If someone were to ask: What evidence is there that this benefits the person? The answer is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person shall have only what he intended.” (1)

Thus, if I intend by my act to draw nearer to Allah on behalf of a particular person, it benefits him; and there is no evidence to prohibit this.

Moreover, some of these cases occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he approved them. Among them are:

1. Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah, may Allah be pleased with him, gave his orchard in charity on behalf of his mother after she had died, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, approved it. (2)

2. The hadith of ‘Ā’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her: “A man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, my mother died suddenly, and had she been able to speak, she would have given charity. May I give charity on her behalf?’ He said, ‘Yes.’” (3)

3. ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, whether he could give charity on behalf of his father by freeing fifty slaves. His father had instructed in his will that one hundred slaves be freed on his behalf. One of ‘Amr’s brothers freed fifty, and ‘Amr asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, whether he should free the remaining fifty. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, explained to him that, had his father been a Muslim, it would have benefited him; so he refrained from freeing them (4), because his father was an unbeliever. The unbeliever does not benefit from another person’s deeds—not even from the good deeds he himself performed. Allah says concerning such deeds:

“And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did and make them as scattered dust.” [al-Furqān]

So when these