Method of Fatihah – Learn how to pray

Method of Fātiḥaĥ

Haḍrat Sayyidunā Imām Sakhāwī reports: The beloved and blessed Prophet said, “One who sends Durūd once upon me, Allah bestows him with ten blessings and the one who sends Durūd ten times upon me, Allah bestows him with hundred blessings, and the one who sends Durūd hundred times, Allah inscribes between his eyes that he is freed from hypocrisy and the fire of Hell and he will be kept with the martyrs on the Day of Judgement.”

Those whose parents or anyone of them has passed away should not be heedless of them. They should visit their parents’ graves and keep making Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb. Here are five blessed sayings of the Holy Prophet in this regard:

1. Šawāb of an Accepted Ḥajj

“Anyone visiting the graves of one of or both of his parents with the intention of Šawāb will earn the Šawāb of an accepted Ḥajj and the one visiting their graves in abundance, angels will come to visit his grave (when he dies).” (Kanz-ul-‘Ummāl, vol. 16, pp. 200, Ḥadīš 45536)

2. Reward of Ten Ḥajj

“The one who performs Ḥajj on behalf of his father or mother, Ḥajj would get offered on their behalf and he himself will gain Šawāb of ten Ḥajj.” (Dar-e-Qutnī, vol. 2, pp. 229, Ḥadīš 2587) ! Whenever someone gets the privilege of performing Nafl Ḥajj he should make the intention of performing it on behalf of his deceased parents so that they would also gain the Šawāb of Ḥajj. The one doing so will get Šawāb of ten Ḥajj. If either of the parents passed away without performing Ḥajj despite it being Farḍ, one should get the privilege of performing ‘Ḥajj-e-Badal’ on behalf of his deceased parents. (Details of ‘Ḥajj-e-Badal’ can be found in the book ‘Rafīq-ul-Ḥarāmaīn’ published by Maktaba-tul-Madīna).

3. Charity on Behalf of Parents

“Whenever anyone of you donates Nafl charity, he should do so on behalf of his parents so that they would also gain its Šawāb without any reduction in the Šawāb of the donor.” (Shu’ub-ul-Imān, V6, P205, Ḥadīš 7911, Dār-ul-Kutub-ul-‘Ilmiyyaĥ Beirut)

4. A Cause of Reduction in Sustenance

“When a person abandons making supplication for his parents, his sustenance is cut off.” (Kanz-ul-‘Ummāl, vol. 16, pp. 201, Ḥadīš 45548)

5. Excellence of Visiting Graves on Friday

“The one who visits the grave of either of or both of his parents on Friday and recites Sūraĥ Yāsīn over there will be forgiven.” (Ibn A’di fil Kamil, vol. 6, pp. 260)

Dear Islamic brothers! The mercy of Allah is enormous. The portals of His mercy and bounties are open even for the Muslims who have passed away. Here is a narration about the immense mercy of Allah . Read and rejoice!

Shrouds Torn off

Ḥaḍrat Sayyidunā Armiyā , once passed by graves of some people who were being tormented; a year later, when he passed by the same graves again, he noticed that there was no punishment. He implored in the court of Allah ‘Yā Allah Previously, they were being punished but now their punishment has come to an end (what is the reason?)!’ A voice said, “O Armiyā! Their shrouds tore to pieces, their hair fell out and their graves were obliterated, so I had mercy on them and I always have mercy on such people.” (Sharḥ-us-Ṣudūr, p. 313)

Three Virtues of Conveying Šawāb

The Blessings of Du’ā (Supplication)

The Holy Prophetsaid, “My Ummaĥ will enter the grave with their sins but it will come out of graves without sins as their sins are forgiven by virtue of the supplications of the Muslims.” (AlMu’jam-ul- Awsaṭ, vol. 1, pp. 509, Ḥadīš 1879)

Waiting for Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb

The beloved and blessed Prophet said, “The state of a deceased person in his grave is like that of a drowning man; he waits anxiously for supplication from his father, mother, brother or friend; when anyone’s supplication reaches him, he finds it better than the world & whatever is in it. Allah bestows the Šawāb gifted by alive relatives upon the deceased like mountains. The gift of the alive to the dead is to say prayer of forgiveness for them.” (Shu’ub-ul-Imān, vol. 6, pp. 203, Ḥadīš 7905)

Excellence of Supplicating for Forgiveness of Others

‘Anyone who makes the supplication of forgiveness for all the Muslim men and women, Allah writes a good deed for him in return for each and every Muslim men and women.’ (Majma’-uz-Zawāid, vol. 10, pp. 352, Ḥadīš 17598)

An Easy Way to Earn Billions of Good Deeds

Dear Islamic brothers! Sway with delight! We have got an easy way of earning millions and billions of good deeds! Obviously, there are millions of Muslims in the world at the moment and billions of Muslims have passed away. Therefore, if we make supplication of forgiveness for the whole Ummaĥ, we will attain the treasure of billions of good deeds. I have written below a supplication for myself as well as for all the Muslim men and women; recite it (with Durūd Sharīf once before and after the supplication), you will get hoards of good deeds.

Refulgent Attire

Once a saint saw his deceased brother in a dream and asked, “Does the supplication of the living people reach you (the dead)?” He replied, “Yes. By Allah ! The supplication comes to us in the form of refulgent attire that we wear.” (Sharḥ-us-Ṣudūr, pp. 305)

Refulgent Tray

When anyone sends the Šawāb of good deeds to a deceased person, Jibrāīl places the Šawāb in a refulgent tray and stands with it near the grave and says, “O dweller of this grave! Your kin has sent a gift, receive it.” On hearing this, he becomes happy whereas his neighbours (the deceased of his neighbouring graves) feel grieved on their deprivation. (Sharḥ-us-Ṣudūr, P308)

Qabr mayn Āĥ Gĥup Andĥaīrā ĥay

Fazl say kar day chāndnā Yā Rab

Ah! There is stark darkness in the grave;

Brighten it with Your bounty, Yā Rab

! Šawāb Equal to the Number of Deceased

The one who recites Sūraĥ Ikhlāṣ eleven times in a graveyard and sends its Šawāb to the dead, he will get the recompense equal to the number of all the dead (buried in the graveyard). (Kashf-ul-Khifā, vol. 2, pp. 252, Ḥadīš 2629)

Deceased Would Intercede

The Prophet of mankind, the peace of our heart and mind, the most generous and kind said, “The one who passes by a cemetery and recites Sūraĥ Fātiḥaĥ, Sūraĥ Ikhlāṣ and Sūraĥ Takāšur over there and then makes the supplication: ‘Yā Allah ! Send the Šawāb of whatever Qurān I have recited to Muslim men and women’ so those buried in the cemetery will intercede for him on the Day of Judgement.” (Sharḥ-us-Ṣudūr, p. 311)

Šawāb of Sūraĥ Ikhlāṣ

Ḥaḍrat Sayyidunā Ḥammād Makkī said that one night he went to the graveyard of Makka-tul-Mukarramaĥ where he fell asleep. (In the state of dream) he saw that the deceased buried in the graves were standing in groups. Seeing them, he asked as to whether the Day of Judgement had taken place. They replied, ‘No. The thing is, a Muslim brother recited Sūraĥ Ikhlāṣ and sent us its Šawāb which we have been distributing among ourselves for a year.’ (Sharḥ-us-Ṣudūr, p. 312)

A Well for Umm-e-Sa’d

Ḥaḍrat Sayyidunā Sa’d bin ‘Ubādaĥ asked, “Yā Rasūlullāĥ! My mother has passed away (I want to give some Ṣadaqaĥ (charity) on behalf of her), which Ṣadaqaĥ would be the best for her?” The Holy Prophet replied, ‘Water.’ So, Sayyidunā Sa’d got a well dug and said, “This is for Sa’d’s mother.” (Sunan Abū Dawud Sharīf, vol. 2, pp. 180, Ḥadīš 1681)

Dear Islamic brothers! Sayyidunā Sa’d declared that the well was dug for Sa’d’s mother, which meant that the digging of well was aimed at donating Šawāb to the mother of Sa’d . The foregoing narration also made it clear that there is no harm for the Muslims in relating a goat or cow etc. to saints by saying sentences like, ‘This is the goat of Sayyidunā Ghauš-e-Pāk’ as it also means that the sacrifice of this goat is aimed at just donating its Šawāb to Sayyidunā Ghauš-e-A’ẓam. Normally, people also relate sacrificial animals to each other; for example, if you ask a person who is wandering along with his sacrificial cow as to whose the cow is; he will reply, ‘Mine’ and it is not considered objectionable either. Therefore, if there is no objection to saying such sentences, no objection can be raised to saying ‘This is the goat of Ghauš-e-Pāk’ as well. In fact, Allah is the real Owner of each and every thing. Moreover, whether it is the sacrificial cow or the goat of Ghauš-e-Pāk, the name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughter of each sacrificial animal. May Allah remove satanic whispers!

18 Madanī Pearls of Donating Šawāb

One may make the Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb1 of each and every deed such as Farḍ, Wājib, Sunnaĥ, Nafl, Ṣalāĥ, fasting, Zakāĥ, Ḥajj, delivering a speech or Dars, travelling with a Madanī Qāfilaĥ, acting upon Madanī In’āmāt, call towards righteousness, studying a religious book or making individual effort etc.
Holding gathering for the recitation of the Holy Quran and serving meal to participants on the 3rd, 10th and 40th day of someone’s death or solemnizing his death-anniversary are all commendable deeds, as these are also the means of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb. By Sharī’aĥ, the absence of the proof of impermissibility about holding such rites is itself a proof of permissibility. Moreover, living people’s making supplication for the deceased is proven by the Holy Qurān and the whole concept of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb is based on this Quranic proof. Therefore, verse 10 of Sūraĥ Ḥashr, part 28 says:
The expenses for the meals served on Sawyam (the 3rd day of demise), death anniversary etc. can be paid from the bequest of the deceased provided all the inheritors are adult and they all give consent either. If even a single heir is not adult, it is extremely Ḥarām to do so. However, an adult inheritor can arrange for the meals from his own share. (Derived from Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, Part-IV, pp. 822)
If the family of the deceased cook food on Sawyam, only the Faqīrs (destitute people) may eat from it (the rich should not). (ibid, p. 853)
Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb may be made even to a day’s old deceased baby; Sawyam etc. may also be held.
Šawāb may also be offered to the living Muslims and even to those who have not yet been born.
Šawāb may be donated to Muslim Jinns as well.
Solemnizing Giyārĥwīn Sharīf, Rajabī Sharīf (the death anniversary of Sayyidunā Imām Ja’far Ṣādiq on the 22nd of Rajab) etc. is permissible. It is not necessary to serve pudding in a “Kūnḋā” (an earthenware pot used to serve) only; it may be served in other plates etc. as well. It may also be brought out of the house.
The meal served for sending Šawāb to the saints is called ‘Naẓr-oNiyāz’ (in Urdu). This Niyāz (meal) is “Tabarruk” (Sacred) and may be consumed by the rich as well as the poor.
Serving the meal of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb to guests is not a condition; if the family members eat it themselves, there is no harm in doing so.
If one makes the intention of sending Šawāb to saints for the meal he eats each time, it would be wonderful. For example, at the time of breakfast, he may intend, ‘May the Šawāb of this breakfast reach the Holy Prophet as well as all other Prophets through him!’ Similarly, at the time of lunch, he can make intention, ‘May the Šawāb of this meal that I have eaten (or will eat) reach Sayyidunā Ghauš-e-A’ẓam as well as all other saintsLikewise, at the time of dinner, he may intend, ’May the Šawāb of this meal that I am about to eat reach Imām-e-Aĥl-e-Sunnat Imām Aḥmad Razā Khan as well as all other Muslim men and women!’
Whether Šawāb is donated before the meal or after the meal, it is correct in both ways.
If possible, reserve 1% money of your total daily sale (rather than daily profit) for the Niyāz of Ghauš-e-A’ẓam; the employees should save at least 3% of their monthly salary with the same intention. Either distribute religious books or spend this money on any virtuous act. you will see its blessings for yourself.
To establish a Masjid or Madrasaĥ is Ṣadaqa-e-Jāriyaĥ (Perpetual Charity) and a best mode of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb.
“Dāstān-e-‘Ajīb”, “Shaĥzāday kā Sar”, “Das Bībiyon kī Kaĥānī”, and “Janāb-e-Sayyidaĥ kī Kaĥānī” etc. are all fabricated and false tales; never read them. A pamphlet entitled ‘Waṣiyat Nāmaĥ’ (Will) consisting of the dream of a man called “Shaykh Aḥmad” is distributed; it is also false. This pamphlet mentions the benefits of getting it photocopied and distributed in a particular quantity and harms otherwise; do not believe it at all.
Even if Šawāb is donated to innumerable Muslims, it is hoped by the grace of Allah that complete Šawāb will be given to each of them. It is not so that Šawāb will be divided amongst them. (Raddul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp. 180, Derived from Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, Part-IV, pp. 850)
The Šawāb of the one donating Šawāb is not reduced at all; rather, it is hoped that he would get Šawāb equal to the total amount of Šawāb he donated to each and every person. For example, someone performed an act of piety for which he was given (the Šawāb of) ten good deeds which he donated to ten other deceased Muslims. Now, each of the deceased would get ten good deeds and the sender of Šawāb would get one hundred ten. If he donated Šawāb to one thousand deceased, he would get ten thousand ten and so forth. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, Part-IV, pp. 850)
Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb may be made to the Muslims only. Making Iīṣāl-eŠawāb to a disbeliever or an apostate (Murtad) or calling them ‘Marḥūm’ is Kufr (blasphemy).

The Method of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb

The intention of heart is sufficient for the donation of Šawāb. For instance, if you give a rupee as charity or recite Durūd once or tell someone a Sunnaĥ or carry out call towards righteousness or deliver a Sunnaĥ-inspiring speech or perform any other good deed, you should make intention in your heart like this: ‘May the Šawāb of the Sunnaĥ that I have just told reach the Holy Prophet’ Šawāb will reach him.

Further, Šawāb will also reach to all of such people for whom intention was made. In addition to the presence of intention in heart, utterance of verbal intention is a Sunnaĥ of the blessed companions as mentioned in the Ḥadīš which describes that Sayyidunā Sa’d had a well dug and then said, ‘This is for Sa’d’s mother.’

The Traditional Method of Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb

The Muslims’ traditional method of donating Šawāb especially for serving meal is very nice. The method is as follows:

Put in front all such meals or a little portion from each item along with a glass of water whose Šawāb is to be donated. Then, reciting ْ,recite Sūrat-ul-Kāfirūn once:

Method of Supplication for Donating Šawāb

Yā Allah ! Bless us with the Šawāb of whatever has been recited (if food etc. is present, then also say) and the Šawāb of the food that has been prepared and whatever other deeds we have performed to date, not according to our faulty worships but according to Your immense mercy; and send its Šawāb on behalf of us to the court of Your Beloved Through Your beloved Prophet , send its Šawāb to all other Prophets , all the blessed Companions and all the noble Saints. Through Your beloved Prophet send its Šawāb to every Muslim human and Jinn born from the age of Sayyidunā Adam to date as well as all those who will be born till the Day of Judgement. During this, mention the names of the saints to whom Šawāb has to be especially donated. Likewise, donate Šawāb to your parents, relatives and Murshid (spiritual guide). (The deceased whose names are mentioned during the supplication get pleased by it.) Then, finish the supplication as usual. (If a little amount of food items and water was placed in front, mix them into other food and water).

Be Ware!

Whenever Niyāz or any other type of ceremony is held at your home and the time of congregational Ṣalāĥ approaches during the ceremony, take all the guests to the Masjid for Ṣalāĥ with Jamā’at making individual effort provided there is no Shar’ī prohibition. Ceremonies should be scheduled at such a time that the time of Ṣalāĥ does not fall within the scheduled program so that the participants would not miss Jamā’at due to laziness. There will probably be no difficulty in offering Ṣalāĥ with Jamā’at if lunch is served immediately after Ẓuĥar Ṣalāĥ or dinner is served after Isha-Ṣalāĥ. Even then, if the time of Ṣalāĥ approaches, the host, the cook, the guest and those involved in serving the food should all offer Ṣalāĥ with Jamā’at. Missing the Jamā’at of Ṣalāĥ just for Niyāz of saints is a grave blunder.

Method of Visiting the Shrines

One should pay visit in the court of the saints from the direction of their feet as, in case of coming from their back side, they would have to bother to look back turning their head. Hence, one should present himself at the shrines of the saints from the direction of the feet of the saint facing the face of the saint and making his back face the Qiblaĥ. Thereafter, he should stand at a distance of at least two yards and say Salām in the following words

Then, recite Sūraĥ Fātiḥaĥ once and Sūraĥ Ikhlāṣ 11 times (with Durūd once before and after it). Now, raise hands and make Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb as per the forgoing method. Mention the name of the saint as well while making Iīṣāl-e-Šawāb. Then, make supplication. It is stated in the book ‘Aḥsan-ul-Wi’ā’ that prayers (supplication) are answered in the proximity of the Beloved of Allah

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