Q. Is it possible to do “Eesaal e Sawaab” to those who are dead, hence transfer Sawab to those who are dead?
Answer.
1.Eesaal e Sawaab meaning
“Eesaal e Sawaab” means trnsferring Sawaab. A person does an act of Sawaab (reward) and intends that the reward of that act gets transferred to someone else, normally a person who is dead.
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2.What do the Qur’an and Sunnah say about this
Allah says in Surah Baqara 2:286
“On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. “
Allah says in this verse that every soul gets the rewards of every act that it does and it will suffer the consequence of every evil that it does.
Allah says in Surah Al Anam 6:164
“.. every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another…”
The Qur’an clearly says that the burden of deeds are on ones own self.
Rasoolullah(SAW) said “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three,
1. Recurring charity (Charity of continuing benefit eg building a hospital, a dawah center, an islamic school etc)
2. or knowledge (by which people) benefit,
3. or a pious son, who prays for him (for the deceased).”
[Sahih Muslim 3:4005]Â
The Qur’an says in Surah Nisa 4:85
“Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause, shares in its burden: and Allah hath power over all things.”
Hence any act that the person had done in his lifetime and it continues after his death also – the person continues getting the reward for the act after his death also. All of the above three category of people is covered by this verse of the Qur’an 4:85.
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Some other examples of this are:
a)Hajj e Badal
A proxy Hajj for a person who is dead
“A woman from the tribe of Juhaina came to the Prophet and said, “My mother had vowed to perform Hajj but she died before performing it. May I perform Hajj on my mother’s behalf?” The Prophet replied, “Perform Hajj on her behalf. Had there been a debt on your mother, would you have paid it or not? So, pay Allah’s debt as He has more right to be paid.” [Sahih Bukhari 3:78]
For an alive person who is so infirm that he cannot do his own hajj
“A woman from the tribe of Khath’am came in the year (of ,Hajjat-al-Wada` of the Prophet ) and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! My father has come under Allah’s obligation of performing Hajj but he is a very old man and cannot sit properly on his Mount. Will the obligation be fulfilled if I perform Hajj on his behalf?” The Prophet replied in the affirmative.” [Sahih Bukhari 3:79]
The person doing this Hajj should have performed his own Farz Hajj
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b)Compulsory Fasts on behalf of a dead person
“A man came to the Prophet and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! My mother died and she ought to have fasted one month (for her missed Ramadan). Shall I fast on her behalf?” The Prophet replied in the affirmative and said, “Allah’s debts have more right to be paid.”[Sahih Bukhari 3:174]
“Whoever died and he ought to have fasted (the missed days of Ramadan) then his guardians must fast on his behalf.” [Sahih Bukhari 3:173]
These are not optional fasts. Nor are they the fasts that a person deliberately misses. But they are the fasts that a person should have fasted eg fasts of a vow, or the fasts of a woman misses during her Menses.
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c)Charity on behalf of the parents
“A man said to the Prophet (p.b.u.h), “My mother died suddenly and I thought that if she had lived she would have given alms. So, if I give alms now on her behalf, will she get the reward?” The Prophet replied in the affirmative.” [Sahih Bukhari 2:470]
Allah’s Messenger was asked by Sa’d “My mother died in my absence; will it be of any benefit for her if I give Sadaqa on her behalf?” The Prophet said, “Yes,” Sa`d said, “I make you a witness that I gave my garden called Al Makhraf in charity on her behalf.”[Sahih Bukhari 4:19]
“Sa`d bin Ubada consulted Allah’s Apostle saying, “My mother died and she had an unfulfilled vow.” The Prophet said, “Fulfill it on her behalf.”[Sahih Bukhari 4:23]
Proxy is different from “Bakshna”(Gifting)
All these acts are in proxy they are not of the form of gifting Sawab. These acts are performed on behalf of the deceased person which the deceased person would have done if the person would have remained alive longer. The are not in the form of “Bakshna” the way many people act today. The rewards which many people transfer to others are first of all not in our hands like other things. They are in the hands of Allah. All these acts are actually a form of Sadaqatul Jaariyah.
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Only these acts are proven from Allah’s Messenger
This is what is proven from Allah’s Messenger(SAW). Beyond this there are several acts that are done today by Muslims which don’t have any support in the prophets guidance like transferring Sawab, holding Quran Khwanis and transferring the sawaab to the deceased, reading Fatiha etc.
