If a man dies, his family gives charity in the form of wheat or dirhams, claiming that it is a substitute for the missed prayers. Does this charity paid by the deceased's family reduce anything from his five daily obligatory prayers, or not?
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The questioner : If a man dies, his family gives charity in the form of wheat or dirhams, claiming that it is a substitute for the missed prayers. Does this charity paid by the deceased's family reduce anything from his five daily obligatory prayers, or not?
The Shaykh : The answer is no, it does not reduce anything. And giving charity on behalf of the prayers he neglected is also a matter of religious innovation, because the prayer is not made up for the deceased, neither by performing it specifically nor by offering a substitute for it. Rather, one seeks forgiveness for him if he neglected it and did not reach the level of disbelief, so that perhaps Allah may accept his repentance. As for charity for the deceased, not as a substitute for the prayer, this is permissible, but it is not among the matters that are sought. In "Sahih al-Bukhari", a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, my mother died suddenly, and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity. May I give charity on her behalf?" He said:.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is evidence that the deceased benefits from the charity, but it should not be made, as the questioner mentioned, a substitute for an obligatory prayer on his behalf.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This letter sent by 'Abd al-Muhsin al-Shamrani from Jeddah is actually very long. If we were to review the entire letter, it would take up the rest of the session, but we will extract the questions that should be presented.
The Shaykh : The answer is no, it does not reduce anything. And giving charity on behalf of the prayers he neglected is also a matter of religious innovation, because the prayer is not made up for the deceased, neither by performing it specifically nor by offering a substitute for it. Rather, one seeks forgiveness for him if he neglected it and did not reach the level of disbelief, so that perhaps Allah may accept his repentance. As for charity for the deceased, not as a substitute for the prayer, this is permissible, but it is not among the matters that are sought. In "Sahih al-Bukhari", a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, my mother died suddenly, and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity. May I give charity on her behalf?" He said:
Yes
نعمThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is evidence that the deceased benefits from the charity, but it should not be made, as the questioner mentioned, a substitute for an obligatory prayer on his behalf.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This letter sent by 'Abd al-Muhsin al-Shamrani from Jeddah is actually very long. If we were to review the entire letter, it would take up the rest of the session, but we will extract the questions that should be presented.