The Ruling on the Phrases "May Allah Forgive Him" or "The Deceased" for the Dead
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Q: What are the phrases used regarding the dead? We hear people say of so-and-so, "May Allah forgive him" or "the deceased." Are these phrases correct? What is the guidance in this matter?
A: What is prescribed in this matter is to say, "May Allah forgive him" or "May Allah have mercy on him," or similar phrases, if the person was a Muslim. It is not permissible to say "May Allah forgive him" or "the deceased" because it is not permissible to testify for a specific person regarding Paradise or Hell, or the like, except for those whom Allah has testified to in His Noble Book or to whom His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has testified. This is what the scholars of the people of the Sunnah have mentioned. Thus, those whom Allah has testified to in His Noble Book regarding Hell, such as Abu Lahab and his wife, and likewise those to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Paradise, such as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman, Ali, and the rest of the ten , and others to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Paradise, such as Abdullah ibn Salam and Ikamah ibn Mahsan (may Allah be pleased with them both), or regarding Hell, such as his uncle Abu Talib and 'Amr ibn Luhay al-Khuzai, and others to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Hell. We seek refuge in Allah from that. We testify to that for them.
As for those to whom Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger have not testified regarding Paradise or Hell, we do not testify to that for them specifically. Likewise, we do not testify for any specific person regarding forgiveness or mercy except by an explicit text from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the people of the Sunnah hope for the doer of good and fear for the doer of evil, and they testify generally for the people of faith regarding Paradise and for the disbelievers generally regarding Hell, as He, the Exalted, clarified in His clear Book. He, the Exalted, said:[At-Tawbah 9:72] the verse [Surah al-Tawbah: 72] from Surah al-Tawbah, and He, the Exalted, also said in it: [At-Tawbah 9:68] the verse [Surah al-Tawbah: 68]. Some scholars have held the view that it is permissible to testify regarding Paradise or Hell for a person if two or more just witnesses testify to his good or evil, based on authentic hadiths that have been reported in this regard.
A: What is prescribed in this matter is to say, "May Allah forgive him" or "May Allah have mercy on him," or similar phrases, if the person was a Muslim. It is not permissible to say "May Allah forgive him" or "the deceased" because it is not permissible to testify for a specific person regarding Paradise or Hell, or the like, except for those whom Allah has testified to in His Noble Book or to whom His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has testified. This is what the scholars of the people of the Sunnah have mentioned. Thus, those whom Allah has testified to in His Noble Book regarding Hell, such as Abu Lahab and his wife, and likewise those to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Paradise, such as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman, Ali, and the rest of the ten , and others to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Paradise, such as Abdullah ibn Salam and Ikamah ibn Mahsan (may Allah be pleased with them both), or regarding Hell, such as his uncle Abu Talib and 'Amr ibn Luhay al-Khuzai, and others to whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) testified regarding Hell. We seek refuge in Allah from that. We testify to that for them.
As for those to whom Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger have not testified regarding Paradise or Hell, we do not testify to that for them specifically. Likewise, we do not testify for any specific person regarding forgiveness or mercy except by an explicit text from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the people of the Sunnah hope for the doer of good and fear for the doer of evil, and they testify generally for the people of faith regarding Paradise and for the disbelievers generally regarding Hell, as He, the Exalted, clarified in His clear Book. He, the Exalted, said:
Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَاAllah has promised the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the disbelievers the fire of Hell, wherein they will abide eternally. It is sufficient for them
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا هِيَ حَسْبُهُمْ
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.