Is it prescribed to dedicate the reward of acts of worship to the deceased?

The questioner : Is it prescribed to dedicate the reward of acts of worship, such as prayers, fasting, and reciting the Qur'an, to the deceased, and what is the criterion for this?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is not prescribed for a person to dedicate acts of worship to the deceased. By this, we mean that we do not ask a person to pray for his father, or fast for his father, or give charity for his father or his mother, or the like. That is, we do not say, "Do such and such." You say, "My brother, we do not say, 'Do it.'" Why do we not say this? Because our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the sincere and trustworthy one, did not say to his Ummah, "Do such and such for your dead." He did not say, "Fast for them," nor "Pray for them," nor "Give charity for them." Rather, he said regarding the obligatory religious duty, it is obligatory: And regarding Hajj, he also said to the woman who sought his permission to perform Hajj on behalf of her mother, who had made a vow but did not perform it until she died, he said: But regarding voluntary acts, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order anyone from his Ummah to perform a voluntary act for their deceased. This is clear from his speech; he did not order it. But did he permit it? Yes, he permitted it. Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) sought his permission. Who is Sa'd ibn 'Abdullah? He was the leader of the Khazraj (may Allah be pleased with them), and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was the leader of the Aws. These are two tribes of the Ansar. O Allah, gather us with them, O Lord of the Worlds. These are two tribes to which the Ansar belong. Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah had a date palm grove. Do you know what a date palm grove is?
It means a grove that is ruined from the best of the groves. So he sought the permission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to give it in charity on behalf of his mother. He sought permission from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to give it in charity on behalf of their mother, so he permitted him, and he gave it in charity on her behalf. This is one case.
Second, another hadith: A man came to him and said: Here, permission was sought and granted, but he did not order it. He did not order it. Rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated that the stronger view is that you do not do it for your parents, that you do not give charity on their behalf.
By Allah, I have brought you something strange. But it is not strange if this is the Sunnah. Listen to the hadith of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: , A continuous charity means something given in charity during one's lifetime, and its reward continues for him, such as digging a well and the like. He prays for him. How does he pray for him? He prays for him and gives charity for him.
Think about it. He said: So he gave charity for him and prayed for him, even though the context of the hadith is about deeds. He shifted from the deed for the father of the deceased, he shifted from it, meaning from the grapes for the deceased, to what? To the like of prayer for him. Look, to prayer. O my brothers, let us follow the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Our deceased fathers and mothers, we pray for them. By Allah, if Allah accepted a prayer for Sa'd, it would be happiness in this world and the Hereafter. If you say, "O Allah, forgive my father and my mother," and He forgives them and is pleased with him, that is happiness. And this is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to. Let us follow the guidance of the Messenger. We do not take this matter by emotion and imitation. Now, many people think that if they give one riyal in charity to their deceased father or mother, it is better than their wealth. They say, "O Allah, I ask You to settle my father and my mother in the Garden of Delight." Which is better? Is the second the same as the first? The second, my brothers, is the second, because it is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to. Then, some people come with an innovation in 'Umrah. The first one, the one who performs 'Umrah from his country himself. Yes. And when he comes... for himself, he shaves his head and does not do what is better, which is cutting it short.