Can one pray for non-muslims?
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:
assalamu alaikum
i have a doubt.can a muslim pray for a non-muslim.if yes,can we ask allah to convert her as a muslim?
please answer me in detail
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Can one pray for non-muslims?
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 no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
The muslims, by virtue of their being sincere believers in Allah and the Last Day, are duty bound to be well-wishers to their fellow human beings; whether they are muslims or not. Thus there is absolutely no harm if a believer prays for the well-being of his fellow human being who is not yet a believer; and the absolute best supplication he can make to The Merciful Lord for his non muslim brother-in-humanity is that Allah Subhanah guide him/her to the Truth of Al-Islam. Amongst all the supplications one can make, this supplication of a believer for a non-muslim to be guided to the Truth of Al-Islam is the absolute best; there is no supplication better than this which a believer may make for his non-muslim brother-in-humanity!
But if a non-muslim dies while in the state of disbelief, Allah Subhanah has specifically prohibited the believers to supplicate Allah Subhanah for them; for Allah Subhanah has Decreed that He will never ever forgive one who dies in a state of shirk or disbelief.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 113: It is not fitting for the Prophet and those who believe, that
they should pray for forgiveness for pagans (after their death) even though
they be of kin, after it is clear to
them that they are companions of the Fire!
But as long as the non-muslim is alive, it is absolutely permissible and considered a good deed in Islam for a muslim to supplicate Allah Subhanah to guide his non-muslim friend to the Truth of Al-Islam.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
Burhan