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:

Can a muslim pray to Allah for a non muslim for his well being ?? 

(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:

Pray for disbeliever

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.

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 disbelieving brethren-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 can and should make for his disbelieving brethren-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 a 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 and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan