The ruling on dedicating the reward of prayer to the deceased

A message from Khartoum, Sudan, sent by our brother Kamil Ali Muhammad al-Kuruk. It appears our brother is saying: Since his mother passed away, he has been praying two rak'ahs for her; it seems he wants to know if he is praying on her behalf, asking His Eminence the Shaykh, and he asks: Is this action of his correct or not?
Answer: No, it is not correct. What is prescribed is to make du'a for her, to seek mercy for her, to give charity on her behalf, or to perform Hajj on her behalf, or 'Umrah, there is no harm in that. As for praying for her, no, it has not been prescribed for us to pray on behalf of the dead. But Hajj, there is no harm in it; 'Umrah, there is no harm in it; charity, all of this is prescribed. And making du'a and seeking mercy for them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He did not say: pray for him, he said: make du'a for him. So you make du'a for your mother, you seek forgiveness for her, and you ask Allah for her mercy and a high station in Paradise, and forgiveness of sins. You give charity on her behalf from whatever is easy for you of food, money, or clothing, for the poor and the needy. All of this is good.