Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra ( radi Allahu anhu ) reported:
the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said,
"When a man dies, his deeds come to an end,
except for three:
A continuous charity,
knowledge by which people derive benefit,
pious son who prays for him.''
[Muslim].
Commentary:
A thoughtful reflection of this Hadith will reveal that the three things are
indeed man's own good deeds which somehow continue to exist even after his death.
For example, places like a hospital, a mosque, a religious school and a well built
by a man continue to operate like a trust as traces of his activity in earthly life.
To quote the Qur'an: "And We record that which they send before (them), and their traces
[their footsteps and walking on the earth with their legs to the mosques for the five
compulsory congregational prayers, Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) and all other
good and evil they did, and that which they leave behind].'' (36:12) So long as they exist and people benefit from them, the dead person will keep receiving
his due reward. The same is pertinent to the spread of knowledge of Islamic disciplines
to people's moral uplift. For instance, if during his lifetime he wrote books based on
Qur'an and Hadith, advocated the cause of Islam, instructed lots of pupils in Islamic
teachings, it will be counted as an unending activity on his part. To quote a Hadath:
"The one who called people to adopt the Right Path will receive reward in the same
measure as did those who had the good fortune to follow him.''
Besides, this Hadith tells us that, after his death, man will receive reward by the
prayers of his virtuous children, and other Ahadith too confirm it. This clears the
issue of sending the fruit of good works to the welfare of a dead person's soul.
Charity or the continual charity from the part of a dead person himself,
beneficial (religious) knowledge and prayer are acts of Sunnah under this rule.
With the exception of these, all other deeds do not benefit the dead. However,
if the dead person was under obligation to perform Hajj or had missed obligatory
or vowed fasts, his heirs are commanded by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)
to observe them on his behalf. Because this is like a debt payable by the dead
person and his heirs are under obligation to discharge it for him.
Yet, this rule is inapplicable to other forms of physical worship.
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