Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalam alay kum brother burhan

May Allah (SWT) guide you and all of us with the correct knowledge and guidance Ameen.

My question is :

My parents are Alhamdulillah alive and aged, can i pray 2 rakah nafeel namaz daily for them , for their good health and forgivenss. or should i do only dua for them.

i heard that if parents are alive namaz(salah) should not be offered. can you make it clear to me in the light of QUran and Hadith.

Jazak Allah khair

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Answer:

Can one pray for parents

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: i heard that if parents are alive namaz(salah) should not be offered. can you make it clear to me in the light of QUran and Hadith.

There are three types of worship in Islam:

1. One that exercises self (ie. Salah, fasts, recitation of the Quran, etc.)
2. One that exercise wealth (ie. Zakah, sadaqah, charity, alms, etc.)
3. One that exercises both self and wealth (ie. Hajj, Umrah, etc.)

There is allowance in Shariah for one to perform the worship of spending wealth and the performance of Hajj and Umrah for their loved ones, regardless of whether they are dead or alive…..but for the worship which involves only ‘self’ like prayers and fasts, one is obliged to do so oneself; and to the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah which permits a believer to offer ‘salah’ or fasts for another.

Your Question: My parents are Alhamdulillah alive and aged, can i pray 2 rakah nafeel namaz daily for them , for their good health and forgivenss. or should i do only dua for them.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, one cannot over-emphasize the importance and significance of serving and being dutiful unto one’s parents in Islam, especially when they have been blessed by the Lord to attain old age.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Bani Israel verses 23-24:

Your Lord has enjoined the following: You should not worship anyone but Him Alone! Treat your parents with great kindness; if either or both of them attain old age, do not even say ‘uff’ to them; nor rebuke them; but speak to them kind words. Treat them with humility and tenderness and pray, “O our Lord, be merciful to them, just as they brought me up with kindness and affection in my childhood.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 31 Surah Luqman verse 14:

14 And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaaf verses 15-16:

15 We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: in pain did his mother bear him and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years he says "O my Lord! grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon both my parents and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

16 Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and pass by their ill deeds: (they shall be) among the Companions of the Garden: a promise of truth which was made to them (in this life).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 215:

215 They ask thee what they should spend (in charity). Say: ‘Whatever ye spend that is good is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is good Allah knoweth it well.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4941 Narrated by Abu Umamah

A man said, "O Messenger of Allah (saws), what rights can parents demand from their children?" He (saws) replied, "They are (or your relation with them will determine) your Paradise or your Hell."

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6189 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘Let him be humbled into dust! Let him be humbled into dust!’ It was said: ‘O Allah's Messenger (saws), who is he?’ He (saws) said: ‘He who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise (through his deeds of service towards them)!’

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 5120 Narrated by Mu'awiyah ibn Hayadah

I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah(saws)! To whom should I show kindness most?’ He (saws) replied: ‘Your mother.’ I asked (again): ‘Who next?’. He (saws) replied: ‘Your mother!’. I asked: ‘Who next?’ He (saws) replied: ‘Your mother!’ I asked again: ‘Who next?’ and he (saws) replied: ‘Your father, and then your relatives in order of relationship.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4939 Narrated by Mu'awiyah ibn Jahimah

Jahimah came to the Prophet (saws) and said, "Messenger of Allah (saws), I desire to go on a military expedition and I have come to consult you. He (saws) asked him if he had a mother, and when he replied that he had, he (saws) said, "Stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.18 Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet (saws) said: "The word 'Ar-Rahm' (womb) derives its name from 'Ar-Rahman' (i.e. Allah). So whosoever keeps good relations with it (womb i.e. kith and kin), Allah will keep good relations with him, and whosoever will sever it (i.e. severs his bonds of kith and kin) Allah too will sever His relations with him!"

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.290 Narrated by Abu Bakra

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Shall I inform you of the biggest of the Great Sins?" They said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (saws)!" He (saws) said, "To join partners in worship with Allah, and to be undutiful to one's parents."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.505 Narrated by Abdullah

I asked the Prophet (saws): "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He (saws) replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He (saws) replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He (saws) replied, "To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's cause." 'Abdullah added, "I asked only that much and if I had asked more, the Prophet (saws) would have told me more."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.248 Narrated byAbdullah bin Amr

A man came to the Prophet asking his permission to take part in Jihad. The Prophet asked him, "Are your parents alive?" He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet said to him, "Then exert yourself in their service."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 5123 Narrated by Abu Usayd Malik ibn Rabi'ah as-Sa'idi

While we were with the Messenger of Allah (saws) a man of Banu Salmah came to him and said: “O Messenger of Allah (saws)! Is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death?” He (saws) replied: “Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, ask forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends.”

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6194 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The finest act of goodness is the kind treatment of a person to the loved ones of his father after his death.’

Respected brother, if Allah Subhanah has blessed you with the opportunity to see your parents reach an old age, in addition to the earnest and constant supplications which you can and should always make for your parents, you should strive your absolute utmost to honor them, be kind and tender towards them, speak to them with absolute humility, tenderness and kindness, and leave no stone unturned in fulfilling their every lawful command and desire…..that would be akin to piety and righteousness on your part in the Sight of your Lord.

If you wish to offer ‘nafl’ prayers as a sign or manifestation of your gratefulness unto your Lord for the innumerable favors He has bestowed upon you…that is absolutely fine and acceptable in Shariah, but you cannot offer ‘salah’ and transfer the rewards of your ‘salah’ to your loved ones, regardless of whether they are alive or dead.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan