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:

in one of your answers you have written that reading of the quran holds no value for the dead person then as a muslim if my parents die, what should i dofor them, so that they are not tourtured in the grave 

(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:

What to do for deceased parents

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.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 53 Surah Najm verse 24:

24 Nay! Man shall have nothing except what he strove for (himself)!

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (saws) said, 'When a person dies all his deeds cease except for three: a continuous act of charity (which one did before he died), beneficial knowledge (which one taught or left before one died), and a righteous off-spring who prays for him.''

Related by Muslim and Abu Dawood.

Dear and Beloved Sister in Islam, in light of the above guiding principles of the Quran and the Sunnah, Allah will hold man responsible and accountable for only those deeds which one strove for!

If one’s parents taught their children to fear Allah, worship Allah, obey and follow the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), etc. every good deed that the child does in his life, not only will he/she have a reward for it, but Allah Subhanah will give an equal reward to the ones who introduced them to the good deeds without diminishing the reward of the one who actually does the deeds!

Jarir ibn Abdallah reported: "The Prophet (saws) said: 'Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam will get its reward and the rewards for all those who follow these practices after him, without any loss to their reward. And whoever introduces a bad practice in Islam will acquire its sin and the sins of all those who practice it, without any decrease in their sins."

Your Question: then as a muslim if my parents die, what should i dofor them, so that they are not tourtured in the grave 

If one’s parents have died in the state of belief, then all the good deeds their off-springs do, their parents shall have a full reward of all the deeds done by their children, without any reduction in the rewards of the off-spring. Thus the more good righteous deeds an off-spring does, the more rewards he can earn not only for himself, but also for his departed parents.

And the absolute best thing an off-spring can do for their deceased parents and loved ones is to constantly supplicate their Lord Merciful to have Mercy on them.

A man asked, 'O Allah's Messenger (saws)! I had parents whom I served while they lived. How can I be good to them after their death?' The Prophet (saws) said, 'Verily, among the best deeds that you can do after their death is to supplicate for them when you supplicate for yourself.’

Related by Ad-Duruqtuni.

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