Abandoning Salah during a person's fatal illness

439

Q 2: I witnessed the life of a man who never missed any of the Five Obligatory Daily Prayers, memorized all of the Noble Qur'an, and acted according to it. This is as far as my knowledge of him, and Allah knows best. However, he did not offer Salah (Prayer) on the last three days of his final illness, and he died afterwards. What can we do for this person? We love him and want to make up for what he missed after his death. What is the ruling on this?

A: You should not make up for the Salah (Prayer) he was unable to perform during his final illness. If you love this person, you can give in Sadaqah (voluntary charity) on his behalf, ask Allah to forgive him, and supplicate to Allah for him. This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When a person dies, their deeds come to an end but three: Sadaqah Jariyah (ongoing charity), knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son who prays for them (for the deceased). (Related by Muslim) (Part No. 5; Page No. 24) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.