Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, 'When a man dies all his good deeds come to an end except three; ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who suplicates for him.' (saheeh of muslim)
If a family member dies overseas, what should the family do overhere? 1. can we perform the janaza prayer, that means there will be two janaza prayers, one overseas and one here. Is it allowed? 2. Are we allowed to read the quran together and hopefully the blessing will go to the deceased? 3. Do we have to do a special Quran reading and invite people for a meal after three days and after 40 days also? This is being practiced back home and I am told that the spirit of the deceased comes to the house for 40 days and wait to get all these blessings. When I was back home I used to practice this but now I am told that the Prophet sws and His companions never did it. I want to do the right thing. Please give quotations from quran and sunnah. And also if this practice is wrong, please advise what is the proper thing to do under this circumstance.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: if a relative or close friend dies in another country, a person may travel to attend the funeral prayers if that is easy to do. There is nothing wrong with this travelling because it is travelling for a legitimate purpose, even though this action was not known among Muslims in the past. It was not done in the past because they were not able to do that, unlike today when travelling has become easier with faster methods of transportation.
With regard to offering the funeral prayer for the deceased in absentia, there is a great deal of difference of opinion among the scholars on this matter, because it is not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that, except in the case of the Negus (ruler of Abyssinia), and it was not narrated that the Muslims outside of Madeenah prayed for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in absentia when he died, even though their love for him was so great.
Also, it is not reported that the Muslims prayed in absentia for any of the khulafaa’ al-raashideen (the rightly-guided khaleefahs, the first four leaders of Islam after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) when they died. Prayer for the dead in absentia was not known among the Muslims even though circumstances might have dictated it, such as the eagerness of the Muslims to do something of benefit for their brothers, especially those who were held in high esteem by all the Muslims, or one to whom one is related or who one is fond of, which would make one seek to do something good for him by praying for him. For this reason, scholars such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah were of the view that the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for the Negus was an exceptional case which applied only to him, because there was no one in the land where he died who could offer the janaazah prayer for him. In my view, this is a sound view in the light of the above. Some scholars say that the funeral prayer in absentia may be offered only for certain people among the ummah, such as famous scholars and just rulers; this view is close to the previous view.
On this basis, there is no reason why the funeral prayer should not be offered for the deceased both when one is present and in absentia.
Secondly:
Gathering to read Qur’aan and give the reward for that to the deceased is a bid’ah (reprehensible innovation), even if it is not done in return for any payment. If it is done in return for payment then it is haraam, because it is being done for a reason other than for the sake of Allaah, and any such action will not earn any reward. But if a person reads Qur’aan by himself and gives the reward for that to a relative or friend, without gathering with others for that purpose and without seeking payment, then there are two scholarly views in this case, one of which says that it is permissible and that the reward for the reading will reach the deceased.
The second view is that it is not prescribed to give the reward for the reading to anyone, because there is no evidence (daleel) to indicate that this is prescribed.
Thirdly:
If the family of the deceased have a special reading, and invite people to a meal three days and forty days after the death, this is bid’ah (reprehensible innovation).
And every bid’ah is a going astray. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever invents something in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” The action mentioned is a matter that has been invented in the religion, so it is to be rejected, and the one who does it is a sinner and will not be rewarded.
What people say about the soul of the deceased visiting the house after forty days to get the reward is a lie which has no basis. The person who told you that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions did not do any of these things was right. You did well to ask about the things of which you were unsure, and your eagerness to know the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and act accordingly is highly commendable. This is how the Muslim should be; his concern should be to know the truth so that he can follow it, and know what is false so that he can avoid it.
We ask Allaah to make us and you steadfast in following the Straight Path. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.
What is the ruling on reciting al-Faatihah and giving the reward for it to the deceased?
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no evidence (daleel) for reciting al-Faatihah or any other part of the Qur’aan and giving (the reward for) it to the deceased. We must not do that, because it was not narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did any such thing. It is prescribed to make du’aa’ for the dead Muslims and to give charity on their behalf by giving to the poor and needy. In this way a person may draw closer to Allaah and ask Him to give the reward for that to his father, mother or other people, deceased or alive. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a man dies, all his deeds come to a halt apart from three: ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah), beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him.”
And it was reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “O Messenger of Allaah, my mother has died and she did not make a will. I think that if she had spoken she would have given in charity. Will she be rewarded if I give in charity on her behalf?” He said, “Yes.” (Saheeh – agreed upon)
The same applies to Hajj and ‘umrah on behalf of the deceased and paying off his debts. All of these actions will benefit him, as was narrated in the shar’i daleel (evidence). But if the questioner is referring to treating the family of the deceased person kindly by giving them money or meat (i.e., food), there is nothing wrong with that if they are poor.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 324
Is setting a date to meet and read the entire Qur’aan for a deceased person and to pray for him, and doing this every year a bid‘ah.?
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no indication in either the Qur’aan or the Sunnah that would prescribe the actions described in the question. Based on this fact, these actions are bid‘ah (a reprehensible innovation) which is not permitted; we should avoid it and warn others not to do it. The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) used to say in his khutbahs (sermons): "The truest of speech is the Book of Allaah, the best guidance is that of Muhammad and the worst of things are those which are newly invented. Every newly-invented thing is a bid‘ah, every bid‘ah is a going astray, and every going astray will end in the Fire of Hell." (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Sunan, Kitaab salaat al-‘eidayn, no. 1560).
It is permissible to pray for the deceased, without arranging a formal gathering, and without setting a specific date for doing so. We ask Allaah to help us and you to do that which He loves and which will please Him. Allaah knows best.
When I read the Holy Qur'aan I would like my relatives who passed away to benefit from my reading .Besides,I want to make supplications after reading the Qur'aan for myself and my family.What actions are exactly to be done ,for as far as I know raising hands and wiping the face are bid'ah?
Praise be to Allaah.
The correct view is that the dead can benefit from the physical acts of worship undertaken by their living relatives with the intention of giving the reward to them (physical acts of worship include fasting and reading Qur’aan). The same applies to financial acts of worship, such as giving charity on behalf of the deceased or freeing a slave on his behalf, even though some of these actions are not prescribed as such.
This is indicated by the hadeeth of Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who gave his garden in charity on behalf of his mother who had died, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of that (narrated by al-Bukhaari), and other ahaadeeth.
But giving charity on behalf of the deceased is better than reading Qur’aan for them, just as making du’aa’ for them and seeking forgiveness for them is better than other deeds.
If you give in charity on behalf of your deceased relative, or you make du’aa’ for him – or other actions – the deceased will benefit from that, and you will also have the reward for that, for the Bounty of Allaah is immense.
With regard to raising one's hands when making du’aa’: this is not bid’ah; in fact it is Sunnah and is part of the teachings of guidance and one of the means of having one’s du’aa’s answered. It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is modest and most generous; if a man raises his hands to Him, He cannot send them back empty and unanswered,” (Narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood from the hadeeth of Salmaan).
But it is makrooh to raise one’s hands at certain times, such as when the khateeb makes du’aa’ at Jumu’ah prayers, unless the khateeb is praying for rain at Jumu’ah prayers, in which case it is prescribed to raise one's hands. This was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Similarly, it is not permitted to raise one's hands in congregation or individually after praying a fard prayer, as there is no evidence for doing so. Wiping the face, chest or body after making du’aa’ is bid’ah and is not permitted. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid