and he did not say, “O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to give us rain; pray to Allah to lift this drought,” because he—may Allah be pleased with him—knew that such a request was impossible. Once a person dies, his deeds are cut off and he can no longer perform any action, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a human being dies, his deeds cease except for three….” Accordingly, the dead can neither seek forgiveness for you nor supplicate for you, for their actions have come to an end.

In sum, visiting graves benefits the occupants of the graves, not the visitor—apart from the reward the visitor receives from Allah, Exalted is He. He gains nothing from the dead themselves by visiting them; rather, he profits from the reward obtained and from the admonition that touches his heart, should Allah, glorified and exalted, grant him the ability to take heed. We ask Allah to make us and you among those who place their hopes in Him alone.