The Ruling on Praying on Behalf of the Deceased
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Your Eminence! I heard that Your Eminence permits praying for the deceased. I ask for clarification?
Yes, what you heard from me is correct. If a person prays two rak'ahs for his father or his mother or the like, there is nothing wrong with it.But this does not mean: We ask the person to do it. We say this is a weaker action, and it is better to make du'a for them. Making du'a for them is better than giving charity for them, and better than performing Hajj for them, and better than sacrificing an animal for them, and better than any other deed. Because this is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) directed us to do. I do not think anyone doubts that the greatest person to guide to good is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He cannot possibly withhold good from us in any way.And he said: (When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: ongoing charity -Meaning: he does a deed for himself that becomes ongoing charity for him during his life - or knowledge from which benefit is derived, or a righteous son who makes du'a for him) and he does not do it for him? He makes du'a for him, even though the context of the hadith is about deeds,If the deed for the deceased were a prescribed matter, he would have said: or a righteous son who does deeds for him, or prays or gives zakah or the like. But the problem is that the common people say: No, and they insist that one of them should give charity or perform 'Umrah for his father or perform Hajj or the like. If you looked into it, you would find that few of them make du'a for their father. And this is undoubtedly choosing the weaker position over the stronger one.We say: My brother! Go and perform 'Umrah for yourself and make du'a for your father during the tawaf and the sa'y and in prayer. As for making your acts of worship, which you will need one day, for these dead people whose deeds have been cut off, and leaving what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided you to? This is a mistake.
I have called out, if I had called a living person, but there is no life for the one you call.
However, people now - praise be to Allah - have made things easy for us by starting to pay attention. We used to know previously that there was no sacrifice except for a deceased person.Even if I sat down and sacrificed for myself, they would say: In the name of Allah, it is upon you! Are you dead? The sacrifice is for the deceased. They did not know that the sacrifice is for the living. But now - praise be to Allah - they have paid attention and they have come to know that sacrifices are for the living.And the deceased are included incidentally if I say: O Allah, this is from me and from my household, and among them is a deceased person who is included incidentally. Or they have bequests they have made, yes, they sacrifice for them with it.
Yes, what you heard from me is correct. If a person prays two rak'ahs for his father or his mother or the like, there is nothing wrong with it.But this does not mean: We ask the person to do it. We say this is a weaker action, and it is better to make du'a for them. Making du'a for them is better than giving charity for them, and better than performing Hajj for them, and better than sacrificing an animal for them, and better than any other deed. Because this is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) directed us to do. I do not think anyone doubts that the greatest person to guide to good is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He cannot possibly withhold good from us in any way.And he said: (When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: ongoing charity -Meaning: he does a deed for himself that becomes ongoing charity for him during his life - or knowledge from which benefit is derived, or a righteous son who makes du'a for him) and he does not do it for him? He makes du'a for him, even though the context of the hadith is about deeds,If the deed for the deceased were a prescribed matter, he would have said: or a righteous son who does deeds for him, or prays or gives zakah or the like. But the problem is that the common people say: No, and they insist that one of them should give charity or perform 'Umrah for his father or perform Hajj or the like. If you looked into it, you would find that few of them make du'a for their father. And this is undoubtedly choosing the weaker position over the stronger one.We say: My brother! Go and perform 'Umrah for yourself and make du'a for your father during the tawaf and the sa'y and in prayer. As for making your acts of worship, which you will need one day, for these dead people whose deeds have been cut off, and leaving what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided you to? This is a mistake.
I have called out, if I had called a living person, but there is no life for the one you call.
However, people now - praise be to Allah - have made things easy for us by starting to pay attention. We used to know previously that there was no sacrifice except for a deceased person.Even if I sat down and sacrificed for myself, they would say: In the name of Allah, it is upon you! Are you dead? The sacrifice is for the deceased. They did not know that the sacrifice is for the living. But now - praise be to Allah - they have paid attention and they have come to know that sacrifices are for the living.And the deceased are included incidentally if I say: O Allah, this is from me and from my household, and among them is a deceased person who is included incidentally. Or they have bequests they have made, yes, they sacrifice for them with it.