Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and countless other scholars have passed away, yet their reputation remains vibrant; they continue to teach people while lying in their graves, and reward keeps reaching them even there. This demonstrates that knowledge is far better than wealth and far more beneficial to a person. Presently, by Allah’s permission, we shall encounter the ḥadith of Abū Hurayrah quoted by the author: “When a human being dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: a continuous charity, knowledge that people benefit from, or a righteous child who prays for him.” Allah alone grants success.

1383 – Abū Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When a human being dies, his deeds cease except for three: a perpetual charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who supplicates for him.” Collected by Muslim.

[Commentary]

Imām al-Nawawī (d. 676 AH) cites this ḥadith in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, in the chapter on the virtue of seeking and teaching knowledge for Allah’s sake. He narrates from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ declared: “When a human being dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: a continuous charity, knowledge that people benefit from, or a righteous child who prays for him.”

The ḥadith strongly encourages a person to hasten toward righteous deeds, for he never knows when death will overtake him. Let him act before his deeds are cut off, adding works of obedience that will raise his rank with Allah and increase his reward. It is obvious that none of us knows when we will die, nor where we will die, as Allah the Exalted says, “No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die.” (Qur’an 31:34)