The Best Supplications (Duas) for the Deceased

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned many supplications for the deceased, some of which are as follows:

• "O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, grant him good health, honor his resting place, expand his entrance, wash him with water, snow, and hail, purify him of his sins as a white garment is purified from dirt, and replace his home with a better home, his family with a better family, his spouse with a better spouse. Protect him from the grave's trial and the Fire's punishment".
• "O Allah, forgive our living and deceased, our present and absent, our young and old, our males and females. O Allah, whoever You keep alive among us, let him live in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, let him die in faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not lead us astray after him".
• "Ask forgiveness for your brother and ask for his stability, for he is now being questioned".
• "O Allah, so-and-so son of so-and-so is under Your protection and in Your neighborhood. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire. You are the One who is faithful and truthful, so forgive him and have mercy on him. You are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful".
• "O Allah, You are his Lord, You created him, You guided him to Islam, You took his soul, and You know his secrets and open actions. We come as intercessors, so forgive him".

Supplications for the Deceased:

• A believer grieves the loss of loved ones and longs for those they have lost. The best thing a believer can offer the deceased is to pray for them as our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed and to give charity on their behalf. Below are prayers for mercy, forgiveness, and goodness for the deceased:
• "O Allah, replace his home with a better home, his family with a better family, and admit him to Paradise. Protect him from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of the Fire".
• "O Allah, treat him according to what You are worthy of, not according to what he deserves".
• "O Allah, reward him for his good deeds with goodness, and for his misdeeds with pardon and forgiveness".
• "O Allah, if he was righteous, increase his good deeds, and if he was sinful, pardon his sins".
• "O Allah, admit him to Paradise without questioning his deeds, nor the punishment of the Fire".
• "O Allah, comfort him in his loneliness, in his isolation, and in his estrangement".
• "O Allah, grant him a blessed resting place, and You are the best of those who provide resting places".
• "O Allah, grant him a resting place among the righteous, the martyrs, and the pious. And what a good companion they are".
• "O Allah, make his grave a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and do not make it a pit from the pits of Hell".
• "O Allah, expand his grave and make his sight vast, and spread the bedding of Paradise in his grave".
• "O Allah, protect him from the punishment of the grave and the dryness of the earth".
• "O Allah, fill his grave with satisfaction, light, spaciousness, and joy".
• "O Allah, he is under Your protection and in Your neighborhood. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire. You are the One worthy of fulfilling promises and truth, so forgive him and have mercy on him. You are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful".
• "O Allah, he is Your servant, the son of Your servant. He has left this world, its wide expanses, its pleasures, and its loved ones, to face the darkness of the grave and what lies ahead".
• "O Allah, he used to testify that there is no deity but You, and that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. You know him better".
• "O Allah, we intercede with You, and we swear by You, that You will have mercy on him and not punish him, and that You will make him firm when questioned".
• "O Allah, he has come to You, and You are the best to be sought by, and he is in need of Your mercy, while You are in no need of punishing him".
• "O Allah, grant him Your mercy and pleasure, protect him from the trial of the grave and its punishment, and protect him from Your punishment until You bring him into Your Paradise, O Most Merciful of the merciful".
• "O Allah, take him from the places of decay, the narrow graves, to the Gardens of Eternity".
• "O Allah, shelter him beneath the earth, and protect him on the Day of Judgment. Do not disgrace him when he is resurrected. On that Day, neither wealth, children, nor kin will benefit, except for the one who comes to You with a pure heart".
• "O Allah, make his book of deeds a source of light, ease his reckoning, and weigh his good deeds heavily, stabilize his feet on the straight path, and place him in the highest Paradise, beside Your beloved and chosen one, peace be upon him".

The Virtue of Praying for the Deceased

The deceased benefit from the prayers of Muslims for them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When a person dies, his deeds are cut off, except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him". (Sahih Muslim)

Allah, the Almighty, said: "And those who came after them say: 'Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith.'" (Surah Al-Hashr, 59:10)

Thus, it is agreed upon by all Muslims that prayers benefit the deceased. It is also recommended that charity be given on behalf of the deceased, perform Hajj or Umrah on their behalf, and make charitable donations for them, through which they will benefit, with the permission of Allah, the Almighty.

Acts That Benefit the Deceased

The best thing a Muslim can offer the deceased is to perform actions that reach them, increase their good deeds, weigh heavily on their scales, and elevate their ranks. Some of the actions that benefit the deceased include:

1. Prayers and Seeking Forgiveness

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah raises the rank of a righteous servant in Paradise, and he asks, 'My Lord, how has this come to me?' Allah responds, 'Because of the forgiveness your son sought for you.'" (Sahih Muslim)

2. Charity (Sadaqah)

Evidence for this includes:

• It was narrated that Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Sa’d bin Ubadah’s mother died while he was absent. He said, 'O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died, and I was not present. Will she benefit if I give charity on her behalf?' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Yes.' Sa’d then said, 'I bear witness that my garden, Al-Mukhraf, is a charity for her.'"
• It was narrated that a man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): "My father has died and left wealth but did not leave a will. Will charity on his behalf atone for him?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Yes".
• Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "My mother died, and I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died. Can I give charity on her behalf?' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Yes. The best form of charity is giving water to drink.' So, he set up a water station in Medina in her name".

3. Hajj and Umrah

After the living person has performed Hajj and Umrah for themselves, they may perform these rites on behalf of the deceased. Evidence for this is found in the narration of Buraydah bin Al-Haseeb Al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "A woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I gave charity on behalf of my mother, and then she died. The charity was returned to me. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Your reward is secured, and the charity will return to you.' She then asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, my mother died without having performed Hajj. Should I perform Hajj on her behalf?' He said: 'Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf.' She further asked, 'My mother died with a month of fasting due; should I fast on her behalf?' The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: 'Yes, fast on her behalf.'"

4. Fulfilling Vows and Debts

It is narrated that a woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "My mother made a vow to perform Hajj but died before she could do so. Should I perform Hajj on her behalf?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. Do you not think that if your mother had a debt, you would repay it? Fulfill the obligation of Allah, for He is most deserving of being fulfilled". (Sahih al-Bukhari)