What is the best thing I can do for my deceased brother?
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The questioner : What is the best thing I can do for my deceased brother?
The Shaykh : The best thing the living can do for the dead is supplication. The evidence for this is what is established in the authentic collections from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in which he said:Sahih Muslim 1631 The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in this hadith that it is supplication that benefits the deceased. Based on this, or on this occasion, I would like to point out to many people who are keen on dedicating good deeds to the dead but turn away from what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided them to, which is supplication. You will find, for example, a person in Ramadan completing the recitation of the Qur'an several times, making the first completion for his mother, then for his father, then for his grandfather, then for his grandmother, then for his maternal uncle, then for his paternal uncle, and so on, but he does not make anything for himself. This is due to a lack of understanding. What is prescribed is that good deeds be for the person himself, and that he supplicate for whomever he wishes among the deceased Muslims. I do not know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered any of his Companions to give charity, pray, or fast on behalf of their deceased, except in obligatory matters, as in the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1147 However, he (peace and blessings be upon him) permits a person to give charity on behalf of his father or his mother, or the like. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener Ibrahim from Damietta says.
The Shaykh : The best thing the living can do for the dead is supplication. The evidence for this is what is established in the authentic collections from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in which he said:
When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious child, who prays for him (for the deceased).
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاثة إلا من صدقة جارية أو علم يُنتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو له'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone dies in a state (that he had to complete) some fasts, his heir must fast on his behalf.
من مات وعليه صيام صام عنه وليهThe questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener Ibrahim from Damietta says.