What is the ruling on what has become common on people's tongues, that when a deceased person is mentioned and someone says, "May Allah have mercy on him," they say to him, "May you live long?"

The questioner : Shaykh, here people are accustomed, I mean, in the speech that is on their tongues, that if one says, for example, "May Allah have mercy on my father or my mother," people say to him, "May you live long." Is there anything wrong with this?

The Shaykh : ... .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : ... What do you mean by "May you live long"?

The questioner : I mean, because you said, "May Allah have mercy on so-and-so."

The Shaykh : He will live, but here...

The questioner : It is a supplication.

The Shaykh : I am telling you what they intend.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : They mean, "May Allah prolong your life."

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : So, the one who sees the permissibility of this supplication with this interpretation does not see anything wrong with this phrase. But from the perspective of refining words, he would say, for example, explicitly, "May Allah prolong your life."

The questioner : Through righteous deeds, as we always say. It is because we do not like, I mean, always, to follow people even in things that are common on their tongues, for fear that there may be some harm or something in them.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So that they might think this is our endorsement when we speak.

The Shaykh : That is correct.