What is meant by the reward in the supplication, “O Allah, do not deprive us of its reward, and do not let us go astray after it”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah reward you. The Honorable Shaykh says: In the supplication over the funeral, we say, “O Allah, do not deprive us of its reward, and do not let us go astray after it.” The question is: What is the reward intended here? And is this supplication made for one who kills himself? And is this supplication also made for him?
The Shaykh:
Welcome.
The questioner:
And is this supplication made for one who kills himself? And is it also made for one who dies in a state of disobedience?
The Shaykh:
This supplication is made for him, even if he was committing a major sin, as long as he did not leave Islam. He is supplicated for, even if he was committing a major sin among the major sins. Even if he was an open sinner, every Muslim is supplicated for. The prayer is performed over his funeral, and this supplication is made for him. As for “O Allah, do not deprive us of its reward,” it means the reward for the calamity, the reward for the calamity that occurs upon the death of a Muslim. I bear witness that the death of a Muslim is a calamity for the Muslims, and calamities carry reward with patience and seeking reward from Allah. Likewise, there is reward in praying over him, following his funeral, and supporting his family. There is reward in all of this: preparing his body, and all of these things carry reward.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. Several questions.
The Shaykh:
One who kills himself is among the people of major sins. He does not become a disbeliever because of this. He is among the people of major sins, but he is a Muslim. The prayer is performed over him, he is washed and shrouded, the prayer is performed over him, and supplication is made for him, even if he killed himself, because he is a Muslim.
May Allah reward you. The Honorable Shaykh says: In the supplication over the funeral, we say, “O Allah, do not deprive us of its reward, and do not let us go astray after it.” The question is: What is the reward intended here? And is this supplication made for one who kills himself? And is this supplication also made for him?
The Shaykh:
Welcome.
The questioner:
And is this supplication made for one who kills himself? And is it also made for one who dies in a state of disobedience?
The Shaykh:
This supplication is made for him, even if he was committing a major sin, as long as he did not leave Islam. He is supplicated for, even if he was committing a major sin among the major sins. Even if he was an open sinner, every Muslim is supplicated for. The prayer is performed over his funeral, and this supplication is made for him. As for “O Allah, do not deprive us of its reward,” it means the reward for the calamity, the reward for the calamity that occurs upon the death of a Muslim. I bear witness that the death of a Muslim is a calamity for the Muslims, and calamities carry reward with patience and seeking reward from Allah. Likewise, there is reward in praying over him, following his funeral, and supporting his family. There is reward in all of this: preparing his body, and all of these things carry reward.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. Several questions.
The Shaykh:
One who kills himself is among the people of major sins. He does not become a disbeliever because of this. He is among the people of major sins, but he is a Muslim. The prayer is performed over him, he is washed and shrouded, the prayer is performed over him, and supplication is made for him, even if he killed himself, because he is a Muslim.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما المراد بالأجر في دعاء اللهم لا تحرمنا أجره ولا تضلنا بعده؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.