If a man dies and leaves behind an unsound son who prays for his father and gives charity on his behalf, does the reward of that reach him?
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The questioner : The prayer of the unsound son and his spending on his deceased father...
The Shaykh : How? How? Did he make a vow?
The questioner : The prayer of the unsound son.
The Shaykh : Unsound.
The questioner : And his giving charity on behalf of his deceased father, does it reach his father?
The Shaykh : If the charity is for the sake of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then Allah says:[Az-Zalzalah 99:7-8] And your saying that the son is unsound, that he is unsound, yet he wants to give charity, then the charity is a good deed, otherwise he is not sound!
The questioner : A good deed.
The Shaykh : Sound, so your saying that he is unsound, what do you mean?
The questioner : I mean he does not pray, for example.
The Shaykh : He does not pray, okay, he is an open sinner, not a disbeliever, I mean.
The questioner : No, not a disbeliever, I mean?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, the answer has already been given in the verse:[Az-Zalzalah 99:7] So whoever gives charity on behalf of his father and seeks thereby the pleasure of his Lord and the connection to his father, even after his death, this undoubtedly fits the description of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Just as if the man himself did it, this man, the sound son, the unsound son, excuse me, if he gives charity to a poor person, what do we say? Is his charity accepted? [Az-Zalzalah 99:7] He did not intend it for his father, this is the ordinary situation, I mean, there are people we know who do not actually pray, but they give charity.
Another questioner : The Christians are disbelievers and they give charity.
The Shaykh : This person gives charity to the poor and the needy, but he does not pray, for example, and does not perform Hajj, so we do not say that his charity is absolutely accepted or absolutely rejected, but rather we say what was intended by the charity? If he intended by it the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then it is undoubtedly a good deed, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, accepts good deeds. But if he intended by it other than the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then it is not accepted from him, even if he is sound, and these are known facts in the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : How? How? Did he make a vow?
The questioner : The prayer of the unsound son.
The Shaykh : Unsound.
The questioner : And his giving charity on behalf of his deceased father, does it reach his father?
The Shaykh : If the charity is for the sake of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then Allah says:
(7) So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, (8) And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يره و من يعمل مثقال ذرة شرا يرهThe questioner : A good deed.
The Shaykh : Sound, so your saying that he is unsound, what do you mean?
The questioner : I mean he does not pray, for example.
The Shaykh : He does not pray, okay, he is an open sinner, not a disbeliever, I mean.
The questioner : No, not a disbeliever, I mean?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, the answer has already been given in the verse:
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يرهThe sweetest earnings are the earnings of a man from the work of his hand, and your children are from your earnings.
أطيب الكسب كسب الرجل من عمل يده و إن أولادكم من كسبكمSo whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يرهAnother questioner : The Christians are disbelievers and they give charity.
The Shaykh : This person gives charity to the poor and the needy, but he does not pray, for example, and does not perform Hajj, so we do not say that his charity is absolutely accepted or absolutely rejected, but rather we say what was intended by the charity? If he intended by it the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then it is undoubtedly a good deed, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, accepts good deeds. But if he intended by it other than the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then it is not accepted from him, even if he is sound, and these are known facts in the Shari'ah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.