A man has a piece of land and built a mosque for his deceased son; is that permissible on his behalf?
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The questioner : I have a piece of land, and I built a mosque for my deceased son. Is that permissible on his behalf? And if I put a plaque on the mosque door and write on it “The Mosque of So-and-So (may Allah have mercy on him),” is that permissible on his behalf? Please advise us. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Building mosques is among the best acts of devotion that bring one closer to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whoever builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise. But is it recommended and prescribed that we build mosques for the dead, or that we build them for ourselves and make du'a' for the dead? The answer is the second: that we build mosques for ourselves, because we are in need of righteous deeds. As for the dead, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to what we should do for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1631 So you see that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to making du'a', not to performing a righteous deed for them, even though the context of the hadith is about deeds. If performing deeds for the dead had been among the prescribed matters, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have guided to it.
However, when we say that it is not among the prescribed matters, we do not say that it is forbidden, because the Sunnah indicates its permissibility. It is established in the authentic hadith that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! My mother died suddenly, and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity. Should I give charity on her behalf?” Or he said: “Is it sufficient for me to give charity on her behalf?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:.
And he permitted Sa'd ibn Ubadah to make his date palm grove in Madinah, which is a date palm that yields fruit, a charity for his mother.
A matter that also follows from the question of the brother questioner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He made the mosque for his deceased son. Is it possible for us to say that it is not permissible for him to single out his deceased son with this mosque to the exclusion of his remaining brothers, if he has brothers? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2587 Or do we say that justice is obligatory only in matters of this world, while in matters of the Hereafter, justice is not obligatory? The first is closer to my view, and that one should not single out any of his children with righteous deeds to the exclusion of the others, because it falls under his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 2587 And his saying to Bashir ibn Sa'd when he wanted him to witness, meaning to have the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) witness his gift to his son Nu'man, he said: .
In summary: we say to this man that he should make the mosque for himself and its reward for himself. As for your son, making du'a' for him is better than making this mosque for him.
In his question, he said that he wrote on it that this is the mosque of So-and-So ibn So-and-So. This is good from one aspect and bad from another. As for it being good, it is that when people see this name, they will make du'a' for the one who built it and say, “May Allah forgive him and reward him and give him good,” and the like. But it is bad from another aspect, because showing off (riya') is feared from it, and that the person did it to show off to people. And showing off, when it mixes with the deed, invalidates it, as is established in “Sahih Muslim” from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1616. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh. This questioner is a worker residing in the Kingdom.
The Shaykh : Building mosques is among the best acts of devotion that bring one closer to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whoever builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise. But is it recommended and prescribed that we build mosques for the dead, or that we build them for ourselves and make du'a' for the dead? The answer is the second: that we build mosques for ourselves, because we are in need of righteous deeds. As for the dead, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to what we should do for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو لهHowever, when we say that it is not among the prescribed matters, we do not say that it is forbidden, because the Sunnah indicates its permissibility. It is established in the authentic hadith that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! My mother died suddenly, and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity. Should I give charity on her behalf?” Or he said: “Is it sufficient for me to give charity on her behalf?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Yes
نعمAnd he permitted Sa'd ibn Ubadah to make his date palm grove in Madinah, which is a date palm that yields fruit, a charity for his mother.
A matter that also follows from the question of the brother questioner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He made the mosque for his deceased son. Is it possible for us to say that it is not permissible for him to single out his deceased son with this mosque to the exclusion of his remaining brothers, if he has brothers? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Be afraid of Allah, and be just to your children.
اتقوا الله واعدلوا بين أولادكمBe afraid of Allah, and be just to your children.
اتقوا الله واعدلوا بين أولادكمI will not bear witness to injustice.
أشهد على هذا غيري، فإني لا أشهد على جورIn summary: we say to this man that he should make the mosque for himself and its reward for himself. As for your son, making du'a' for him is better than making this mosque for him.
In his question, he said that he wrote on it that this is the mosque of So-and-So ibn So-and-So. This is good from one aspect and bad from another. As for it being good, it is that when people see this name, they will make du'a' for the one who built it and say, “May Allah forgive him and reward him and give him good,” and the like. But it is bad from another aspect, because showing off (riya') is feared from it, and that the person did it to show off to people. And showing off, when it mixes with the deed, invalidates it, as is established in “Sahih Muslim” from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Almighty Allah says, 'I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism..
قال الله تعالى: أنا أغنى الشركاء عن الشرك، من عمل عملاً أشرك فيه معي غيري تركته وشركهThe questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh. This questioner is a worker residing in the Kingdom.