Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As-Salaam-Alai-Kum!

My father passed away 10 years ago.  I do not know if he will be granted paradise or not. But i am sure i will not like to see him in Fire.  On the Day of Judgement, i would like to take his sins on me so that he is pardoned.  I know that Fire is worse than anything that can be imagined.  In that case, i cannot see my father enter Fire.  I know that no one's sins would be put on others. So in present life i pray for my father's forgiveness in the grave as well as in the Hereafter and any of his sins is transferred to my account. Can you please comment in light of Quran and Hadith?

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Answer:

How to forgive deceased fathers sins

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam Verse 164:

164 Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)?" Every soul draws the mead of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is toward Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed.

Respected brother, just as one cannot implore Allah Subhanah to transfer the good deeds done by another to oneself, it is not acceptable to beseech the Lord Most Gracious to transfer the sins done by another to oneself! The Law Decreed by the Lord Most Wise for the Day of Resurrection is that each soul shall draw the mead of its acts on none but itself, and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another!

Besides brother, the Mercy of your Lord Most Gracious is abundant and absolutely unlimited. It is well within His Grasp and His Power, if He so Wills, to forgive your sins, your father’s sins, as well as all the sins of His believing and repentant slaves that ever existed!

In the Court of the Lord Most Majestic on that Tumultuous Day of Judgment, it is not as if The Lord Most High has Prescribed for Himself that every sin ever committed will have to be accounted and paid for in His Majestic Presence! But rather, the Lord Most Gracious has Prescribed for Himself Mercy and made incumbent upon Himself to be Merciful towards His believing slaves…..

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 12:

12 …….He (Allah Subhanah) has inscribed (or made incumbent) for Himself (the rule of) Mercy!

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6631 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘There are one hundred (parts of the) Mercy of Allah and He has sent down out of this (hundred), only one part of Mercy upon all the Jinn, and human beings, and the creatures…. and it is because of this (one part of the Mercy of the Lord) that they love one another, show kindness to one another and even the beast treats its young one with affection! ….and Allah has reserved ninety-nine parts of Mercy with which He would treat His servants on the Day of Resurrection.

Respected brother, instead of beseeching Allah Subhanah to transfer the sins of your deceased and beloved father unto your account (which is against the prescribed principle), it would be far better to have faith in the magnitude of the Mercy of your Lord Most Merciful and beseech Him tirelessly to forgive the sins of your father, your own sins, and the sins of every one who has professed belief in Him.

Just as His Power, His Strength, His Honor, His Might, His Knowledge, and His Majesty is beyond compare….so is His Grace and His Mercy and His Forgiveness and His Generosity beyond compare! If He so Wills and Pleases, He can forgive all the sins of every believer who professed belief in Him…..

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 442 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Anas heard the Prophet (saws) say: ‘Allah, the Exalted, has Said: "O son of Adam! Certainly I shall continue to pardon thee so long as thou supplicates Me and hopes (for My forgiveness), whatever may be thy faults and sins, I don't care. O son of Adam, even if thy sins pile up as high as the sky, and thou asks for My forgiveness, I will forgive thee. O son of Adam, if thou comes to Me with an earthful of defaults and meets Me, not associating anything with Me, I will come to thee, with an earthful of forgiveness!"

Thus in conclusion my respected brother, never never ever despair of the vastness of the Mercy of your Lord Most Merciful. In awe and in humility, beseech and implore Him tirelessly to overlook the sins of your father as often as you beseech Him to forgive you your own sins….it is expected that your Lord Most Gracious will accept your supplications.

Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet (saws) said, 'When a person dies all his good deeds cease except for three:

1. a continuous act of charity (sadaqa jaariyah), beneficial knowledge, and
2. a righteous son who supplicates for him'.''

Related by Muslim, and Abu Dawood.

Abu Hurairah also reported, "The Prophet (saws) said, 'The righteous works that continue to benefit a believer after his death include the knowledge that he taught and spread among others, a righteous son whom he leaves behind, or a copy of the Qur'an that he bequeaths to his inheritors, or a mosque that he builds, or a rest house that he builds for the wayfarers, or a canal of water that he digs for the benefit of others, or a charity that he gives out of his property during his life while he is sound of health. He will continue to receive reward for all these even after his death.'

Related by Ibn Majah.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 5123 Narrated by Abu Usayd Malik ibn Rabi'ah as-Sa'idi

While we were with the Messenger of Allah (saws) a man of Banu Salmah came to him and said: “O Messenger of Allah (saws)! Is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death?” He (saws) replied: “Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, ask forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honor their friends.”

And besides, if it was your deceased father who introduced you to the Truth of Al-Islam, encouraged you to serve and worship your Lord Creator Alone and associate no partners with Him, guided you to fear Him and give the rights due to others for His Sake….in short, if it was your beloved father who was responsible for you becoming a good believer….rest assured brother, every single good deed that you do in your lifetime, your father will have a reward in it, without any diminish in your own reward.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan