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Is a father considered a martyr if he passes away after the Quran was recited to him, and he raised his finger to recite the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn), and Surah Al-Ikhlas was recited to him 11 times, along with Ayatul Kursi and the concluding verses of Surah Al-Baqarah? And what can be done to benefit him in his grave and in the Hereafter?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A martyr in the path of Allah is one who is killed while striving to uphold the word of Allah. There are also martyrs of the hereafter, such as the one who dies from an abdominal illness, the drowned, and the one who dies under a collapsed building. A person may attain the status of martyrs even if they die in their bed.

Do not worry about the matter of your father being prompted to say the two declarations of faith (Shahadatayn). He might have said them, and even if he did not, that is not an indication that he was not among the righteous. Reciting Surat al-Ikhlas in the manner described for the deceased is not legislated; it is an innovation (bid'ah). There is no evidence for reciting anything from the Quran for a dying person except what was narrated in a weak hadith about reciting Surat Ya-Sin, and if it is recited, there is no harm.

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

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