What is the interpretation of the Almighty's saying: "And that man will not have but what he strove for," and what is its relation to the gift of reward to the deceased from various acts of righteousness, and is it permissible to gift the reward of supererogatory prayers?
Scholars have unanimously agreed that the deceased benefits from supplication (du'a) and charity (), and that their reward reaches them, based on the : "When a person dies, all his deeds cease except for three: ... and a righteous child who supplicates for him." However, they differed regarding the reaching of the reward of other good deeds, such as prayer, fasting, reciting the Qur'an, and remembrance (), to the deceased. Some said that all of it reaches him, some said that none of it reaches him, and some said that some of it reaches him but not others.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that the indicates the permissibility of dedicating the reward of financial and physical acts of worship to the deceased, and this is the of Ahmad and Abu Hanifa. As for the verse: "And that man will not have but what he strove for" (Qur'an 53:39), scholars differed in its interpretation. Some said it is abrogated, while others said it does not prevent the bounty of Allah from reaching [the deceased], or that a person's striving is achieved by obtaining the means that deliver the reward, such as raising a righteous child. Thus, there is no contradiction between the verse and the reaching of the reward of good deeds to the deceased.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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