The Gift of Prayer for the Deceased

For a Muslim, death is not the end of the relationship with the family left behind. Prayer, charity, and righteous deeds intended for the deceased are believed to remain as beneficial gifts for them. Indeed, a number of narrations cited by scholars depict prayer and charity reaching the grave’s occupant as a gift that brings light and spaciousness.

The belief that the reward of prayer reaches the deceased has a strong foundation in Islamic tradition. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that when a person dies, all their deeds are cut off except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them. This authentic hadith narrated by Muslim is a primary basis for the belief that prayers from children and fellow Muslims can benefit the deceased.

In addition to these authentic hadiths, Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qurthubi (d. 671 AH) in his book At-Tadzkirah fi Ahwal al-Mauta wa Umur al-Akhirah also cited a narration describing how gifts of charity and prayer are received by the grave’s occupant. The narration states that when a person gives charity on behalf of their deceased, an angel brings it on a platter of light. The angel stands at the head of the grave and calls out, ‘O occupant of this lonely grave, your family has sent you this gift, so accept it.’ The gift is then brought into the grave, making it spacious and luminous, and the deceased prays, ‘May Allah reward my family with the best of rewards.’

Al-Qurthubi cited this narration on pages 298–299 of At-Tadzkirah. However, hadith scholars explain that the chain of transmission for this narration goes through Abu Hudbah Ibrahim bin Hudbah, who is considered weak (dha’if), meaning it cannot be used as a basis for legal rulings. Nevertheless, the narration is often quoted in targhib (motivational) literature to illustrate the nobility of prayer and charity gifted to the dead.

A similar depiction is found in a story cited by al-Qurthubi from Bishr bin Ghalib regarding the famous female Sufi, Rabi’ah al-’Adawiyah. Bishr bin Ghalib claimed to have seen Rabi’ah al-’Adawiyah in a dream, and he had frequently prayed for her. In the dream, Rabi’ah told him that his prayers came to her as gifts on platters of light, covered with silk cloths. She explained that this is how the prayers of living believers for their deceased brethren are received when they are answered by Allah; the grave’s occupant is told that this is a gift from the person who prayed for them.