Back to search

May I fast voluntary fasts on behalf of my deceased father?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have unanimously agreed that the benefit of charity (sadaqah) and supplication (du'a) reaches the deceased, and that the reward of du'a benefits the dead and reaches them. Muslim mentioned in the introduction to his Sahih that Ibn al-Mubarak said: "There is no dispute regarding charity." As for other voluntary acts of worship, such as fasting, scholars have differed concerning them, but the majority of them permit dedicating the reward of righteous deeds to the deceased. Hadiths indicate that the reward of fasting, charity, and freeing slaves reaches the deceased, and that among the acts of righteousness after death are prayer, fasting, and charity on behalf of the deceased, and that the deceased rejoices in righteous deeds just as the living rejoices in a gift. It is recommended for a Muslim to frequently supplicate for their parents after their death, based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "Indeed, Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - will raise the rank of the righteous servant in Paradise, and he will say: 'O my Lord, how did I get this?' He will say: 'Through your child's seeking forgiveness for you.'"

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy