Question:
This is a letter from Jasim Ali Hashim Al-Asadi, who asks in his letter: What is the meaning of the Noble Hadith: “When a son of Adam dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: a ongoing charity, knowledge by which others benefit, or a righteous child who prays for him.” Please enlighten us, and may Allah bless you.
Answer:
It is well known that when a person dies, their actions come to an end because they have passed away, and actions only take place during life. The only exceptions are these three matters, because the deceased was the cause behind them:
1. Ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah):
This refers to ongoing good. For example, a man dedicating his orchard or donating his real estate for the benefit of the poor. As long as the poor benefit from this donation or its fruits, it will be written to his account. This is a reward that continues after his death, but he was the reason for its existence.
2. Knowledge by which others benefit:
This is when a person teaches people and guides them toward goodness and doing righteous deeds. If people learn and benefit from his knowledge after his death, he will receive a reward equal to theirs without anything being diminished from their own rewards. This is because the one who guides to goodness is like the one who does it. This is proof of the blessing of knowledge and its benefit in both this world and the Hereafter.
3. A righteous child who prays for him after his death:
This is because a child is part of a person’s own earning. The Prophet ﷺ specifically said in the Hadith, “or a righteous child who prays for him,” because an unrighteous child does not care about themselves, so they will not care about their father or mother. This contains an indication that it is incredibly important for a person to raise their children righteously so that they may benefit them during life and after death. Furthermore, the Prophet’s phrase “or a righteous child who prays for him” indicates that praying (making Du’a) for a father or other relatives is better than a person performing an act of worship for Allah and dedicating its reward to them.
The Prophet ﷺ did not say: “or a righteous child who prays Salah for him, or fasts for him, or gives charity for him,” even though the context of the Hadith is about actions. If performing deeds on behalf of one’s father after his death was highly encouraged, the Prophet ﷺ would have clarified it. Ultimately, a person praying for their parents is better than ‘glorifying Allah’ (Tasbih), reciting Quran, praying Salah, or giving charity on their behalf and dedicating the reward to them.
A living person is in need of righteous deeds for themselves, so they should keep those deeds for themselves and pray for their parents with whatever they wish. However, the Prophet’s statement “or a righteous child who prays for him” does not mean that if someone other than his child prays for him, he will not benefit from it. Rather, the prayer of your Muslim brother is beneficial to you, even if his house is far from yours. Allah Almighty said: “And those who came after them say: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.’“ [Al-Hashr, 59:10]
Allah described these righteous people as praying for themselves and for their brothers who preceded them in faith, which includes both their living and deceased brothers. The Prophet ﷺ also said: “There is no Muslim man who dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allah pray his funeral prayer, except that Allah accepts their intercession for him.” Here, the Prophet clarified that the deceased benefits from the prayers of those who pray over him. Therefore, the Prophet’s phrasing in the Hadith, “or a righteous child who prays for him,” is based on the fact that a righteous child is a piece of the parent, making the child’s actions like the parent’s own actions. For this reason, he said: “his deeds come to an end except for three,” making the child’s prayer for the father a part of the father’s own deeds.
Some people have used this Hadith as evidence that it is impermissible to gift the rewards of acts of worship to the deceased. They argue that the Prophet ﷺ said: “his deeds come to an end.” However, we have a reservation regarding this deduction, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “his deeds come to an end,” and he did not say: “deeds done for him come to an end.”
Therefore, if someone other than the child gifts the reward of an act of worship to a Muslim, it benefits them. If you perform Hajj on behalf of someone who is not your father or mother, it benefits them. The same applies if you perform Umrah or give charity on their behalf; it benefits them according to the most correct scholarly opinion.