QUESTION:
Do the deceased find out who exactly is sending them reward through charity or Qur’an recitation? Does the rank of the deceased go higher and condition become better as they continue to receive the reward from their loved ones?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
There are two parts to your query,
1. The deceased being aware of the identity of the person sending reward to them.
2. Whether the condition of the deceased improve by receiving reward.
1. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said:
Indeed, your deeds are presented to your near and dear ones who have passed on. If your actions are good, they rejoice over them. If your actions are not good, they say: “Oh Allah, do not take away their lives until you guide them just as you guided us”. (Musnad Ahmad 12683)
It is clear from this narration that the deceased are made aware of the deeds of near and dear ones. In the following narration, it is stated that the deceased also makes the following Dua for the living :
اللهُمَّ هَذَا فَضْلُكَ وَرَحْمَتُكَ فَأَتْمِمْ نِعْمَتَكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَمِتْهُ عَلَيْهَا
Translation: Oh Allah! This is your mercy and favour, so favour him, and grant him a favourable death. When sinful actions are presented to them, they say:
اللهُمَّ أَلْهِمْهُ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا تَرْضَى بِهِ عَنْهُ وتُقَرِّبُهُ إِلَيْكَ
Translation: Oh Allah! Inspire him towards righteous deeds which You are pleased with and grant him proximity to You.
Bashaar bin Ghalib (Rahimahullah) says that he used to make Dua most frequently for Rabi’ah Basriyyah (Rahimahullah). Once he saw her in a dream and heard her saying, “Bashaar, your gifts reach us in the trays of ‘Nur covered with silken covers.” When he asked her what it meant, she said: “When a Muslim makes a dua and it is approved, it is placed in a tray of Nur and covered with a silken cover and presented to the dead person concerned, who is told that it is a gift for him from so and so.”
True love for our near and dear ones is to do acts of virtue with the intention of conveying rewards to them. Such expressions of love and reward are more appreciated than the love and rewards in their worldly life.
2. Anas (Radhiyallahu Anhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whosoever reads SurahYaseen at anybody’s grave, Allah will decrease their punishment.”
This proves that reading the Qur’an and conveying the rewards to the deceased benefits the condition of the deceased.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Adapted from the Askimam website
Muslims First 