awareness of the dead

[Arshad]

As Salam Alaikum

I was wondering about something...

When a father dies, and he is put in his grave, and his son does a good deed that the father would be happy about if he were alive, does Allah let the father know what good deed is son did, so that the father can feel happy about his son?

Or to rephrase the question, are the dead aware of the actions of their living relatives and friends?

Wassalam

[Om_Mohammed]

Assalaamu alaikum.

I don't really think that the dead can be aware or are in a state to be aware of such things. However, perhaps this is something of the knowledge of the unseen, of those things of which only Allah knows. Allah knows best.

Anyways, while on this subject, let me remind you of a hadith, in which we are told that a person leaves this world, and there will remain three things in this world which can benefit him while he is in the state of 'barzakh'...or that state in the grave, before the resurrection. Those three things are: 1. Some continuous form of charity or something which the ppl can benefit from, i.e. a masjid, flowing charity that helps poor ppl, or islamic library, etc. 2. A good, obedient child, who prays for forgiveness of his/her parent. 3. Books or any kind of permanent literature (it is understood that video and audio tapes also fall into this category) of beneficial knowledge which ppl can read or benefit from in some way, in order to further their own religious knowledge.

Those three things are which help him in his grave, for each time the child prays for the forgiveness of his/her parents, Allah hears and responds. And, each time someone is benefitted by a charity or some literature left by a person, that person who has donated that charity or written that literature before his/her death will recieve reward for having helped someone.

Allah knows best.

Om Mohammed.