832 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, my mother’s soul was taken suddenly and she left no will. I think that, had she been able to speak, she would have given charity. Will she receive a reward if I give charity on her behalf?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’” Agreed upon; the wording is Muslim’s.⦗1⦘

Vocabulary
• “a man”: Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī (may Allah be pleased with him), leader of the Khazraj. His mother was ʿAmrah bint Masʿūd al-Anṣārīyyah of Banū al-Najjār.
• iftulitat: passive verb meaning “she died suddenly and without warning.”
• nafsuhā (“her soul”): grammatically, it may be nominative as the deputy subject, or accusative as a second object meaning “her soul was seized.” Lexicographers explain it as “she died unexpectedly.”

Lessons derived from the hadith
1 – Giving charity on behalf of a deceased person is permissible and its reward reaches him. This does not contradict the verse, “and that man shall have only what he strives for” (Quran 53:39), for when someone grants the deceased something he himself has earned, that is an addition to what truly belongs to the deceased through his own deeds.
2 – It is recommended to give charity for the deceased even if he did not stipulate it in a will, especially when one knows that, had he been able to speak or been granted respite, he would have directed that charity be given.
3 – The excellence of honoring one’s parents: part of that honor after their death is to pray for them, give charity on their behalf, perform acts of devotion, and convey the reward of those deeds to them.