بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم

Transferring reward of Good Deeds to the dead

‘Ithal-e-Thawab’ “ایصالِ ثواب”

in the light of Qur’an and Hadith

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَhحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَمَّا بَعْدُ

I – What is ‘Ithal-e-Thawab’

It is rampant in our society that whenever a person dies, his family and friends assemble at his residence. They sit down on white sheets of cloth and each one reads one part (juz or para) so that they can complete the reading of the whole Quran in one sitting. Then the moulvi (shaikh by from nearby masjid) makes a collective dua to Allah that the reward of finishing the reading of Quran be transferred to the dear departed. It is also a standard practice of ‘fatiha’ by reciting Surah Al-Fatihah, Surah Al-Ikhlas, etc. three times as a prayer for forgiveness at the residence or the grave.

It simply means that a Muslim, doing good deeds, can transfer the rewards of these deeds to a dead person.

Let us analyse this belief in the light of Quran and hadith but first we find out for what a dead person get the reward.

II – Reward transferred to a dead person!

Allah Ta’ala declares in the Quran:

اَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِّزْرَ اُخْرٰىۙ۰۰۳۸وَ اَنْ لَّيْسَ لِلْاِنْسَانِ اِلَّا مَا سَعٰى ۙ۰۰۳۹وَ اَنَّ سَعْيَهٗ سَوْفَ يُرٰى۪۰۰۴۰ثُمَّ يُجْزٰىهُ الْجَزَآءَ الْاَوْفٰى ۙ۰۰۴۱

(النجم:38 تا 41)

“That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.And that his effort is going to be seen.”

Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.

In these verses, first it is made amply clear that as a rule the deeds of one person will not be repaid to another. Then it was explained that man gets only what he strives for. And he will be rewarded according to the diligence and pursuit of his deeds. Lord of the Universe says:

وَ بَشِّرِ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنّٰتٍ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ

(البقرة :25)

“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow…”

It is further clarified in Surah Al-A’raf that when the believers with pure faith will be admitted to Paradise, then:

وَ نُوْدُوْۤا اَنْ تِلْكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ اُوْرِثْتُمُوْهَا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُوْنَ

(الاعراف:43)

“And they will be called, “This is the Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do.”

These verses further make it clear that a person will enter Paradise because of the deeds which he himself has done after believing. Certainly, not because of the deeds done by others. In any case, entering the Paradise will be due to the mercy of Allah Ta’ala, and that too, mercy is conditional for him who believed and did good deeds.

Today, if someone dies in someone’s house, Quran Khwani (the reading of the whole Quran in one sitting) is arranged, the names of Allah are recited on the rosaries, chana (yellow gram), seeds and date stones for the award of its thawab to the deceased. Then on the third day, soyem then on the tenth day, ‘daswan’ and on the fortieth day, ‘chaleeswan’ are arranged.

Those who call themselves Muslims! Just think, who has told you this practice? Is there such an order, in favour of what you have adopted, in any of the thousands of verses of the Holy Qur’an? Is there any such practice in the vast collection of hadiths? Did not Prophet’s wife, sons, grandson and other companions die in his life time? Were there no reciters of the Qur’an at the time of the Prophet’s death to do the Qur’an khwani? Which of the Tabei’ (follower of the Sahaba) had finished the Qur’an on the death of the Companions? Likewise how many Qur’ans did Tabe’ Tabei’n (followers of the followers of the Sahaba) recite on the death of the tabiens?

After all, how a deed which does not exist in the Qur’an and Hadith and nor in the lives of the Companions and, later, nor in the periods of Tabien and Tabe Tabein, became an essential ritual and belief in Islam?

Just think for a second, whose followership is it? Do we call him a Muslim who invents a practice other than the one prescribed by Allah and His Messenger and acts according to it and persists over it?

III – Meaning and Explanatin of the term ‘ithal-e-Thawab’

Let alone the creed of “Ithal-e-Thawab” which has been adopted widely in this ummah, this term itself and its practice have not been mentioned anywhere in the Qur’an and Hadith.

‘Ithal’ or ‘isaal’ means “sending” or “transfer” and “thawab” means “reward of a good deed” which will be awarded by Allah Ta’ala. The term means ‘transferring reward (of specific ritual) done by any living person to the account of a dead person.’ This is similar to the balance transfer by a mobile these days.

IV – What does Quran and Haidth dictate

In the Qur’anic ayaat of Sura Al-Najm written above, it has become clear that only the doer of a deed is rewarded and no one else. That is, a dead person cannot, under any circumstances, claim reward for somebody else’s good deeds.

In these ayaat, it is explained in very simple terms that the intention of the doer will be judged and then he will be fully rewarded. It is as if, at first it needs to be determined that the neighbors, office colleagues, and other relatives came only to attend or their intention was something else. And a deed, for which the reward has not yet been decided, how its reward has been transferred to the dead? It needs to be seen that who was turning the pages of Qur’an pretending to be reciting just to show the world, and who was making mistakes in reading which are not acceptable, etc? And not many these days can properly read the Quran. Only Allah knows the intent and the performance of the deed. If someone makes errors in the reading of Quran, has the punishment for this been also be transferred? Or following the same logic, can one transfer the punishment of his sins to others? Why not transfer own sins to the account of Abu Jahl or Firoun?

The question remains ‘is this creed and practice about transferring thawab (the reward) found in the Qur’an and the hadith?

If all these things are examined from the point of view of reality, then it is clear that this fabricated term of “transfer of reward” is rejected by its very literal meaning. Let us this in the light of a few ahadeeth.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ، وَيَبْقَى وَاحِدٌ: يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ، وَمَالُهُ، وَعَمَلُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ، وَيَبْقَى مَعَهُ عَمَلُهُ

(صحیح بخاری۔کتاب الرقاق۔باب سکرات الموت)

“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When carried to his grave, a dead person is followed by three, two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with him: his relative, his property, and his deeds follow him; relatives and his property go back while his deeds remain with him.”

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ: صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ

(مسلم۔ کتاب الوصیت۔باب ما یلحق الانسان من الثواب بعد وفاته)

“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, (that is) recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him (for the deceased).”

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى هُدًى كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا وَمَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلَالَةٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الْإِثْمِ مِثْلُ آثَامِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آثَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا ۔

( صحیح مسلم۔کتاب العلم۔باب من سنه حسنه او سيئه)

“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.”

From the Qur’anic ayaat mentioned in the previous lines and the ahadeeth mentioned above, it is clear that if the dying person was a true believer, the things for which he will continue to receive the rewards after death are:

All the righteous deeds that he himself performed in his life.

Sadaqua jariya ‘Ongoing charity’: It means an ongoing goodness such as if a believer, in his lifetime, had built a mosque, a drinking water point, a well, a lodge, an inn or any such public welfare work on non-profit basis for the sake of Allah only. So as long as people continue to benefit from this deed of his, this person will continue to get his reward even after death (because it is not someone else’s deed but his own deed).

That knowledge from which people benefit: If a believer had written something in his life which helped people to correct their beliefs and deeds aligning themselves with the divine guidance. Or he had invited people, his children, relatives closer towards Allah’s real message with his tongue in addition to his pen? Or invited towards pure form of religion free from fabrications (bid’aat) and towards reighteous deeds. Or had introduced them to Islamic teachings, trained them on Islamic lines, had given them knowledge of Qur’an and Hadith, so as long as these people continue to follow what the deceased had said or written or taught, he will continue to receive his reward even after his death (because it was all his own effort).

Pious son who prays for him: If the deceased father or mother had trained children according to the instructions prescribed by Qur’an and Hadith, and attempted to make children spend their lives becoming true believers and pious, and then if these children pray to Allah for their parents after their death, then the deceased will surely benefit from it. Other ahaadeeth also prove that children get as much reward for their good deeds as do their believing parents because all their education and training are the result of their own deeds.

It should be borne in mind that all the good deeds, which are accumulated in the account of a believer after his death in the manner described above, nowhere these are mentioned by Allah Ta’ala or the of Allah’s Messenger in the name of “Isal-e-Thawab” or any other similar term. Nor is there any religious practice through which one can donate his own good deeds to his deceased parents.

On the contrary, it has been said that if the children pray the Salat, then the same reward is automatically accumulated in the account of the deceased believing parents.

In the same way, a deceased believer who had established a water well on non-profit basis then he will automatically continue to get the reward as long as people get water from it. No religious practice has been prescribed for transferring the reward, it happens automatically. Nowhere it is written that after drinking water, one he should pray, commonly known as ‘bakhshna’ to transfer the thawab of that to the deceased.

And in the same way, as long as people continue to receive guidance through a book, the reward will continue to go to its author automatically.

The Shari’ah only states that good deeds of the deceased can benefit from what he actually did himself. But we should not forget that the prayer of forgiveness for the deceased believer by any believer is also proven by the Qur’an and Hadith. And remember that Allah has strictly forbidden any kind of dua or supplication of forgiveness for a mushrik, the one who associates anybody or anything with Allah:

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ يَّسْتَغْفِرُوْا۠ لِلْمُشْرِكِيْنَ۠ وَ لَوْ كَانُوْۤا اُولِيْ قُرْبٰى مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ اَنَّهُمْ اَصْحٰبُ الْجَحِيْمِ

(التوبة: 113)

“It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.”

Salat al-Mayyit (funeral prayer) is also a prayer for forgiveness, so it is necessary to avoid violating the command of Allah Ta’ala. And do not ask for forgiveness for anyone involved in such fabricated practices of ‘ithal-e-thawab’. As if this special reward (ie supplication of forgiveness) is only for the believers because they have adorned their lives in obedience to Allah Ta’ala and according to what was prescribed by Qur’an and Hadith. And whenever prayers are offered for forgiveness for the dying believer and if it is accepted by Allah Ta’ala, only then it will benefit the deceased.

It is also important to point out that the practice of ‘fatiha’ by reciting Surah Al-Fatihah, Surah Al-Ikhlas, etc. three times as a prayer for forgiveness at the residence or the grave is a clear bidaat (innovation). There is no example of such an action by the Prophet himself or the Sahabah appearing in any of the authentic hadith.

Now, insha’Allah, in the next part, we will take a look at who is involved in such activities with devastating result for the common Muslim and how close one could get to hell because of practicing ‘ithal-e-thawab’ and fabricated practice ‘fatiha’ of reciting surah then asking for the forgiveness of the deceased.

I – Who are being followed in this practice?

Among the Shiites, there is a mourning, similar to ‘ithal-e-thawab’ for the deceased which is called “’azadari“.

Among the Hindus, when someone dies, the Pandit is called and he recites ‘Ashlok’. This is done on the third, tenth, and fortieth days, and then at the end of the year. They believe that the soul of the deceased is waiting for the feast until Ashlok is recited for the deceased and ‘dan pun’ charity is given.

Unfortunately, in this ummah, this method of delivery of reward has been introduced. In which, when someone dies, people should gather to read the whole Qur’an, its reward be transferred to the dead and food should be prepared to entertain the visitors and mourners.

II – Who should we be following?

See how Hinduism is being followed leaving the dictates of Qur’an and Hadith. Whereas Allah Ta’ala Says:

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ اُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا اللّٰهَ وَ الْيَوْمَ الْاٰخِرَ وَ ذَكَرَ اللّٰهَ كَثِيْرًاؕ

(الاحزاب:21)

There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.

مَاۤ اٰتٰىكُمُ الرَّسُوْلُ فَخُذُوْهُ١ۗ وَ مَا نَهٰىكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوْا١ۚ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ١ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ شَدِيْدُ الْعِقَابِ

(الحشر:7)

And whatever the Messenger has given you – take it; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

The command of the Lord of the universe is to follow His Messenger, otherwise severe punishment will befall you. Just imagine, we call ourselves ummat Muhammedia. Is the follower of the Prophet () is in fact the one who chants the name of the Prophet but follows the Hindus? Will we be saved from the grip of Allah when we deviate from the Qur’an and Sunnah and follow the practices prescribed by today’s Maulvis and ulema?

III – What would happen on the Day of Qiyama?

Allah Ta’ala says:

يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوْا رَبَّكُمْ وَ اخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِيْ وَالِدٌ عَنْ وَّلَدِهٖ١ٞ وَ لَا مَوْلُوْدٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَنْ وَّالِدِهٖ شَيْـًٔا

(لقمٰن:33)

O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all.

That is, on the Day of Resurrection, it will not be the case that a person will say, “Where is the reward for all the Qur’an which I have finished after the death of my father?” Or someone may ask why I was not given the reward that was to be transferred through ‘isal-e-thawab’ to me when I died.

Imagine for a second, how astonishing it is that if a dying person is to be punished for not reciting the Qur’an in his life time, but its punishment will be cancelled just because after his death, his family and friends finished many times the reading of Qur’ans? Allah Ta’ala says:

ا۟لَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا١ؕ

(الملک:2)

[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed.

That is, this life is given as a trial to see who among us lives the life of a righteous and who follows the path of disobedience. And you will be recompensed according to your deeds. But we have rejected this law of Allah by adopting the belief and practices of transfer of the reward ‘isal-e-thawab’! And as if we have made ourselves believe that saving the dead from torment and admitting him to heaven is now in our control!

And now we will do pious deeds onbehalf of whosoever we like and let make him enter the Paradise! Is this not a denial of the verses of Allah Ta’ala?

وَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا وَ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ اَصْحٰبُ النَّارِ١ۚ هُمْ فِيْهَا خٰلِدُوْنَ

(البقرة :39)

And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs – those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

Anyway,the result of adopting this belief is to deny the Qur’an and Sunnah and it is by no means proven during the times of the best of the generations. When these things are mentioned in front of maulvis, and they are unable to quote the Qur’an in support of their stance, they immediately refer to their buzurgan-e-deen (revered religious leaders) saying that it is proven by these learned people.

The thing to think about is that the final argument and proof in religion is the Qur’an and Hadith. which contain the verdicts of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). Then could their “religious leaders” be more revered than the Companions ( رضی اللہ عنہم اجمعین) about whom Allah Ta’ala Himself has declared His pleasure in the Quran. If we are true Muslims then we must ensure that we follow the Sahaba.

If according to these sectarians, Islam is whatever is the way of their religious leaders, then what was that Islam in which the laws and commands were revealed by Allah Ta’ala fourteen hundred years ago, and in which the Prophet () and companions, following them, never carried out Quran Khwani, never assembled their tribesmen and kin for meals, nor practised the rituals of soyem, daswan and chaleeswan.

If we really believe that was the real Islam, then which religion do the adherents of “Isal-e-Thawab” belong to today? Actually every command and action that violently contradicts Qur’an and Sunnah is from taghut (excessively defiant of Allah) and the consequence of following taghut is nothing but the burning fire of Hell.

There is only one way to escape from the Hell fire, namely, strict adhereance to the Sunnah of the Prophet. We must never forget his statement that:

كُلُّ أُمَّتِي يَدْخُلُونَ الجَنَّةَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَبَى قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ يَأْبَى قَالَ: «مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي دَخَلَ الجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ أَبَى

( بخاری ۔کتاب الاعتصام۔ باب الاقتداء بسنن رسول ﷺ )

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refused.” They said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Who will refuse?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).”

IV – Misconceptions of sectarian ulema

After presenting arguments from the Book of Allah regarding the negation of “Isal-e-Thawab”, there is no more need to discuss the fabricated claims on the basis of which this false practice has been spread in the ummah.

But after our clarification with proof, some questions were raised by different people. Therefore, in order to satisfy them, it is now necessary to discuss the points which have been put forward in writing by the inventors and preachers of this practice. And because of that, general public has started to become victims of hesitation and confusion.

This part has been compiled to meet this need so that the truth can be clarified through the criteria of Qur’an and Hadith. All the questions that have been raised by the sectarian ulema, instead of quoting Quran and authentic hadith, refer to some book or commentary in which the transfer of reward of good deeds has been declared permissible and, in their arrogance, attempts have also been made to prove this in the hadiths.

I – Misconceptions spread regarding the Holy Quran

In proof of the invalidity of the doctrine of the ‘Isal-e-thawab’, we have given a clear command of Allah Ta’ala through a few ayats of Surah An-Najm quoted in the pervious part:

(النجم:38 تا 41)

“That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.And that his effort is going to be seen.”

However, the then President of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mufti Mahmood Al Hassan Gangohi, had issued a fatwa regarding this ayat:

آیت للانسان الا ما سعی کو حضرت ابن عباس فرماتے ہیں کہ والذین اٰمنوا واتبعتھم ذريتهم بايمان الحقنا بهم سے منسوخ ہے ۔”(فتویٰ محمودیہ ۔جلد1۔ صفحہ 43)

Ibn Abbas says that ayat ‘for a human is what he strives for’ has been abrogated by ayat ‘And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith – We will join with them their descendants’.(Fatawa Mahmoodiya Vol 1 Page 43)

Likewise, someone has sent us a photocopy of the excerpt from a tafseer which goes as follows:

صحیح قول یہ ہے کہ صحف ابراھیم وموسٰی میں جو لیس للانسان الا ما سعی کا حکم تھا اس سے مراد یہ ہے کہ نماز، روزہ، صدقہ، حج اور تمام نیکیوں کا ثواب صرف کرنے والے کو ملے گا اور دوسرے کو نہیں پہنچے گا ۔لیکن یہ حکم امت موسیٰ و ابراہیم کے لئے مخصوص تھا، امت اسلامیہ مرحومہ کے لئے اس حکم کو منسوخ کر دیا گیا اور آیت والذين امنوا واتبعتهم ذريتهم بايمان الحقنا بهم اسکی ناسخ ہے۔”(تفسیر مظھری اردو جلد یازدھم ۔ صفحہ 178)

The correct view is that in the books of Ibrahim and Mosa (علیہ السلام), the word “lais lillansan al-ma sa’” means that the one who spends his time in prayer, fasting, charity, Hajj and all good deeds will be rewarded only but this command was reserved for the Ummah of Ibrahim and Mosa (علیہ السلام). This command was revoked for the late Ummah of Islam and ayat ‘And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith – We will join with them their

The above mentioned commentary was written by Qazi Sanaullah Panipati (d. 1225 AH) and named it “Tafsir Mazhari” after the name of his sufi Shaykh Tariqat Mirza Mazhar Jan Janan Dehlavi. By the way, Qazi Sahib has also acknowledged that the reward for a good deed will be given only to the one who does it and not to the other (this is what we mentioned) but his position is that:

This ruling was specific to the ummah of Ibrahim and Mosa (). The ummah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is an exception.
Although this ayat is present in the Holy Qur’an, its ruling has been abrogated.
اَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ is its abrogator.

II – Has Allah Ta’ala ordained different methods for different ummahs?

For the above three explanations, we refer to the Book of Allah:

Allah Ta’ala says:

شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الدِّيْنِ مَا وَصّٰى بِهٖ نُوْحًا وَّ الَّذِيْۤ اَوْحَيْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ وَ مَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهٖۤ اِبْرٰهِيْمَ وَ مُوْسٰى وَ عِيْسٰۤى اَنْ اَقِيْمُوا الدِّيْنَ وَ لَا تَتَفَرَّقُوْا فِيْهِ

(الشوریٰ :13)

He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Ibrahim and Mosa and Isa – to establish the religion and not be divided therein.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَنَا أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ، فِي الْأُولَى وَالْآخِرَةِ» قَالُوا: كَيْفَ؟ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ: «الْأَنْبِيَاءُ إِخْوَةٌ مِنْ عَلَّاتٍ، وَأُمَّهَاتُهُمْ شَتَّى، وَدِينُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ، فَلَيْسَ بَيْنَنَا نَبِيٌّ»

(صحیح مسلم۔ کتاب الفضائل۔ باب فضائل عیسی علیہ الصلوٰۃ والسلام )

Allah’s Messenger () said; ‘I am most close to Isa, son of Maryam, among the whole of mankind in this worldly life and the next life’. They said: ‘O, Allah’s Messenger how is it?’ Thereupon he said: “Prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion is, however, one and there is no prophet between us (between I and Isa)”.

From the arguments of the Qur’an and Hadith mentioned above, it is clear that the principles of religion are the same for all the ummahs. That is, the purpose of creation of all nations, the demand for servitude, the matter of the grave and then the gathering on the Day of Resurrection and then the judgment of punishment and retribution according to their deeds, are all the same. And that the commands given in the Quran are not new commands but these things were also revealed to the previous nations.

In spite of the clear statement of the Book of Allah, an attempt is made to prove the truth of the words of the sectarian akabireen ‘great ones’. And it is said that Allah had forbidden many things to the children of Israel but they are lawful for this ummah. This kind of excuse creates doubt and suspicion in the hearts of some people but in Sura Ale-Imran (Ayat 93-94), Sura Al-Nisaa (Ayat 160) and Sura Al-An’am (Ayat 146) of the Holy Quran, Allah Ta’ala has mentioned some things which were forbidden to the Children of Israel. And it has been made clear that these things were forbidden to the children of Israel as a punishment for their cruelty and for the crime of hindering the people from the way of Allah.

With reference to the Sabbath, it is said that theirs and ours are separate days of worship, as well as our Shari’ah is separate. The hadith states:

عَنْ اَبِی هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏يَقُولُ:‏‏‏‏ “نَحْنُ الْآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏بَيْدَ أَنَّهُمْ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ثُمَّ هَذَا يَوْمُهُمُ الَّذِي فُرِضَ عَلَيْهِمْ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ فَالنَّاسُ لَنَا فِيهِ تَبَعٌ الْيَهُودُ غَدًا وَالنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ غَدٍ”.

( بخاری ، کتاب الجمعہ، باب : فرض الجمعہ )

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said “We are the last (to come amongst the ummahs) but (will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection. They were given the Scripture before us and we were given the Quran after them. And this was the day (Friday) about which they differed and Allah gave us the guidance (for that). So tomorrow (i.e. Saturday) is the Jews’ (day), and the day after tomorrow (i.e. Sunday) is the Christians’s.”

That is, Allah Ta’ala had fixed Friday for all ummahs to make special arrangements for worship but the Jews disagreed with Him, and desired a Sabbath, so Allah ordained it for them.

But later, when they turned away from it, Allah made them suffer the worst torment in this world and made them apes which has been mentioned in Sura Al-Baqara Ayat 65.

III – Has the ruling of this ayat been abrogated?

Allah Ta’ala says:

مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ اٰيَةٍ اَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَاْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَاۤ اَوْ مِثْلِهَا١ؕ اَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ

(البقرۃ :106)

We do not abrogate an ayat or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things?

In this regard, Allah’s rule has become clear that when an ayat is abrogated, an ayat like that or better than that is revealed. As mentioned in Sahih Al-Bukhari, with reference to the fasting ayat of Surah Al-Baqarah in Kitab al-Tafsir, the narration of Salma ibn Aku’ (رضی اللہ عنہ) proves that the Ayat No. 185 is an abrogator of the ayat before it.

When they say that the aforesaid ayat of Surah Al-Najm is abrogated by the ayat of Surah Al-Tur, so what evidence do they have for that? They are saying this only to prove the false beliefs of their buzurg elders, otherwise this ayat is not abrogated at all. Because long after the death of the Prophet (ﷺ), on the occasion of Umar’s injury and Sohaib’s weeping over him, Ayesha ( رضی اللہ عنہا) had argued from this ayat. The last words of this long hadith are:

فَلَمَّا أُصِيبَ عُمَرُ دَخَلَ صُهَيْبٌ يَبْكِي،‏‏‏‏ يَقُولُ:‏‏‏‏ وَا أَخَاهُ وَا صَاحِبَاهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ:‏‏‏‏ يَا صُهَيْبُ أَتَبْكِي عَلَيَّ،‏‏‏‏ وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:‏‏‏‏ إِنَّ الْمَيِّتَ يُعَذَّبُ بِبَعْضِ بُكَاءِ أَهْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا:‏‏‏‏ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِعَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا،‏‏‏‏ فَقَالَتْ:‏‏‏‏ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ عُمَرَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَاللَّهِ مَا حَدَّثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُعَذِّبُ الْمُؤْمِنَ بِبُكَاءِ أَهْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ وَلَكِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ،‏‏‏‏ قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَزِيدُ الْكَافِرَ عَذَابًا بِبُكَاءِ أَهْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَقَالَتْ:‏‏‏‏ حَسْبُكُمُ الْقُرْآنُ وَلا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرٰى ۔

(بخاری۔کتاب الجنائز ۔باب قول النبی ﷺ یعذب المیت۔۔۔۔)

Then when ‘Umar (رضی اللہ عنہ) was attacked, Suhaib (رضی اللہ عنہ) entered weeping and saying, “Alas for the brother! Alas for the companion!” ‘Umar asked Suhaib, ‘are you crying for me whereas Allah’s messenger had said that the dead would certainly be punished because of the crying of his family for him’. Ibn ‘Abbas رضی اللہ عنہ said that when ‘Umar died he mentioned that to ‘A’isha and she said, “May Allah have mercy on ‘Umar! I swear by Allah that Allah’s messenger never said that the dead will certainly be punished because of his family’s crying for him; what he said was that Allah will increase the punishment of the infidel because of his family’s crying for him.” She added, “What the Qur’an says is enough for you: ‘No bearer of a burden will bear another’s burden.”

This event occurred about 12 or 13 years after the death of the Prophet (ﷺ) ie at the time when the revelation of the Quran was completed. The ayat that was to be abrogated and the ayat that was to be revealed was already done, and the Mother of the ummah, the great being in whose hujra the Quran was revealed, is reciting this ayat and saying that this is the command of Allah. That is, this ayat is applicable, about which these mountains of knowledge are claiming that it is abrogated!

IV – Is the ayat with اَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ is its abrogator?

Following the above explanation, there is no need to discuss this issue further, however, this topic is being discussed so that there should be no doubt in the hearts of the people as to which ayat it was and what was stated in it, may be this ithal-e-thawab was being proved by it!

Allah Ta’ala says in the aforementioned ayat:

وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِاِيْمَانٍ اَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَ مَاۤ اَلَتْنٰهُمْ مِّنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِّنْ شَيْءٍ١ؕ كُلُّ امْرِئٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِيْنٌ

(الطور :21)

And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith – We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.

In the Ruku of the above ayat of Surah Al-Tur, Allah is mentioning His blessings which will be given to the believers in Paradise. And in the same vein, the Lord of the Universe is referring to their offspring, who followed them in faith, that is they are good Muslims. But because of their shortcomings in deeds, they will be admitted to the lower paradises. Then Allah will admit them to the higher levels of Paradise to be reunited with their parents.

All this is merely a special favour of Allah, not a result of anyone’s reward, as the following ayaat show:

فَاَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ فَيُوَفِّيْهِمْ اُجُوْرَهُمْ وَ يَزِيْدُهُمْ مِّنْ فَضْلِهٖ

(النساء :173)

And as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards and grant them extra from His favours.

اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَتْلُوْنَ كِتٰبَ اللّٰهِ وَ اَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اَنْفَقُوْا مِمَّا رَزَقْنٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَّ عَلَانِيَةً يَّرْجُوْنَ تِجَارَةً لَّنْ تَبُوْرَۙ۰۰۲۹

لِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ اُجُوْرَهُمْ وَ يَزِيْدَهُمْ مِّنْ فَضْلِهٖ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ غَفُوْرٌ شَكُوْرٌ۰۰۳۰

(فاطر:29-30)

Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish – That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative.

The last part of the ayat of Surah Al-Tur كُلُّ امْرِئٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِيْنٌ (Every person, for what he earned, is retained) from which the ayat of Surah Al-Najm is being claimed to be abrogated, rejects all their arguments. Because the same thing is being stated in it which they are claiming to be abrogated. Is it possible that the subject of both abrogator and abrogated ayaat is the same?

In response to our previous statement, only one question was raised with reference to the Quran, the truth of which has been clarified from the Book of Allah. It is a great audacity to find an ayat contrary to one’s self-made false belief and to declare it abrogated and that the unanimous religion of all the Prophets (ﷺ) is proven different from each other. May Allah save us from it!

III – Fatwas by Mufti Azam Pakistan

In the ‘Fatawa Darul Ulum Deoband’ which gives the fatwas (religious verdicts) by the Grand Mufti Pakistan, Mufti Muhammed Shafi, following are the replies given by him to the questions regarding ‘ithal-e-thawab’.

With respect to ‘fateha khawani’ for Hussain bin Ali, he calls it a bid’at if it restricted to the ten days of Muharram. But otherwise, it is ‘jaaiz’ (religiously permissible) and carries ‘thawab-e-azeem (great reward)’. (Question 57, Page 174)

In response to Question 300 Page 437, he says:

‘Ithal-e-thawab’ can be performed for dead as well as living. (Page 437)

The amount of reward which reaches the living is the same as that for the dead. In this regard, living and dead are the same. (Page 438)

The ‘thawab’ for the living will be delivered at the time of his burial if that has been the intention of the person who is trying to transfer the thawab. He adds ‘But Ibn Qayyim does not consider this method of isal to be jaaiz.’ (Page 438)

If someone wishes to transfer the reward of ‘Quran’ completed by him to his mother, then she will get full reward. However, it is better to include transfer of thawab to our Prophet (ﷺ) so that, through his courtesy, others can also receive the reward. (Question 299 Page 437)

The above replies by the grand mufti himself or his office, reflect the position of Darul-ulum-Deoband as they have published it under their name and as ‘imdad-ul-mufteen’ (support and reference to those who give fatwas).

The idea of isal-e-thawab was to help a deceased Muslim so that shortages in his good deeds account are met by others sending their reward to him. First it was applicable to dead, now one can see that living persons are included in the recipient. Worse still they are promoting concept of transferring their reward to the Prophet (ﷺ) and Hussain ()! What is the grand mufti trying to implying indirectly that the Prophet (ﷺ) and Hussain (رضی اللہ عنہ) need their ‘thawab’?

Any way, it was the intention to show that those who invented and spread this belief about transfer of reward could not prove it from the Quran nor it is possible. Because this belief is basically against the Qur’an and Hadith. The belief of a Muslim should be proved by the Book of Allah in all circumstances, because this is the great Qur’an, the practical example of which the Prophet (ﷺ) has made a beacon for us in the form of hadiths. Therefore, it is impossible for the Qur’an to refute something and that thing can be proved by a hadith. But these sectarians try to prove this false belief from the hadiths, so it is necessary to review these hadiths as well.

Previously , we had answered their objections with reference to our evidence from the Quran and in this part we are presenting a unanimous view of the Quran and Hadith on the doubts and suspicions that these sectarians have been spreading regarding the ahadith.

I – Proving ‘isal-e-thawab’ by ahadeeth of the Prophet (ﷺ)

Some books such as Fatawa Mahmoodiyah, Tafsir Mazhari, Tafheem-ul-Quran etc, have given some ahadith as proofs for this ritual. Those who insist on the transfer of the reward to the dead ask sarcastically about these ahadith that are all these ahadith false! And if these are authentic ahadith, will a person who denies the hadith continue to be a Muslim!

The fact is that it is not possible that an authentic (saheeh) hadith contradicts any of the Quranic injunctions, because Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was sent to offer explanation of the Quran and show a practical implementation and not to contradict it. May Allah protect us, the second thing is unthinkable.

وَ اَنْزَلْنَاۤ اِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَيْهِمْ وَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوْنَ

(النحل:44)

[We sent them] with clear proofs and written ordinances. And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give a thought.

Every action of the Prophet (ﷺ) was based on the Quran. He was its practical interpretation. The Quran was revealed to the heart of the Prophet (). He himself acted on it fully and preached it to the ummah in full and this was the command of our Lord.

يٰۤاَيُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ بَلِّغْ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ …

(المائدہ:67)

O Messenger, convey that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, …

The Prophet (ﷺ) preached every command revealed by Allah and on its completion, on the occasion of his first and the last Haj, he got it testified to this fact from all those present. He also urged to convey these things to others who were not present.

Allah Ta’ala has arranged for us to read the verbal, practical and tacitly approved hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) for our guidance. Therefore, it is impossible for any action of the Prophet to be against any of the principles and rules of Quran.

The principle that Allah has stated in the Quran is:

(النجم:38 تا 41)

That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.And that his effort is going to be seen.Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.

The same principle was stated by the Prophet (ﷺ):

(صحیح بخاری۔کتاب الرقاق۔باب سکرات الموت)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When carried to his grave, a dead person is followed by three; two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with him: his relative, his property, and his deeds follow him; relatives and his property go back while his deeds remain with him.”

This hadith explains that the property of the deceased and his family cannot be of any use in his next life. The only beneficial things to him are his own deeds.

(مسلم۔ کتاب الوصیت۔باب ما یلحق الانسان من الثواب بعد وفاته)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, (that is) recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him (for the deceased).”

This matter, mentioned in the Quran and Hadith, will not only become a source of reward after death, but also during his lifetime his reward begins to accumulate in his record of deeds. The following hadith further explains it:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ “مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ غَرَسَ غَرْسًا فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ دَابَّةٌ إِلَّا كَانَ لَهُ صَدَقَةٌ”

(صحیح بخاری ۔کتاب الادب۔ باب رحمۃ الناس۔۔۔)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If any Muslim plants a plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity.”

That is, a Muslim planted a plant, that plant became a strong tree, brought flowers and fruits, people and animal benefited from it like the goat which ate from its leaves, then the reward was accumulated in the account of that person. Whereas a goat cannot make dua for its transfer (bakhshna) after eating the leaves.

The above mentioned ahadith describe the good deeds of man which he did in his life and still remain after his death. But remember that this matter is not limited to good deeds but if someone dies while he laid the groundwork for something wrong. For example he turned people away from the Book of Allah and led them to the religion of his particular sect, then as long as people continue to follow his version of beliefs and deeds, punishment will continue to be written for him whether he is alive or dead.

All these rewards and punishments, that are being meted out to the dead, do not require any ritual of “ithal-e-thawab” but will be done automatically according to the law of Allah as stated in this hadith.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:‏‏‏‏ لَا تُقْتَلُ نَفْسٌ ظُلْمًا إِلَّا كَانَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ الْأَوَّلِ كِفْلٌ مِنْ دَمِهَا لِأَنَّهُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ سَنَّ الْقَتْلَ

(صحیح بخاری ۔کتاب الانبیاء ۔باب قول اللہ تعالیٰ و اذ قال ربک۔۔۔)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whenever a person is murdered tyrannically, there is a share from the burden of the crime on the son of Adam for he was the first to start the tradition of murdering.”

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى هُدًى كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا وَمَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلَالَةٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الْإِثْمِ مِثْلُ آثَامِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آثَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا۔

(صحیح مسلم ۔کتاب العلم۔ باب من سن سنة حسنة او سيئة)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to misguidance, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.

عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ الْأَعْرَابِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ الصُّوفُ فَرَأَى سُوءَ حَالِهِمْ قَدْ أَصَابَتْهُمْ حَاجَةٌ فَحَثَّ النَّاسَ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ فَأَبْطَئُوا عَنْهُ حَتَّى رُئِيَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ قَالَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ جَاءَ بِصُرَّةٍ مِنْ وَرِقٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَ آخَرُ ثُمَّ تَتَابَعُوا حَتَّى عُرِفَ السُّرُورُ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْءٌ وَمَنْ سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ وِزْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَيْءٌ

(صحیح مسلم ۔کتاب العلم۔ باب من سن سنة حسنة او سيئة)

Jarir b. Abdullah reported that some desert Arabs clad in woollen clothes came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). He saw them in sad plight as they had been hard pressed by need. He exhorted people to give charity, but they showed some reluctance until (signs) of anger could be seen on his face. Then a person from the Ansar came with a purse containing silver. Then came another person and then other persons followed them in succession until signs of happiness could be seen on his face. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:

He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their’s being diminished in any respect.

Read all these ahadeeth carefully. All of them are interpreting this command of the Quran that no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another, and man gets what he strives for. It is noteworthy that today those who have adopted the belief of transfer they talk of transfer of only reward, not punishment for bad deeds. According to this belief, when people do good deeds, they can reward someone else and make him admit to the paradise but if they can increase somebody else’s reward, then why should they not commit evil deeds and pass them on to their enemy and make him enter Hell? Or at least increase his punishment a little !

Let us now turn to the ahadith that are presented to prove this false belief. These ahadith are presented in different forms of worship. Therefore, they are discussed under the topic of each worship.

II – Ahadith presented with reference to Salat

The following narrations are presented for the proof of the belief in the delivery of the reward to others and it is said that the reward can be given to another person by performing the prayer.

Abu Hurayrah ( رضی اللہ عنہ) said,

“Who is the one who intends to recite two or four rak’ahs in the mosque of Ashaar and say that they are for Abu Hurayrah?”

(Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab al-Mulahim, Bab fi Zikr Basra)

This is how the hadith scholars describe Ibrahim ibn Saleh ibn Dirham, one of the narrators of this hadith.

Bukhari says that no one follows his narration.

Aqeeli says that Ibrahim and his father are not famous in the hadith narration and this narration is not protected.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says that Dar al-Qatani called him weak.

(Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb, Vol 1, Page 111)

Whatever was the the authenticity of this hadith, is now open to you. But just consider the content of the hadith that there is a living person who commands salat for himself and these people are using it as an argument for the reward of the dead!

Secondly, is there any indication in the Quran and Hadith that people can perform salat on behalf of one another? Not at all. So can any deed deviating from the Shari’ah be expected from such a great companion? The following narration expresses the belief of the Companions in this regard. Ibn Umar () was asked if anyone could fast or pray on behalf of someone else. He said:

لَا يُصَلِّي أَحَدٌ عَنْ أَحَدٍ، وَلَا يَصُومُ أَحَدٌ عَنْ أَحَدٍ

(موطا امام مالک ۔کتاب الصوم ۔باب النذر فی الصیام)

None of you should fast or pray on behalf of anyone else.

By now, you surely are aware of the status of the hadith of salat trying to prove the delivery of the reward.

III – Ahadith presented with reference to Sadaqat (charity)

With regard to charity, some hadiths are presented to prove the ‘ithal-e-thawab’:

A man said to the Prophet (ﷺ),

“My mother died suddenly, and I think that if she could speak, she would have given in charity. May I give in charity on her behalf?” He said, “Yes! Give in charity on her behalf.”

(Sahih Al-Bokhari, Book of Wills, Chapter li man yustahabbu yatawaffa ..)

Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the mother of Saad bin Ubada died in his absence. He said,

“O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! My mother died in my absence; will it be of any benefit for her if I give sadaqa on her behalf?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Yes,” Saad said, “I make you a witness that I give my garden called Al Makhraf in charity on her behalf.”

(Sahih Al-Bokhari, Book of Wills, Chapter Iz qala ardhi au bustani ..)

This tradition has been mentioned in different ways in Kitab of Al-Wasaya, Kitab Al-Nazar and Kitab Al-Iman etc. of Sahih Sittah, the six canonical hadith books. There is mention of charity in some and vows in others. If all these are combined then we come to know that this incident is related to the same Sahabi i.e. Saad bin Ubadah. However, some words in the text have differed from different narrators. Obviously it is clear that Saad ibn Ubadah’s mother died only once and he came to him and asked the Prophet (ﷺ) him that question. It is known from the traditions of the most trustworthy narrators that this question was related to the vow of the mother and the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded it to be fulfilled.

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: أَنَّ سَعْدَ بْنَ عُبَادَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ اسْتَفْتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ أُمِّي مَاتَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا نَذْرٌ، فَقَالَ: «اقْضِهِ عَنْهَا»

( بخاری، کتاب الوصایا، بَابُ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِمَنْ تُوُفِّيَ فُجَاءَةً أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقُوا عَنْهُ، وَقَضَاءِ النُّذُورِ عَنِ المَيِّتِ )

On the authority of Ibn Abbas ( رضی اللہ عنہما): Saad bin Ubada consulted Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “My mother died and she had an unfulfilled vow.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Fulfill it on her behalf.”

All the traditions mentioned above prove that his mother’s intention was to give charity or fulfill a vow. A vow is a promise made by heart or tongue which is a covenant made with Allah that if I achieve something, I will do such and such thing in the way of Allah. And in case of achievement of the intention, fulfilling this promise becomes the right of Allah upon the servant. It should also be noted that the issue here is that of mother and real son, so it should not be used as an argument for general transfer of reward. Nor did the Companions start giving alms on behalf of the deceased parents taking a lead from this incident. It has been stated before that Allah is the most deserving of fulfilling His promise. In these ahadith, where can you find the prevalent ‘ithal-e-thawab’?

On the contrary, it is a special case that the Prophet (ﷺ) was asked for his approval for deceased mother to do what was obligatory upon her in her life. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not give a general order: Give alms and bakhsh ‘offering’ it to your mother. The point is, it is the parent’s obligatory deed which is being fulfilled by a son or daughter.

Today, based on this hadith, the sectarians have made it common practice for all kinds of charity on behalf of the deceased. However, even the wealth of the deceased cannot benefit him if he had no intention of spending it in the way of Allah, as the Quran explains:

وَ اَنْفِقُوْا مِنْ مَّا رَزَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ قَبْلِ اَنْ يَّاْتِيَ اَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُوْلَ رَبِّ لَوْ لَاۤ اَخَّرْتَنِيْۤ اِلٰۤى اَجَلٍ قَرِيْبٍ١ۙ فَاَصَّدَّقَ وَ اَكُنْ مِّنَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ

(المنٰفقون:10)

And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, “My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.”

That is, it is not acceptable for him to spend his wealth after death, rather, it will be accepted what he intended to spend in the way of Allah. And this is exactly in accordance with the ayat that man gets what he tried. It is the same as we also found in the hadith mentioned earlier that three things go with the deceased; his family, his property and his deeds; two things, that are his family and his property, come back and his deeds stay with him.

The point of presenting all this is that today those, who fabricate and propagate the self-made belief in the ‘ithal-e-thawab’ the transfer of rewards, have tried to take support of these ahadith. In their false pride, they think that only these sectarian ulema have understood these ahadith! As if the Companions did not understand the intention and content described in these ahadith. That is why they did not recite the Quran, nor did they gather and feed the family and friends, nor did they do the soyem, third day, or the chaleeswan, fortieth day rituals. But we make it easy for the deceased, not matter how much he was away from the obligatory salat, etc to enter Paradise by arranging these things with great ‘religious’ spirit!

If only the Companions had understood this easy path, they would not have taken such a difficult path in the way of Allah. (May Allah protect us)

Previously, we have explained the misinformation spread by the sectarians regarding prayers and alms in favour of this fabricated creed. The same topic is still going on and we will now explain the ahadtih related to Hajj, Umrah and Sacrificial salughtering to see if there is any semblance of ‘Ithal-e-Thawab’.

I –Ahadith regarding Hajj and Umrah as evidence

A hadith of Sahih Muslim regarding Hajj is presented as evidence in support of the practice of ‘ithal-e-thawab’:

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہھما) that a woman from Banu Khushm said:

O Allah’s Messenger! The command of Allah Ta’ala, regarding the duty of Hajj on His servants, has found my father at a time when he cannot sit on any means of transportation. Should I perform Hajj on his behalf? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Yes.

Similarly, a tradition of Sunan Al-Nasa’i is also presented about a questioner who was the elder son of a man:

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked him, “Are you his eldest son?” He replied: ‘Yes’, the Prophet said, ‘What if your father owes someone money and you pay it off?’ He replied: ‘Yes’. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “Perform Hajj on his behalf”.

In the third narration, a case of an old weak mother and her son is described.

Dear Readers,

The concept of creed of Isaal-e-Thawab is that the living should do some good deed and in their false understanding donate ‘bakhsh’ its reward to the deceased. But in the ahadith which are presented as evidence in support of this false belief, all the people from whom permission is being sought are not dead but alive. When Hajj was declared obligatory, they were not physically fit to perform it. They tried not to be deprived of this reward in any way. That is why their children were asking about performing Hajj on their behalf. The Prophet (ﷺ) was giving permission to perform Hajj on behalf of their living parents, but only after obtaining surety that he truly and sincerely represents his father.

But, speaking with regret, these ahadith concerning the living have been applied to the self-made belief of the reward for the dead!

Another narration is given with reference to Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہما) with reference to the Book of Al-Nuzur wa Al-Iman.

A woman from the tribe of Jahina came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said that my mother had made a vow of Hajj but she could not perform it and she died then should I perform Hajj on her behalf? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. If your mother had a debt, would you not have paid it’. The right of Allah Ta’ala deserves much more to be paid off.

In another hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded a person to fulfill the vow that his sister had made for Hajj. And he said that if you are able to pay off the debt on her, then Allah has more right for paying off His debt on him.

There is no mention in any of the narrations presented to justify this innovation that when one’s relative had died, the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed Hajj or Umra with the purpose of transferring the reward ‘ithal-e-thawab’ of Hajj. Permission for Hajj-e-badal (Hajj on behalf of someone else) was given only considering the disability of an aspirant hajji and elsewhere for fulfilling the vows made to Allah.

Also keep in mind that this facility is limited to the real children. Further, there is no authentic hadith that says that a person had performed Hajj or Umrah for a living or dead person who is not the parent and that the Prophet (ﷺ) or his companions knew it to be correct. The reward of Hajj is only for him who desires it and had the intention to do it, as this hadith explains.

There is a narration by Ibn Abbas ( رضی اللہ عنہما) in Sahih Al-Muslim’s Kitab Al-Hajj that:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَقِيَ رَكْبًا بِالرَّوْحَاءِ، فَقَالَ: «مان الْقَوْمُ؟» قَالُوا: الْمُسْلِمُونَ، فَقَالُوا: مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ قَالَ: «رَسُولُ اللهِ»، فَرَفَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ امْرَأَةٌ صَبِيًّا، فَقَالَتْ: أَلِهَذَا حَجٌّ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ، وَلَكِ أَجْرٌ»

(صحیح المسلم۔ کتاب الحج۔ باب صحة حج الصبی و اجر من حج به)

Ibn Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہما) reported that Allah’s Messenger met some riders at al-Rauha and asked, ‘who are they’. They replied; ‘Muslims’. They said: ‘Who are you?’ He said: ‘(I am) Allah’s Messenger’. A woman (then) lifted up a boy towards him and said: Is there (credit of) the Hajj for him ? Thereupon he said: ‘Yes, and you will have a reward’.

This statement of the Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed the law of Allah Ta’ala that “for man is what he strives for”.

A small boy does not yet know the value of the reward of Hajj but the mother is trying to fulfill the command of Allah and get the reward. And she brought the boy with her so that he also performs Hajj and get its reward. But the Prophet (ﷺ) ruled that the reward is for the woman who has made all this effort.

A person, even though he had good financial status in the world, never thought about Hajj, and he was busy earning this world, busy in earning money, but after death, if someone else performs Hajj and Umrah on his behalf, it cannot be beneficial for him because he never had the intention and desire for it.

A narration is also quoted from Sunan Ibn Majah:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas ( رضی اللہ عنہما) that Allah’s Messenger heard a man saying:

“Labbaik ‘an Shubrumah (Here I am (O Allah) on behalf of Shubrumah.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Who is Shubrumah?” He said: “A relative of mine.” He said: “Have you ever performed Hajj before?” He said: “No.” He said: “Then make this for yourself, then perform Hajj on behalf of Shubrumah.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Rituals, Chapter Hajj on behalf of a dead person)

The narrator, Saeed ibn Abi Uruba, had suffered confusion at the end of his life and his narrations had become suspicious. Besides, he was also known as a mudallis one who intentionally hides defect in his narration.

(Tahdheeb Al-Tahdheeb Vol 4 Page 58)

Even if this narration is accepted as authentic, it only proves that if one performs Hajj on behalf of someone, he should perform his own Hajj first. And again, it is not known that this person who was performing Hajj on someone else’s behalf, was it the will of a dead person or his vow?

II – Ahadith regarding sacrifice as evidence

While presenting as evidence a hadith brought by Muslim, Kitab al-Adhahi (Sacrifice), they seek to justify the ‘Ithal-e-thawab’. The hadith is as follows:

It is narrated on the authority of Ayesha (رضی اللہ عنہا) that the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered to bring a horned ram whose legs, abdomen and eyes are black. So such a ram was brought so that the Prophet could sacrifice it. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا): ‘Bring a knife, then sharpen it on the stone’. She said that, ‘this is what I did’. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) took the knife and grabbed the ram and laid it down and said: ‘I slaughter in the name of Allah, O Allah! Accept it on behalf of Muhammed, the family of Muhammed and the ummah of Muhammed.’ Then he slaughtered it.

In other narrations for the same event, mention is made of two rams and one mentions slaughtering in eid prayer area. It has been narrated in the narration of Sunan Abi Dawud to say these words while slaughtering;

“It is from the people of my ummah who cannot afford to sacrifice.”

Sacrificing on behalf of one’s ummah is a special act of the Prophet (ﷺ). This is not a normal case. The Companions have not made sacrifices on behalf of the deceased. Some of the deeds of the Prophet are special to him, not for the general ummah. This act of the Prophet () shows his great compassion and love for his ummah because he was like a father to the Muslims and had more rights over the believers than their own lives, as Allah Ta’ala says:

اَلنَّبِيُّ اَوْلٰى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ اَزْوَاجُهٗۤ اُمَّهٰتُهُمْ …

(الاحزاب: 6)

The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves, and his wives are their mothers …

In this verse, Allah Ta’ala states: ‘O you who believe! Muhammed’s status is as that of your father and his wives are your mothers’. He is more concerned about your lives than you are about saving yourselves from the fire of Hell and praying for you more than you do. The words of the Prophet (ﷺ) in the ahadith quoted above testify to the fact that he is praying that ‘O Lord, accept the sacrifice on behalf of all of them, in which he first took his own name. How can this hadith be a proof for their self-made belief because the one who is doing it, he is praying for his own forgiveness? Whereas the belief of ‘isal-e-thawab’ is someone’s deed but then he ‘donates’ (bakhshna) his reward to someone who is already dead.

Then he said: ‘On behalf of the family of Muhammed’, that is, on behalf of his family; this prayer is offered for the living not dead.

Finally, he said, ‘on behalf of the Ummah of Muhammed’. The ummah includes:

those who believed in responding to the call of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ), but by the time this prayer was asked, they had died.
those who were alive at that time as the Companions.
those people who have been enlightened by the faith in the last fourteen centuries.
those who have pure faith today and hold fast to the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and act accordingly.
And all the human beings who will be born till the Day of Resurrection, who accept the word of Allah and follow it, and are the followers of the Prophet (ﷺ).

This is a huge number of Muslims including dead, living and all those who will come till the last day!

So, are all these people included in ‘ithal-e-thawab’? Is there a reward for those who are not yet born?

The fact is that the incident described in this hadith is a special virtue of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Similarly, it is narrated that Ayesha (رضی اللہ عنہا) said: ‘We were in Mina and the meat was sent to us that the Prophet (ﷺ) had sacrificed on behalf of his wives’. How can the belief in ‘transfer of reward’ be proved by this? This was the occasion of Hajj and the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) were with him. They did not slaughter the sacrificial animals with their own hands but the Prophet (ﷺ) slaughtered on their behalf and sent the meat. As even today women do not slaughter animals on the occasion of Hajj but their mahrams (accompanying men) sacrifice on their behalf.

And this is not only the case for Hajj but it is also predominantly prevalent in our homes. When men are slaughtering the animals, they do not say that the reward of this slaughtering be transferred to their families. But these sectarian ulema began to smell the ‘ithal-e-thawab’ in the sacrifices made on behalf of our families.

There is a hadith of Tirmidhi that Ali (رضی اللہ عنہ) always sacrificed two rams; one on behalf of the Prophet and the other one for himself. When some people inquired about this practice, he said: ‘That the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded me, so I will never leave it’.

The famous ‘jarh wa ta’deel’ (hadith criticism and praise) book Mizan-ul-Aitdal, Volume 4, Page 515 states that one of the narrators of this hadith, Abu Al-Hasna, is unknown.

Abu Hatim says about Hanish Ibn Al-Mu’tamar, the second narrator of this hadith, that he is righteous, but I have not seen the hadith scholars quoting him as evidence.

Al-Nasai says he is not a strong narrator.

Bukhari says that the narrators object to his narrations.

Ibn Hibban says that he is not taken as a final proof because he narrates some things from Ali ( رضی اللہ عنہ) which are not in line with the hadith from trustworthy narrators.

Bukhari has mentioned his other narration in his book of weak narrators.

Book Mizan-ul-Aitdal, Volume 1, Page 219/220 state that the narrator of this hadith, from Shareek ibn Abdullah, is Abu Al-Hasna and he is unique in narrating it from him. (That is, no other trustworthy narrator says such a thing).

Ibn Hajar says that he was a man of excessive delusions. He has narrated from Ali ( رضی اللہ عنہ) some things which are not in line with the hadith of trustworthy narrators, so much so that he is counted among the people whose narration cannot be used as evidence.

Abu Ahmad al-Hakim says that he is not a strong narrator according to the hadith experts. Aqeeli, al-Saaji, Ibn al-Jarud, and Abu al-Arab al-Sakli have mentioned him in weak narrators. Ibn Hazm has declared him as of degraded reliability and worthless.

((Tahdheeb Al-Tahdheeb Vol 3 Page 51-52)

Another narration of Tirmidhi is presented as evidence in support of ‘ithal-e-thawab’ that states:

Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا) says: ‘I have never been so jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) as Khadija (رضی اللہ عنہا), and I do not know what would happen to me if I found her. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to miss her a lot and slaughter goat and send gifts to the friends of Khadijah after searching them.’

Againhow come these sectarians got the smell of ‘ithal-e-thawab’ in this hadith!

In this narration, it is only stated that the Prophet (ﷺ) had great love and respect for Khadijah (رضی اللہ عنہا) which is expressed in such a way that he used to mention her and whenever he slaughtered a goat, he would send its meat exclusively to her friends.

Where is it stated that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to slaughter goats for transferring its reward ‘ithal’ to her?

These akabireen ‘great ones’ of these sects know the Qur’an and Hadith very well, but the emphasis is on proving the fabricated belief of their sects by any means. Whom they are deceiving, Allah? his servants? or just themselves and their disciples!

In fact, when a belief and its practice could not be proven by the Qur’an and authentic ahadith, then believing in the word of Allah, they should have tried to save themselves from the fire of Hell, and then rectify this grave mistake which was being made since long in the past.

But it so happened that instead of correcting the mistake, every effort was made to justify the actions and sayings of the deceased ‘great scholars’ which were contrary to the Qur’an and Hadith. Even if the irrational arguments had to be fabricated by making the weak ahadith as their ‘final proof’!

It has become clear from the Qur’an and Hadith that this belief and practice is a fabrication against the Qur’an and sunnah. But the misguided sectarian scholars offer different explanations to their followers in which dua-e-maghfirat (the prayer for forgiveness of a deceased) is also used as an argument. So, this part is dedicated to its explanation.

I – Quranic Ayaat regarding دعاءِ مغفرت (Prayer for Forgiveness)

An unsuccessful attempt is made to prove the doctrine of ‘ithal-e-thawab’ by justifying the ‘dua-e-maghfirat’ prayer for forgiveness of a dead person and a counter question is asked that didn’t the Prophet () pray for forgiveness. If one’s deeds are of no use to anyone, then how will you explain the hadith that the torment of the deceased is reduced or his rank is raised because of the ‘dua-e-maghfirat’ prayer of forgiveness. In the Qur’an, where Allah Ta’ala gave the believers the glad news of reward for their good deeds, it was also stated that He will forgive the sins committed by them as much as He wills.

وَ اِنِّيْ لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَنْ تَابَ وَ اٰمَنَ وَ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدٰى

(طه-82)

But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then (continues him) in guidance.

فَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَّ رِزْقٌ كَرِيْمٌ

(الحج-50)

And those who have believed and done righteous deeds – for them is forgiveness and noble provision.

اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَّ اَجْرٌ كَبِيْرٌ

(الملك-12)

Indeed, those who fear their Lord unseen, will have forgiveness and great reward.

فَاعْلَمْ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْۢبِكَ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ۠ وَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَ مَثْوٰىكُمْ

(محمد-19)

So, know [O Muhammad], that there is no god except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows of your movement and your resting place.

وَ الَّذِيْنَ جَآءُوْ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَ لِاِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقُوْنَا بِالْاِيْمَانِ وَ لَا تَجْعَلْ فِيْ قُلُوْبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّكَ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ

(الحشر-10)

And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.”

That is, it is Allah’s command and method of worship that one should seek forgiveness for one’s own sins by considering Allah Ta’ala as the Forgiver and for other believing men and women. The same thing is stated in the hadith that when a believer prays for other believers, it reaches every righteous person whether he is on earth or between earth and heaven. (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim)

Forgiveness is actually the forgiveness of sins and the ‘dua-e-maghfirat’ means the prayer for the forgiveness of sins. Acceptance of this dua depends on the will of Allah Ta’ala. If He wills, the deceased will benefit from it, otherwise He will reward only the one who prays. How does this prove the prevailing belief in the ‘ithal-e-thawab’? Because according to this fabricated belief, our deeds are our earnings, but we can give their reward to whomever we want, there is no condition of Allah’s acceptance in it! That means the reward will be transferred irrespective of Allah’s approval of the deed as first step or condition. How can one be sure that his good deeds are being rewarded by Allah or not? It remains a possibility that Allah may not approve the reward for that good deed for the reason best known to Him. Then how can we say with surety that our reward is confirmed and it should be given to so and so.

It is also said that ‘dua-e-maghfirat’ is also an act of a man. When it can be beneficial then why can’t our other actions be beneficial? In this regard, it is explained that we are obliged and bound only by the teachings of the shari’ah. There is no place in shari’ah for applying our intellect to obtain excuses, arguments and justification when a binding and clear instruction has been declared. Allah has clearly ordained:

It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.

So, when the Qur’an and Sunnah prove that only the ‘dua-e-maghfirat’ is beneficial, then how can we use this logic that “If it (dua) is beneficial then other deeds (finishing Qur’an, etc performed at the house of the deceased) are also beneficial to the deceased”.

According to the ahadith, the one who observes i’tikaaf also gets the reward of daily deeds. It is also proven that those, who go on a journey or get sick, also get the reward of normal routine. Whoever fixes a mujahid’s (warrior) warfighting equipment and takes care of his house in his absence, gets the same reward.

So, what do they say now, if no action has been done by someone in these cases, then how did he get the reward? The reward was given in view of his intention, sincerity and submission to Allah’s pleasure. Whereas in the rituals of ‘ithal-e-thawab’, the intention, humility and submission of deceased people who are being given the reward of other’s deeds, is not taken in to account at all.

Some people thought that the transferring the reward to a deceased is proven by ahadith, so whoever denies it, is a ‘munkir al hadith’ denier of hadith. And the one who denies the ahadith cannot remain a Muslim, therefore those who deny the ‘ithal-e-thawab’ are excluded from Islam.

Here we have tried our best to present to you the unanimous belief of the Qur’an and Hadith with references so that the way in which this false belief is proved in the name of “Hadith” becomes clear.

Both things have come before you. On one side is the religion of Allah and on the other side is what is before you in the form of fabrications. قد تبین الرشد من الغی!

II – Other arguments regarding دعاءِ مغفرت Prayer for Forgiveness

Moving further in a vicious attempt to prove the ‘ithal-e-thawab’, a few more religious deeds are presented as evidence.

It is narrated from Ali ( رضی اللہ عنہ) that:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘When you pass through a graveyard, recite Surah Al-Ikhlas eleven times and donate ‘bakhsh’ its reward to them (dead) then you will be rewarded according to the number of dead there’.

This fabricated hadith is presented in connection with the delivering the reward to the dead, although, if you read it carefully, the reward is not for the dead but for the reciter of Surah Al-Ikhlas.

The author of the book “Behishti Zaiwar” has written in the chapter of this book “Statement of Mawlood (birth of the Prophet) Sharif in Rabi-ul-Awwal or any other time”:

And if it is aimed to reward the blessed soul of the Prophet (ﷺ) with something, then (you can achieve it by) make a poor eat the food or simply giving him the food.

He has written in another chapter “Shab-e-Barat Ka Halwa” (The sweet for middle night of Sha’baan):

“So, if you donate something to the dead on this date, whether by reciting the Qur’an shareef or by feeding others food or simply donating (bakhshna) the duas, then this practice is in accordance with the Sunnah.”

The fact is that no such thing is proven by Sunnah at all. This categoric statement is an absolute white lie for public consumption.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said that:

‘The purpose of going to the graveyard is to create feeling of disliking for the world and to remind oneself of the Hereafter’.

(Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Funerals, Chapters ‘what is mentioned about visiting the graves’; Sunan Al-Nasai, Book of Funerals, Visit of the grave of a mushrik)

The reminding of death is evident from the dua prescribed for visiting the graveyards:

السَّلَامُ عَلٰی أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِکُمْ لَلَاحِقُونَ نَسْأَلُ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ الْعَافِيَةَ۔

(صحیح مسلم۔ کتاب الجنائز )

” Peace be upon the inhabitants from the houses of the believers and Muslims, and in sha Allah, surely we shall join you. I beg of Allah well-being for us and for you.”

This ‘dua’ prayer of the graveyard is for the dead as well as for the reciters themselves. These deeds are proven by the authentic ahadith. The prevailing methods of “Fatiha” (reciting sura al-fatiha and others to award them to the dead) and “Khatam Sharif” (finishing Qur’an in one sitting), etc. are self-made by the people for which there is no evidence from the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Companions. Their status is nothing but ‘innovation and misguidance’.

To say that it is the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) to prepare and distribute halwa (sweet) on the night of Barat, to recite the Qur’an and to transfer (bakhshna) to the dead is like putting allegations on the Prophet (ﷺ). استغفرالله May Allah forgive us. What the Prophet () did not command us nor it is proven by deeds, could that be termed as his sunnah as they have done, let alone the fabrication of that night!

Earlier in this eassy each and every question regarding the belief in ‘ithal-e-thawab’ the delivery of reward to the dead, has been answered from the Qur’an and Hadith. Let us now talk about the ‘personally devised’ arguments which Maududi Sb has tried to prove this ‘false’ belief by stating in his Tafheem-ul-Quran Volume V.

I – Arguments derived by personal reasoning

In addition to making the ahadith ‘conditionally’ valid, horses of intellect are also been raced around in this invalid field. And some personal reasoning is also exploited. It is appropriate to analyze such claims based on reasoning from Qur’an and sunnah.

It is said in order to prove the authenticity of the belief and practices of ‘ithal-e-thawab’ that:

“The proof for this is that the way a person can ask his employer to pay his wages to a certain person instead of him, then he can do good deeds and then pray to Allah Ta’ala to give his reward to such and such person.”(Tafheem-ul-Quran Vol 5 Page 216)

In many other books it has been written that “Isal-e-Thawab” is just the thing that a person does one thing and pass its reward to another. It is possible in worldly affairs that you may give your wages to another or make someone else receive your wage. But it is not possible in the law of Allah to transfer the reward of one’s deeds to another. Allah Ta’ala says:

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفْسًا اِلَّا وُسْعَهَا١ؕ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَ عَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ

(البقرہ: 286)

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned.

ثُمَّ تُوَفّٰى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَ هُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُوْنَ

(البقرہ :281)

Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.

هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ اِلَّا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُوْنَ

(یونس :52)

Are you being recompensed except for what you used to earn?

اِنْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ لِاَنْفُسِكُمْ١۫ وَ اِنْ اَسَاْتُمْ فَلَهَا

(بنی: اسرائیل 7)

If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, [you do it] to yourselves.

فَالْيَوْمَ لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا وَّ لَا تُجْزَوْنَ اِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُوْنَ

(یٰسٓ :54)

So today no soul will be wronged at all, and you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do.

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهٖ وَ مَنْ اَسَآءَ فَعَلَيْهَا١ؕ وَ مَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيْدِ

(حم السجدہ :46)

Whoever does righteousness – it is for his [own] soul; and whoever does evil [does so] against it. And your Lord is not ever unjust to [His] servants.

From the ayaat above, Allah’s law is clear that the one who does a good deed, he will be rewarded. The scourge of evil will be on the one who does it. And it is unjust in the sight of Allah that one performs a good deed but someone else is rewarded.

Can anyone believe after the word of Allah Ta’ala that rewards of our deeds can be passed on to someone else? We are desperate to transfer our reward to others but do we have any confirmation in the first place that our deeds have been accepted by Allah? The following hadith makes it clear:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: رُبَّ صَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ إِلَّا الْجُوعُ، وَرُبَّ قَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ إِلَّا السَّهَرُ

( سنن ابن ماجہ ، کتاب الصیام ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي الْغِيبَةِ وَالرَّفَثِ لِلصَّائِمِ )

There are many people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are many who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.

They are thinking in their understanding that they are getting the reward of fasting and waking up but in fact, their pious deeds are not being accepted by Allah Ta’ala for one reason or the other.

A true believer in the Qur’an and Hadith who is solving the paper of the Hereafter by considering the world as a mere testing ground, how can he deprive himself of this reward by giving his good deeds to someone else? While his faith is that these good deeds of mine are the capital of my hereafter. If one still keeps doing the practice of ‘ithal-e-thawab’, then his belief in the Hereafter is different.

One of the reasons for being distant from the real commands of Allah Ta’ala in the life of so-called Muslim today is probably overconfidence in the belief in self-imposed ‘transfer of reward’. He also expects that after his death, his family will also transfer their rewards to him to save him from Hell fire! Hence this practice has gained strength in our societies.

It is as if he was saying by body language, “When I die and the angels will come to punish me because I did not read the Qur’an and did not act according to it. So, I will stop them by saying why you have come to punish me. Just wait a little bit. You don’t know how rich I was in the world, how big a community and family I had. You have come to punish me for not reading the Qur’an, not acting according to it, not giving alms! So, O angels, don’t hurry, hardly any time has passed since you took my soul out of my body, my family has just started crying, the relatives and friends have started gathering. Our molvi is about to come after gathering the children from his madrassa, not one but many Qur’ans will be finished for me, food will be cooked in my name, there will be charity. Then this series of favours will be prolonged, soyem the third day rituals, then beeswan the twentieth day etc, Thursdays will be celebrated, chaleeswan the fortieth day rituals will be performed on grand scale.”

“They will do everything on my behalf that I never imagined and never planned to do. Despite my wealth, I never thought of Hajj but now Hajj will be performed on my behalf and then the yearly barsi anniversary will be celebrated.”

“If you have come to torture me today, just see I will be shortly receiving so much rewards transferred to me by my family and friends that you yourself will be forced to make me enter the Paradise. Today my name is on the list of hellfire but soon my account will be so rich that my name will be in the list of the highest paradise Jannat-ul-Firdous. Because in the past I was the only one who could act good deeds, but today there are innumerable ones who are doing good deeds on my behalf. Those who deserve hell are the poor ones behind whom there are no one to transfer their reward. He did not die leaving so much wealth that finishing Qur’an after Qur’an by molvis could be afforded. Their reward is stuck where it was when he died, but look how my record is swelling day by day? He died as the one who earned Hell, but look at the miracle of the ‘isal-e-thawab’ that I am sitting in the best Paradise Jannat-ul-firdous.”

It gives shivers in our bodies by what a daring attempt has been made to reject the law of Allah! Just see how cunningly has this tyrannical belief of ‘isal-e-thawab’ denied the system of Allah Ta’ala; He says:

ا۟لَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

(الملک2)

[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed

وَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ لِتُجْزٰى كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَ هُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُوْنَ

(الجاثیہ: 22)

And Allah created the heavens and earth in truth and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

That is, the creation of life and death, the creation of the heavens and the earth is under a plan. This world is a testing ground, this period of life is a period in which human beings are to be tested to decide the final destination. The eternal reward and punishment in the final destination depends upon the performance, success and failure in this world.

Man will be entitled to whatever he earns, but this belief of transferring the credit to a dead person is an attempt to overturn Allah’s just system of reward and punishment! Allah’s system awards a place in heaven because of his own deeds and the other system awards the heaven because of other’s deeds!

II – Maududi Sb giving arguments against his own argument

Earlier Maududi Sahib had written that one can give his reward to another but now he writes against his own writing:

“The reward will be given to the one who acts and his reward cannot be given to anyone else but his prize can be given to someone else.”

What a contradiction it is! First, he gives one belief and then gives another belief. However, he then explains it by giving this example:

As if a person tries to master the art of wrestling by exercising; the strength and skill that comes out of it is specific to his person which cannot be transferred to another individual. Similarly, if he is an employee of a court and a salary is fixed for him as a wrestler, then he will also get it, it will not be given to anyone else. However, he may request that prize money to be given to his teacher, his parents or other benefactors on his behalf.

(Tafheem-ul-Quran Vol 5 Page 217)

In some sects, there is the same belief about the delivery of the reward, which the writer of Tafheem-ul-Quran had been emphasizing before, that the deceased can be transferred reward of any kind of action. But some sectarians believe that the obligatory acts of worship are exclusively for the man who performs it and that their reward is non-transferrable. But the reward of other good deeds can be transferred.

Let us examine the abovementioned theory.

We must first understand the meaning of “reward” and “prize.” “Reward” refers to the reward for a good deed like salary and wages, and “prize” for being rewarded due to the pleasure for doing that deed in the best possible way. The ruling of the Qur’an and Hadith in this regard is as follows:

(النساء:173)

And as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards and grant them extra from His bounty.

اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَتْلُوْنَ كِتٰبَ اللّٰهِ وَ اَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اَنْفَقُوْا مِمَّا رَزَقْنٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَّ عَلَانِيَةً يَّرْجُوْنَ تِجَارَةً لَّنْ تَبُوْرَۙ oلِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ اُجُوْرَهُمْ وَ يَزِيْدَهُمْ مِّنْ فَضْلِهٖ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ غَفُوْرٌ شَكُوْرٌ

( فاطر : 29-30)

These ayaat make it clear that those who believe and do good deeds will be fully rewarded for their good deeds. But at the same time, the extra reward, due to sincerity and devotion etc. in these good deeds will still be for the same person and not for anyone else.

And here is a hadith which goes like this:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:‏‏‏‏ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ صَلَاةً وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرَ صَلَوَاتٍ وَحُطَّتْ عَنْهُ عَشْرُ خَطِيئَاتٍ وَرُفِعَتْ لَهُ عَشْرُ دَرَجَاتٍ

(سنن نسائی۔ کتاب الافتتاح۔ الفضل فی الصلوۃ علی النبی ﷺ)

Allah’s Messenger said, “If anyone invokes a blessing on me once, Allah will grant him ten blessings, ten sins will be remitted from him, and he will be raised ten levels.”

The above hadith also gives a complete explanation of the fact that whoever prays for blessings for the Prophet (), he will get his reward (i.e. ten virtues) and also prize (i.e. forgiveness of ten sins). And extra bonus prize will be raising of the levels by ten levels. So, it turns out that the reason for giving both the “reward” and the “prize” is the action of the doer himself not of anyone else.

Therefore, it has been proved that the status of the philosophy of “reward and prize” offered in the justification of ithal-e-thawab is simply false. Will a believer in the Hereafter, protecting his every deed, seek more rewards from his Lord or will he, showing ingratitude, request to transfer his hard-earned rewards?

When a good Muslim finds his belief or practice is against the Qur’an and Hadith, he should straight away admit his mistake and seek forgiveness from Allah. But what happens is that various logics are devised to prove the false belief and every effort is made to prove it by any means.

With reference to the Qur’an and Hadith, it is now quite clear that the so called “personal reasoning and inferences” for this fabricated belief are in fact masterpieces of “mental aberration” and lack of mental acumen.

Other arguments in this regard, in which an attempt has been made to prove the transfer of reward through the example of money order, are merely deceptive audacity which is a waste of time to discuss.

III – Qur’an Khawani – Finishing Qur’an multiple times for the dead

The ritual of “Qur’an recitation” is considered to be the most essential of the current rituals of ‘ithal-e-thawab’. Wherever there is a death, it is the first thing to be arranged. It has been so much ritualized that it seems to be a part of religion. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that it is wrong. Rather, everyone is convinced of its virtue, which can be gauged from the continuity and repetition of this practice. For this, there are regular parties whose job is to recite the Qur’an and they also take regular wages for it. Special single para or juz of Qur’an printed in large size are available for quickly finishing Qur’an khawani. In some places, maulvis have turned it into a regular business. Orders are booked with them and they immediately fill the transport with the students of the madrassa to the required venue. And within no time they finish the required number of Qur’ans and after eating and drinking they collect their fee and go to the next booking place.

The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ) in order to make people aware of the guidance from Allah. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught it to the Sahabah ( رضی اللہ عنہم اجمعین), told them how to recite it, and explained the virtues of its various Surahs and verses. All these things are present in the books of Hadith which are not being narrated here due to their length.

The Companions used to act upon the teaching of the Qur’an. They used to get up at midnight and recite it in the prayer of tahajjud with great humility. But there is no hadith that Prophet (ﷺ) or any of his Companions recited the Qur’an in this manner.

Therefore, there is no doubt that it being an innovation in the religion and all the innovations in the religion are misguidance and all the misguidance will go to the Hell fire as informed by the Prophet (ﷺ).

It is a pity that when these mountains of knowledge, the sectarian ulema, are told about this innovation, instead of repenting over this innovation out of fear of Allah, they start defending it. Instead of regretting their actions, they insist on persistence over it. It is said ‘triumphantly’ that the Qur’an had not been compiled at that time in the form to be read and recited.

It is a pity that these people are so stuck in this quagmire of innovations that they do not understand even such a simple thing. That the Qur’an was revealed to the heart of the Prophet, and a large number of the Companions were memorizers of the Qur’an. Was it necessary to read the Qur’an by looking at the pieces of paper? Couldn’t they recite from their hearts for Qur’an khawani? Even if their logic is accepted, then this ritual should have become popular at the time of Abu Bakr and Uthman ( رضی اللہ عنہ), the Qur’an was collected in paper form and distributed everywhere. Not only in this period but also in the later period this ritual of Qur’an recitation does not exist.

It is as if they are trying to prove that the Companions did not understand the virtue the way we have understood, as if knowledge of the ulema is more than the knowledge of the Companions! They now know more about the virtues of reading the Qur’an. The Companions could not understand the virtues of reciting the Qur’an for a deceased person’s benefit. From their perspective, the Companions were deprived of this virtue! May Allah protect us.

They should not forget, no matter how good a religious ritual may be, no matter how pleasing it may seem, but if it is not in accordance with the words and deeds of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions, then that is a path to the punishment from Allah.

When these maulvis do not have any reply to this, they start counter-allegation saying, “these people are calling recitation of Qur’an as an innovation bid’at in the religion.”

Of course, reciting the Qur’an is very rewarding, but reciting the Qur’an in the same way as we have been taught by the Prophet (ﷺ). For example, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Man is very close to his Lord in the prostration.” You can see clearly the virtue of prostration! Now, if in one rak’a someone starts doing this virtuous prostration three or four times, what would you say to him? Can this person’s salat be accepted?

And if this virtuous prostration is performed at sunrise, zawal, and sunset, then why is it forbidden haram? Thus, it is learned that the acceptance of a good deed is conditional on doing it in accordance with the manner prescribed by the Prophet (ﷺ) otherwise the same virtuous deed invites the wrath of Allah.

It is also said that one should adopt the belief and practice according to the sect to which one belongs and should not force one’s belief on others. But don’t forget the Qur’an has declared sectarianism as disbelief and shirk. A believer and a Muslim cannot be affiliated with any sect in any way. This is the order of the Prophet (ﷺ) narrated in authentic ahadith. Moreover, we have not discussed the doctrine of the ‘ithal-e-thawab’ from the books of any sect, but directly from the Qur’an and Hadith which are the basis of our Shari’ah (on which all these sects claim to believe). All references have been made to both of them. Now whoever believes in the Book of Allah will believe in it and whoever is obedient to the arrogant sectarian ulema will cling to the fatwas of his sect’s muftis.

On the Day of Resurrection, the entire Ummah will be judged from the Qur’an and Hadith. Sunni, Shia, Ahl-e-Hadith, Deobandi and Barelvi will not be accounted for separately according to the books of their sects. Therefore, instead of seeking guidance from these books, people should start worrying about their fate. And just read the Qur’an and Hadith, understand their content, make a pure belief according to them and act according to them, because Allah Ta’ala has described it as a guide for human beings for all times to come.

III – Conclusion

The purpose of this long write-up regarding the doctrine of ‘isal-e-thawab’ is not to disgrace or humiliate anyone. Rather, it is to explain how far this so-called Muslim of today has strayed from the commands of his Lord.

Today, he has wrapped the Book of Guidance revealed by Allah in beautiful covers and placed it on the highest racks in the house especially made for it; this is like the Jews who had put Allah’s book behind their back not to follow it.

That is why today he has become a slave to the laws made by others. How is it possible for a believer to insist on a belief that does not exist in the Qur’an and Hadith? Those who insist upon new things that have been adopted today considering them as an important practice of Islam, which religion are they following?

Ahadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) do not prove that neither he nor his companions ever did the following rituals on the death of any of his family and friends for ‘ithal-e-thawab’ and inviting mercy on the deceased:

recitation of the Qur’an, burning of incense sticks (agarbatti),
recitation of various phrases on date-stones, grams, etc.,
walking along the funeral, shouting ‘kalima shahadat’,
after burial, raising hands and offer collective prayers and recite Fatiha,
laying floral wreaths and flowers over the grave,
arranging food for the visiting mourners,
‘Qul Shareef’, reciting the surah starting with word ‘qul’,
ceremonies of Soyem, daswan, chaleeswan and yearly anniversary,
gathering relatives, friends and loved ones on Thursdays, to recite various ‘wazeefas’ to transfer the reward to the deceased, etc.

If they did not do these things, then who is this ummah following in adopting these innovations? For the sake of Allah, just think what is the result of deviation from Qur’an and Hadith? Is this the end we long for?

Finally, may Allah Ta’ala help us to read, understand and follow the Qur’an, and keep the followers of the Prophet (ﷺ) on the true and the real religion of Islam. O Lord, we love both the personalities and the pattern of your Messenger and the Companions. Only their way of life is a beacon for us. May Allah guide us on their path, bring our end on practicing Islam and then unite us with them.