Is it permissible to say "the late so-and-so" regarding a deceased person?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He has another question. He says, "May the Shaykh be respected, is the word 'al-marhum' (the late one) valid for the dead? For example, can we say 'the late so-and-so'? I hope you will be rewarded for informing us."
The Shaykh : If a person speaks about a deceased individual and says "al-marhum" (the late one), "al-maghfur lahu" (may Allah forgive him), or something similar, and he says it as a statement of fact, then it is not permissible. This is because he does not know whether mercy has been granted to him or not, and one must not assert with certainty what is unknown. Furthermore, this constitutes a testimony of mercy or forgiveness for him without knowledge, and testimony without knowledge is forbidden.
However, if he says it in the sense of supplication and hope that Allah the Exalted will forgive him and have mercy on him, then there is nothing wrong with it and no blame on him. There is no difference between saying "al-marhum" and "so-and-so, may Allah have mercy on him," because both phrases are suitable for stating a fact and suitable for supplication. It depends on the intention of the speaker. There is no doubt that those who say "so-and-so, al-marhum" or "so-and-so, al-maghfur lahu" do not intend to state a fact or testify that he is actually one who has been shown mercy or forgiven. Rather, they intend hope, optimism, and supplication. Accordingly, there is no blame or harm in using this phrase.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : If a person speaks about a deceased individual and says "al-marhum" (the late one), "al-maghfur lahu" (may Allah forgive him), or something similar, and he says it as a statement of fact, then it is not permissible. This is because he does not know whether mercy has been granted to him or not, and one must not assert with certainty what is unknown. Furthermore, this constitutes a testimony of mercy or forgiveness for him without knowledge, and testimony without knowledge is forbidden.
However, if he says it in the sense of supplication and hope that Allah the Exalted will forgive him and have mercy on him, then there is nothing wrong with it and no blame on him. There is no difference between saying "al-marhum" and "so-and-so, may Allah have mercy on him," because both phrases are suitable for stating a fact and suitable for supplication. It depends on the intention of the speaker. There is no doubt that those who say "so-and-so, al-marhum" or "so-and-so, al-maghfur lahu" do not intend to state a fact or testify that he is actually one who has been shown mercy or forgiven. Rather, they intend hope, optimism, and supplication. Accordingly, there is no blame or harm in using this phrase.
The questioner : Very well.