—guided us, saying, “or a righteous child who prays for him.”
What is astonishing is that ordinary people—and those who follow their lead—assume that if someone donates charity for his father, fasts a day for him, recites a portion of the Quran for him, or does something similar, that deed is better than supplication. The root of this notion is sheer ignorance; anyone who reflects on the textual evidence will realize that supplication is superior. For this reason, in not a single hadith did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) direct anyone to perform a righteous deed and then dedicate its reward to his parents—ever.
Imam Mālik said that a few isolated cases occurred in which some Companions asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) whether they could give charity on behalf of a deceased father or mother. He replied, “Yes, there is no harm,” yet he never encouraged the entire community to do that, nor did he give it as general guidance. He was simply answering individual questions.
Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah (may Allah be pleased with him) once asked whether he could donate his orchard—that is, his date-garden—on behalf of his mother after her death, and the Messenger of Allah said, “Yes.” On another occasion, a man said, “O Messenger of Allah, my mother died suddenly; may I give charity on her behalf?” He replied, “Yes.” Still, the Prophet did not intend to legislate this as a universal practice for the ummah; rather, he affirmed, “or a righteous child who prays for him.”
We ask Allah to forgive us and you, our parents, and all the Muslims.
1388 – Abū al-Dardāʾ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say, “Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, pleased with what he does. All those in the heavens and on earth—even the fish in the water—seek forgiveness for the scholar. The superiority of the scholar over the devout worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon over all the other stars. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets, and the prophets did not—”