|
Question: I have
heard that we can offer Hajj on behalf of our dead parents. Is this
not Isal-i-Thawab (transfer of reward to the dead), a concept you
have strongly refuted in your journal many times?
Answer: As a principle, it should be borne in mind that a person gets the reward of something which he had intended but was not able to accomplish due to certain unavoidable circumstances. Consequently, if a person is not able to perform Hajj in spite of having an intense desire of doing so, he shall be given its reward. Now, if someone offers Hajj for a dead parent who has or had an intense desire of doing Hajj but is or was unable to do so due to some reason, then while the person himself will definitely be rewarded for this deed, the parent will also receive some reward since pious children themselves become a source of reward for their parents. This is not Isal-i-Thawab. It is in the words of the Prophet (sws) ‘Sadqah-i- Jariyah’ (the charitable act of a person that continues to afford him reward even after he dies):
I will give you an example to explain my point: Imagine a person’s mother who had a great desire to build a hospital for the poor, but due to certain circumstances she was not able to. Now if the son gets the chance to fulfil his mother’s wish, then this will indeed be a rewarding deed for the son while her mother has already got the reward of this because of her intention. Of course! she may get a further reward because, as mentioned earlier, pious children themselves are a source of reward for the parents. Thus, Hajj-i-Badal must not be confused with some form of Isal-i-Thawab. |