Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 4.86

Hadith 4.86.1

Deeds that Benefit the Deceased Persons and Proffering Reward for Good Deeds to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

There is consensus that a deceased person benefits from all good deeds for which he or she in his or her life might have been a cause. Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'When a person dies all his good deeds cease except for three: a continuous act of charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous son who prays for him'.'' (Muslim, and the Sunan) Also Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'The righteous works that continue to benefit a believer after his death include the knowledge that he taught and spread among others, a righteous son whom he leaves behind, or a copy of the Qur'an that he bequeaths to his inheritors, or a mosque that he builds, or a rest house that he builds for the wayfarers, or a canal of water that he digs for the benefit of others, or a charity that he gives out of his property during his life while he is sound of health. He will continue to receive reward for all these even after his death.' (Ibn Majah) Jarir ibn Abdallah reported: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam will get its reward and the rewards for all those who follow these practices after him, without any loss to their reward. And whoever introduces a bad practice in Islam will acquire its sin and the sins of all those who practice it, without any decrease in their sins."
An account of the righteous deeds performed by others that continue to be beneficial to the deceased is given in detail below: l) Asking Allah for His forgiveness. The scholars agree that it is good to do this, because Allah says in the Qur'an: "Those who came after them say, 'O Allah! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith. Do not put animosity in our hearts for those who believe. Our Lord, indeed, You are Most Merciful, Most Kind." Qur'an 59.10 A saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, reads, "When you offer the funeral prayer for the deceased, make supplications for this person." This has already been mentioned above. The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us the supplication: "O Allah! Forgive our living and our dead." Generations of Muslims, both past and present, have been supplicating to Allah for His mercy and forgiveness for their dead. Such a practice has continued without any dissent or disagreement among scholars.
An-Nawawi said, "The most well-known position of the Shafi'i school is that this does not benefit the deceased." Ahmad ibn Hanbal and a group of Shafi' i scholars hold that it does benefit the deceased . The reciter has an option. He may supplicate for the deceased to be rewarded for the recitation, saying: "O Allah! Grant the reward of what I recited to so-and-so."
Ibn Qudamah in al-Mughni stated, "Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, 'The deceased will receive the reward for every good done on his behalf. This is proved by textual evidence found on this subject. The fact that Muslims in every city gather to recite the Qur'an for the benefit of the deceased and that they have been doing so without any disagreement or disapproval show that there is consensus on this subject'."
Those who hold that the deceased benefits by the recitation of others make it conditional upon the reciter not to accept any payment for his recitation. If the reciter is paid for reciting, it is unlawful for both the giver and the receiver, and he shall have no reward for his reciting. Abd Ar Rahman ibn Shibl reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Recite the Qur'an, and do good deeds .... Do not neglect it, nor be extreme in it. Do not make it a means of living nor a source of your wealth.'' (Reported by Ahmad, At-Tabarani, and Al-Baihaqi) Ibn al-Qayyim said, "Worship is of two types: financial and physical. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has informed us that because charity (sadaqah) benefits the deceased, all other acts of charity will also benefit the deceased, and that because fasting on his behalf benefits the deceased, all other physical acts of worship will likewise benefit the deceased. Similarly the Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us that the reward of making Hajj, which involves both physical and financial sacrifice, does indeed benefit the deceased. Thus these three types of beneficial acts of worship are supported by both the revealed texts and reason."