Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues Related to Funeral Prayer, p. 125Questions
① Is it proven from the Qurʾān and Sunnah to make collective duʿāʾ for the deceased at the grave after burial?
② In the statement of the Prophet ﷺ "استغفروا لأخيكم" – is the supplication meant to be individual or collective?
③ According to al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī (Vol. 4, p. 56), in the chapter What is Said After Burial, Ibn Abī Mulaykah said:
“I saw ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās, when he had finished with the grave of ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Sāʾib and the people had departed, he stood at the grave and supplicated for him.”
Please explain this in detail.
④ What is the status of the narrations in al-Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq under the chapter Supplication for the Deceased When Burial is Completed?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
Evidence for Duʿāʾ After Burial
ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه narrated:
“When the Prophet ﷺ had finished burying the deceased, he would stand by the grave and say:
"استغفروا لأخيكم، وسلوا له بالتثبيت، فإنه الآن يُسأل"
‘Ask forgiveness for your brother and pray for his steadfastness, for he is now being questioned.’”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3221 – Ḥasan chain; authenticated by al-Ḥākim 1/370, Hadith 1372, and agreed upon by al-Dhahabī)
From this Hadith, two rulings are established:
❀ Supplicating for the deceased after burial.
❀ Permissibility of collective duʿāʾ (as the wording is in the plural form).
Proof for Collective Duʿāʾ
Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Roparī رحمه الله wrote regarding this Hadith:
“At the grave, one may raise the hands for duʿāʾ or not; however, raising the hands is from the etiquettes of duʿāʾ, so it is better, but should not be considered obligatory. If someone does not raise them, no objection should be made.”
(Fatāwā Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Vol. 2, p. 131)
Since the Hadith uses the plural expression "استغفروا" (“all of you ask for forgiveness”), this indicates that the duʿāʾ here is collective in nature.
Athār of the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn
1 – Practice of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
Ibn Abī Mulaykah رحمه الله said:
“I saw ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās, when he had finished with the grave of ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Sāʾib and the people had departed, he stood at the grave and supplicated for him.”
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī; also in al-Maʿrifah wa al-Tārīkh by Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān, Vol. 1, p. 222) – authentic chain
2 – Athār in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq
- Report of Ibn al-Munkadir:
“Ayyūb said: Ibn al-Munkadir stood at a grave after it had been finished and said: O Allāh, make him steadfast, for he is now being questioned.”
(Vol. 3, p. 509, Hadith 6504 – authentic chain)
- All other chains in this chapter are weak except the above.
3 – Reports in Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah
➊ Practice of Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
After throwing soil on the grave, he would stand and make duʿāʾ for the deceased.
(Vol. 3, p. 330, Hadith 11705 – authentic chain)
➋ Practice of al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays رحمه الله:
He would stand at the grave and make duʿāʾ.
(Vol. 3, p. 331, Hadith 11708 – Ḥasan chain)
➌ Practice of Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī رحمه الله:
He too would stand at the grave and supplicate for the deceased.
(Vol. 3, p. 331, Hadith 11710 – authentic chain)
Conclusion
These authentic reports from the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, and the Tābiʿīn are clear evidence that making duʿāʾ at the grave after burial — whether individually or collectively — is permissible and established in Sharīʿah.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
