(1) Muslim, 1913 (163); in his version the expression al-Fattan (the examiner) appears instead of “al-adhab” (the punishment). Benefit: Al-Tahawi, when reconciling the hadith of Salman about standing guard on the frontier (ribat)—which says that the deceased’s deeds keep increasing for him until the Day of Resurrection—with the Prophet’s authenticated statement, “When the son of Adam dies, his deeds cease except for three…,” and with the sound report that whoever introduces a good practice (sunna hasana) in Islam and others act upon it after him will receive its reward and the reward of those who follow it without their reward being diminished, raised the following problem: these reports mention deeds that reach the dead in addition to the three exceptions, even though his deeds are said to have stopped. He answered: “These traditions are perfectly consistent; there is no divergence or contradiction. The hadith of Salman concerns a deed performed before the frontier-guard’s death; its reward keeps growing for him afterward because the cause of that reward endures until the Day of Resurrection, and the deed itself preceded his death. In the second hadith, the three exceptions refer to deeds that arise after death: a charity given on his behalf after he dies, which he initiated during his life; knowledge from which people benefit after his death, which he disseminated in his life; and a righteous child who prays for him after his death, whom he raised during his life. All these bring him new, incidental reward, unlike the deeds he died upon. Hence the murabit differs from the ordinary deceased: the former receives reward for deeds that pre-date his death, not for new deeds that occur afterward. As for the report about whoever inaugurates a good practice that people adopt after him, it falls under the heading of knowledge he spread during his lifetime and is therefore included among the three exceptions. Praise be to Allah: none of the reports of the Messenger of Allah contradict one another; they are entirely harmonious. We ask Allah for success.” Mushkil al-Athar, 3/89. Ibn Abidin, commenting on the phrase “his deeds continue to be recorded for him,” said: “Anyone who dies while guarding the frontier is treated as though he remained in that state until the end of the world regarding the reward that reaches him, because his intention was to persist in ribat had he lived until the world’s end, and reward corresponds to intention.” Radd al-Muhtar, 2/524.