Thawab al-Qurb al-Muhdah ila Amwat al-Muslimin
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at Safir
Thawab al-Qurb al-Muhdah ila Amwat al-Muslimin (The Reward of Acts of Devotion Dedicated to Deceased Muslims) is a short treatise by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) addressing the legal rulings, virtues, and types of worship whose reward may be conveyed to deceased Muslims in light of the Quran and the Sunnah .
Structure and Content
The treatise is structured into an introduction and four thematic chapters (mabahith) :
- Chapter One: Concept of Thawab and Qurab: Clarifies the linguistic and technical definitions of reward (thawab) and acts of proximity or devotion (qurab) . Linguistically, thawab refers to recompense and payment for righteous deeds, while qurab (singular qurbah) denotes acts of piety and obedience performed to draw near to God .
- Chapter Two: Deeds Reaching the Deceased from Their Own Actions: Examines the rewards that continue to benefit a person after death resulting from actions initiated during their lifetime . Al-Qahtani cites various hadiths documenting continuous rewards, such as ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah), beneficial knowledge taught and disseminated, a righteous child who prays for the parents, copies of the Quran bequeathed, mosques or travelers' shelters constructed, and watercourses excavated .
- Chapter Three: Scriptural Evidence for Conveying Dedicated Rewards: Enumerates textual evidence establishing that certain righteous deeds performed by the living benefit deceased Muslims . The author lists Quranic verses endorsing supplication and forgiveness for preceding believers, followed by 26 prophetic traditions covering topics such as fasting on behalf of the deceased to fulfill vows, settlement of debts before burial, proxy pilgrimage (Hajj and Umrah), charitable spending on their behalf, animal sacrifice (udhiyyah), and emancipating slaves .
- Chapter Four: Categories of Dedicated Acts of Devotion: Reviews the juridical disagreements surrounding which categories of worship can be gifted .
Scholarly Views and Legal Preponderance
In the fourth chapter, the author surveys classical and contemporary legal opinions:
- Ibn Qudamah in al-Mughni and Ibn Taymiyyah held that the deceased benefits from all physical and financial devotions—including voluntary prayer, fasting, and Quran recitation—whenever a Muslim dedicates their reward to them .
- Ibn al-Qayyim in Kitab al-Ruh argued that the deceased benefits through Quranic, prophetic, and rational proof, maintaining that the reward belongs to the doer, who may freely bestow it upon another believer .
- Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen noted consensus on four acts (supplication, obligatory duties permitting proxy, charity, and manumission) while endorsing the position that any righteous work reaches the deceased if intended for them .
- Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz maintained that acts of worship are strictly bound by revelation (tawqifiyyah) and must be restricted to what is explicitly established in religious texts . Consequently, Ibn Baz discouraged dedicating the reward of Quran recitation and ritual prayer to the deceased .
Al-Qahtani concludes that Ibn Baz's view is the most preponderant (al-arjah), asserting that dedications of reward must remain restricted to textually proven acts: supplication and seeking forgiveness, obligatory and voluntary Hajj and Umrah, financial charity and sacrifices, obligatory and reported voluntary fasting, emancipation, and unfulfilled obligations such as vows, expiations, and debts .
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