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:

Assalamualikum...

Are we supposed to read yasin on the sahba"s or caliphs or anyone who were under prophet muhammed(saw)?

(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:

Read yaa seen for prophet(saws) and companions

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 2 Surah Baqarah verse 185:

Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for mankind and consists of clear Teachings which show the Right Way, and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:

We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha Mim As Sajdaah verse 2-4:

This is a Revelation from the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful Allah. A Book whose verses are well-expounded, an Arabic Quran for the people who want to understand, and a giver of good news and a warner.

The Glorious Quran is a Book of Guidance revealed by the Lord Most Gracious so that those who hear and understand it are guided to the Right Path; thus guidance is only for those who are alive and giving their ‘test’ of life, not those who have given their test of life and passed away….for immediately after death, the exact Truth which the Lord Declares in His Quran is already manifest to them!

The recitation of the Glorious Quran can and does benefit only those who are alive; it does not and cannot benefit those who are deceased.

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

Every soul draws the meed 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.

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

1.      a continuous act of charity,

2.      beneficial knowledge, and

3.      a righteous offspring who prays for him'.''

Related by Muslim and Abu Dawood.

In light of the above guidance of the Quran it is absolutely clear that every soul will draw the meed or merit of its own deeds; and in light of the absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) all the deeds of a deceased are ceased except for three:

1. continuous act of charity: ie. the charity done by the deceased like building a school, or a hospital, or a mosque, or a well, etc. which is still being utilized for the good of man even after his death….the deceased shall earn a reward for such continuous deeds of charity even after his death.
2. beneficial knowledge: ie. if the deceased strove and exhorted someone to believe and obey their Lord Creator, or the deceased gave someone a copy of the Glorious Quran, or some good advice, etc….then he will continue to receive the rewards of every good that person did on his advice.
3. righteous offspring: ie. the near and loved ones who constantly supplicate their Lord to forgive their deceased loved one.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Messenger of Allah (saws) ever recited the Surah Yaa Seen or any other Surah of the Glorious Quran for the benefit or for the forgiveness of the deceased; nor did he (saws) ever endorse such an act.

The absolute best thing one who believes can and should do for their beloved Prophet (saws) is to recite the ‘durood’ or salutations for him; and the absolute best thing one can and should do for the noble companions of the Prophet (saws) is to make sincere supplications for them, beseech the Lord Most Gracious to shower them with His Mercy, bestow upon them His Grace, accept their strivings and their sacrifices in His Cause, and grant them an honorable rank and status in the Hereafter.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

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