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Does Allah accept the supplication of anyone for the deceased at the grave, other than that of a righteous child? And does this include a righteous daughter? And is congregational supplication at graves considered an innovation (bid'ah)? And what is the ruling on paying a fee to an imam for supplication? And is this justified by the imams' low income?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

First: Supplicating for the deceased after burial is legislated, and it is recommended for every Muslim who attended the burial to supplicate for the deceased, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for steadfastness for him, for indeed he is now being questioned."

Second: A daughter's supplication for her father falls under the generality of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "or a righteous child who supplicates for him." The word "child" includes both male and female.

Third: Collective supplication after burial, if it happens occasionally, or if one person supplicates and others say "Ameen," has been permitted by some scholars. However, to persist in it, or to dedicate a specific time for it, or to supplicate in unison, is considered an innovation (bid'ah). Sheikh Ibn Baz issued a fatwa permitting one person to supplicate and the listeners to say "Ameen," or for each person to supplicate for the deceased individually.

Fourth: It is not legislated to pay a fee to the Imam for his supplication for the deceased, and prolonging the stay at the grave is not from the Sunnah.

Fifth: Poor Imams should be assisted with Zakat and charity, and it is not permissible to encourage them to engage in innovations.

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

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