjid al-ʿAshār and say: ‘This is on behalf of Abū Hurayrah?’”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4308]
Ruling: The chain is weak.
➤ Ibrāhīm bin Ṣāliḥ bin Dirham al-Bāhilī is a weak narrator.
– Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله said:
لا يتابع عليه
“He is not supported in this narration.”
[al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr: 1/293]
➤ Imām al-Dāraqutnī رحمه الله listed him among the weak and abandoned narrators.
[al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa al-Matrūkūn: 26]
➤ Ibn Ḥibbān mentioned him in al-Thiqāt (716), but this alone is insufficient for credibility.
➤ Imām Ibn ʿAdī رحمه الله stated:
هذا الحديث بأي إسناد كان فهو منكر
“This ḥadīth, regardless of its chain, is rejected (munkar).”
[al-Kāmil fī Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Rijāl: 3/29, under entry of Khālid bin ʿAmr]
➤ Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله noted:
"Imām al-Dāraqutnī graded this ḥadīth as weak."
[Jāmiʿ al-Aḥādīth: 7174]
➤ Imām al-ʿUqaylī رحمه الله declared:
الحديث غير محفوظ
“The ḥadīth is not preserved (unreliable).”
[al-Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Kabīr: 551]
Conclusion:
The narration is not authentic, and thus cannot serve as evidence for praying on behalf of the deceased.
➤ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:
لا يصلي أحد عن أحد
“No one should pray on behalf of another.”
[al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Nasāʾī: 2918 – Authentic Chain]
➤ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله (463 AH) said:
“The consensus of the scholars is that no one may perform ṣalāh on behalf of another, whether it is obligatory, sunnah, voluntary, and whether the person is alive or deceased.”
[al-Istidhkār: 12/66, 10/167]
➤ ʿAllāmah ʿAynī al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (855 AH) wrote:
قد أجمعوا أنه لا يصلي أحد عن أحد
“There is consensus that no one is to perform ṣalāh on behalf of another.”
[ʿUmdat al-Qārī: 9/125]
There is a report regarding a woman whose mother had vowed to pray at Qubā’, and:
Ibn ʿUmar instructed her to pray on her mother’s behalf.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, before ḥadīth 6698]
However:
Performing ṣalāh on behalf of a deceased person:
✘ Is not established from the Prophet ﷺ
✘ Contradicts scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ)
✘ Has no valid authentic evidence
✔ Only other forms of worship such as charity, Hajj, or fasting (with specific proofs) are allowed on behalf of the deceased
✦ Is It Permissible to Perform Prayer on Behalf of the Deceased?
The practice of offering ṣalāh (prayer) on behalf of a deceased person is not established in Islam.
❖ Weak Report Attributed to Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
Narration:
من يضمن لي منكم أن يصلي لي في مسجد العشار ركعتين أو أربعا ويقول هذه لأبي هريرة
“Who among you will guarantee to pray two or four rakʿāt in Masjid al-ʿAshār and say: ‘This is on behalf of Abū Hurayrah?’”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4308]Ruling: The chain is weak.
➤ Ibrāhīm bin Ṣāliḥ bin Dirham al-Bāhilī is a weak narrator.
– Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله said:
لا يتابع عليه
“He is not supported in this narration.”
[al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr: 1/293]➤ Imām al-Dāraqutnī رحمه الله listed him among the weak and abandoned narrators.
[al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa al-Matrūkūn: 26]➤ Ibn Ḥibbān mentioned him in al-Thiqāt (716), but this alone is insufficient for credibility.
➤ Imām Ibn ʿAdī رحمه الله stated:
هذا الحديث بأي إسناد كان فهو منكر
“This ḥadīth, regardless of its chain, is rejected (munkar).”
[al-Kāmil fī Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Rijāl: 3/29, under entry of Khālid bin ʿAmr]➤ Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله noted:
"Imām al-Dāraqutnī graded this ḥadīth as weak."
[Jāmiʿ al-Aḥādīth: 7174]➤ Imām al-ʿUqaylī رحمه الله declared:
الحديث غير محفوظ
“The ḥadīth is not preserved (unreliable).”
[al-Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Kabīr: 551]Conclusion:
The narration is not authentic, and thus cannot serve as evidence for praying on behalf of the deceased.
❖ General Ruling: No One May Pray on Behalf of Another
➤ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:
لا يصلي أحد عن أحد
“No one should pray on behalf of another.”
[al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Nasāʾī: 2918 – Authentic Chain]❖ Scholarly Consensus (Ijmāʿ)
➤ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله (463 AH) said:
“The consensus of the scholars is that no one may perform ṣalāh on behalf of another, whether it is obligatory, sunnah, voluntary, and whether the person is alive or deceased.”
[al-Istidhkār: 12/66, 10/167]➤ ʿAllāmah ʿAynī al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (855 AH) wrote:
قد أجمعوا أنه لا يصلي أحد عن أحد
“There is consensus that no one is to perform ṣalāh on behalf of another.”
[ʿUmdat al-Qārī: 9/125]❖ Clarification on a Report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
There is a report regarding a woman whose mother had vowed to pray at Qubā’, and:
Ibn ʿUmar instructed her to pray on her mother’s behalf.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, before ḥadīth 6698]However:
- No chain of narration (sanad) is available for this report.
- Islam is based on authentic and traceable chains of transmission.
- Furthermore, this case relates to a vow (nadhar), not general prayer, so it does not apply to normal ṣalāh.
Final Verdict:
Performing ṣalāh on behalf of a deceased person:
✘ Is not established from the Prophet ﷺ
✘ Contradicts scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ)
✘ Has no valid authentic evidence
✔ Only other forms of worship such as charity, Hajj, or fasting (with specific proofs) are allowed on behalf of the deceased
