He said, ‘I have a grove—that is, an orchard—and I call you to witness that I have given it in charity on her behalf.’”

In the two Sahīh collections, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “My mother died suddenly without making a bequest. 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.”

In Sahīh Muslim, Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “My father died without making a bequest. Will it benefit him if I give charity on his behalf?” He replied, “Yes.”

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās reported that al-‘Ās ibn Wā’il had vowed during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance to slaughter one hundred sacrificial animals. Hishām ibn al-‘Ās slaughtered his share of fifty, and ‘Amr asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this. He replied, “As for your father, had he affirmed Allah’s oneness, and you had then fasted or given charity on his behalf, that would have benefited him.”

In Sunan al-Dāraqutnī, a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah, I used to honor both my parents during their lives. How can I honor them after their death?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “Among the ways to continue honoring them is to pray on their behalf along with your own prayers, fast on their behalf along with your own fasting, and give charity on their behalf along with your own charity.”

At the beginning of his book, Muslim related from Abū Ishāq al-Tālaqānī, who said: