Death is something that is defiant and inevitable. It does not matter if you are a king, president, general, or scientist; you will die. In the Quran, Allah says, “Every soul will taste death, then to Us, you will ˹all˺ be returned.” —Surah Al-Ankabut 57. A Muslim must always be prepared to leave this world and travel to the hereafter.
The pain and sorrow we experience after our loved ones depart from this world is unimaginable, especially for parents. But reciting dua for the dead and deceased can ease our hearts. Here are the duas you can recite for your loved ones who have died.
Dua for the Dead
Before we dive deep into the dua of the deceased. Remember that it is Allah who gives life and who takes it away. Your loved ones are now with Allah and in a better place than before.
˹It is˺ Allah ‘Who’ calls back the souls ˹of people˺ upon their death as well as ˹the souls˺ of the living during their sleep. —Surah Az-Zumar 42
Dua when You Hear about Someone’s Death
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
English transliteration: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un — Surah Al-Baqarah 156
English translation: Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return
Hadith: Narrated Umm Salamah: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) as saying: When one of you is afflicted with a calamity, he should say: “We belong to Allah, and to Him we do return.” O Allah, I expect reward from Thee from this affliction, so give me reward for it, and give me a better compensation. —Sunan Abi Dawud 3119
Explanation: Saying ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un’ at someone’s death is the most commonly practiced phrase in the Muslim community. This phrase is memorized by almost all adult Muslims and recite it upon hearing about the death of someone.
If you want to look into its deeper meaning, we have compiled a guide on the meaning of Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un and its benefits.
Dua for the Deceased — with Name
اللهُـمِّ اغْفِـرْ لِـ-فُلاَنٍ (باسـمه)وَارْفَعْ دَرَجَتََـهُ فِي المَهْـدِيّيـنَ ، وَاخْـلُفْـهُ في عَقِـبِهِ في الغَابِِـرِينَ، وَاغْفِـرْ لَنَا وَلَـهُ يا رَبَّ العـالَمـين، وَافْسَـحْ لَهُ في قَبْـرِهِ وَنَـوِّرْ لَهُ فِيهِ
English transliteration: Allāhumma’ghfir li (name of the person) warfa` darajatahu fi ‘l-mahdiyyīn, wakhlufhu fī `aqibihi fi ‘l-ghābirīn, wagh’fir-lanā wa lahu yā Rabba ‘l-`ālamīn, wafsaḥ lahu fī qabrihi wa nawwir lahu fīh.
English translation: O Allah, forgive Abu Salama, raise his degree among those who are rightly guided, grant him a successor in his descendants who remain. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the Universe, and make his grave spacious, and grant him light in it.
Hadith: Umm Salama reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon came to Abu Salama (as he died). His eyes were fixedly open. He closed them, and then said: When the soul is taken away the sight follows it. Some of the people of his family wept and wailed. So he said: Do not supplicate for yourselves anything but good, for angels say” Amen” to what you say. He then said: O Allah, forgive Abu Salama, raise his degree among those who are rightly guided, grant him a successor in his descendants who remain. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the Universe, and make his grave spacious, and grant him light in it. —Sahih Muslim 920a
Explanation: The Holy Prophet (PBUH) made this dua on the death of Abu Salama. You can recite the same dua for the dead in Arabic and include the names of your loved ones by replacing the name of Abu Salama (RA).
Dua for the Dead — After Burying them
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ الَّلهُمَّ ثَبِّتْهُ
English transliteration: Allāhumma’ghfir lah Allāhumma thabbit’h.
English translation: O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, strengthen him.
Hadith: The Prophet (PBUH) used to stop after burying the dead and say to the people: “Ask Allah to forgive your brother and pray for him to be strengthened, for indeed he is now being questioned.” Abu Dawud 3/315, and Al-Hakim 1/370 who graded it authentic and Ath-Thahabi agreed. —Hisn al-Muslim 164
Dua for the Affectees (whose loved one died)
Death is a painful thing. It hurts the departed, and his loved ones feel the pain equally. To calm them down, a Muslim should talk with them and say that they have departed from this world to a better place. Give them references from the Holy Quran about death and recite this dua for the dead in Islam.
إن لله ما أخذ وله ما أعطى . وكل شيء عنده بأجل مُسمى … فلتصبر ولتحتسب
English transliteration: Inna lillāhi mā akhadh, wa lahu mā a`tā, wa kullu shay’in `indahu bi ajalin musammā . . . faltaṣbir wa ‘l-taḥtasib .
English translation: Surely, Allah takes what is His, and what He gives is His, and to all things He has appointed a time… so have patience and be rewarded.
Hadith: Narrated Usama: Once while I was with the Prophet (PBUH) and Sa`d, Ubai bin Ka`b and Mu`adh were also sitting with him, there came to him a messenger from one of his daughters, telling him that her child was on the verge of death. The Prophet (ﷺ) told the messenger to tell her, “It is for Allah what He takes, and it is for Allah what He gives, and everything has its fixed time (limit). So (she should) be patient and look for Allah’s reward.” —Sahih al-Bukhari 6602
Dua for the Deceased —At the Funeral
In Islam, when a Muslim dies, they are given the final bath and wrapped into a piece of cloth called a ‘Shroud.’ After this, their loved one takes them to a masjid for the funeral prayer and then to the graveyard.
Here is the dua for the deceased, which you should recite at the funeral. Remember to recite the dua to enter the masjid.
اللهُـمِّ اغْفِـرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْـه ، وَعافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْـه ، وَأَكْـرِمْ نُزُلَـه ، وَوَسِّـعْ مُدْخَـلَه ، وَاغْسِلْـهُ بِالْمـاءِ وَالثَّـلْجِ وَالْبَـرَدْ ، وَنَقِّـهِ مِنَ الْخطـايا كَما نَـقّيْتَ الـثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَـضَ مِنَ الدَّنَـسْ ، وَأَبْـدِلْهُ داراً خَـيْراً مِنْ دارِه ، وَأَهْلاً خَـيْراً مِنْ أَهْلِـه ، وَزَوْجَـاً خَـيْراً مِنْ زَوْجِه ، وَأَدْخِـلْهُ الْجَـنَّة ، وَأَعِـذْهُ مِنْ عَذابِ القَـبْر [وَعَذابِ النّـار]
English transliteration: Allāhumma’ghfir lahu warḥamh, wa `āfihi, wa`fu `anh, wa akrim nuzulah, wa wassi` mudkhalah, wagh’silhu bi ‘lmā’i wath-thalji walbarad, wa naqqihi mina ‘l-khaṭāyā kamā naqqaytath-thawba ‘l-abyaḍa minad-danas, wa abdilhu dāran khayran min dārih, wa ahlan khayran min ahlih, wa zawjan khayran min zawjih, wa adkhilhu ‘l-jannah, wa a`idhhu min `adhābi ‘l-qabri [wa `adhābin-nār].
English translation: O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, and give him strength and pardon him. Be generous to him, and cause his entrance to be wide, and wash him with water and snow and hail. Cleanse him of his transgressions as white cloth is cleansed of stains. Give him an abode better than his home, and a family better than his family, and a wife better than his wife. Take him into Paradise, and protect him from the punishment of the grave [and from the punishment of Hell-fire].
Hadith: It was narrated that Jubair bin Nufair Al-Hadrami said: “I heard ‘Awf bin Malik say: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) offering the funeral prayer for one who had died, and I heard him say in his supplication: Allahummaghfir lahu warhamhu wa ‘afihi, wa a’fu ‘anhu, wa akrim nuzulahu wa wassi’ mudkhalahu waghsilhu bil-ma wath-thalji wal-barad, wa naqqihi min al-khataya kama naqqaita-thawb al-abyad min ad-danas. Wa abdihu daran khairan min darhi, wa ahlan khayran min ahlihi, wa zawjan khayran min zawjihi. Wa adkhilahul-jannah wa najjhi min an-nar” (O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound and forgive him, honor the place where he settles and make his entrance wide; wash hm with water and snow and hail, and cleanse him of his sin as you cleanse a white garment of dirt. O Allah, give him a house better than his house and a family better than his house and a family better than his family and a wife better than his wife, and admit him to Paradise and save him from Hellfire).”’ Or he said: “Wa a’idhhu al-qabr (And protect him from the torment of the grave.)” —Sunan an-Nasa’i 1984
Dua for the Dead when Visiting Graveyard
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لاَحِقُونَ
English transliteration: As-salamu ‘alaykum daru qawmin mu’minin wa inna in sha’ Allahu bikum lahiqun.
English translation: Peace be upon you, inhabitants of the dwellings who are of the community of the believers. If Allah wills we shall join you
Hadith: Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) went out to the graveyard and said: Peace be upon you, inhabitants of the dwellings who are of the community of the believers. If Allah wills we shall join you. —Sunan Abi Dawud 3237
Dua for Someone on Death Bed
اللهم أعني علي غمرات الموت وسكرات الموت
English transliteration: Allahumma a’inni ‘ala ghamarati al-mawt wa sakarati al-mawt.
English translation: O Allah! Help me with the throes of death and the agony of death.
Hadith: Aishah narrated: “I saw the Messenger of Allah while he was dying. He had a cup with water in it, he put his hand in the cup then wiped his face with the water, then said: ‘O Allah! Help me with the throes of death and the agony of death.'” —Jami` at-Tirmidhi 978
Dua for the Dead Parents
There is no specific dua associated with dead parents. However, a Muslim must recite ‘Astagfirulla’ for his dead parents and pray for their forgiveness in their own language. We have created a comprehensive guide on Dua for parents, which has supplications for parents from the Holy Quran and Hadith.
Here is the dua for the dead parents recited by many Muslims.
رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ
Dua for the Dead Parents in English: Rabbana ighfir li wa liwalidayya wa lilmu’mineena yawma yaqoomu al-hisab. —Surah Ibrahim Verse 41
Dua for the Dead Parents with English translation: Our Lord! Forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established.
What else can you do for Dead Parents after Dua?
A Muslim should do charity in the name of his or her dead parents. He should donate the Holy Quran to the mosque or fund building a mosque in the name of his parents. He can also install a water cooler on the streets or feed the hungry.
This is the best charity for parents, called ‘Sadqa-e-Jaria’. This means the charity will continue as long as Muslims pray in the mosque, drink water from the cooler you installed, etc.
Another thing to do is to strengthen ties with the friends of your parents and give them equal respect. You should also fulfill their promises and return their loans. The best thing you can do for your dead parents is to pray for their forgiveness daily. You should check out our complete guide on dua for forgiveness.
What are the Benefits of Reciting Dua for the Dead?
Here are the benefits of reciting dua for the dead, based on Islamic teachings:
- Forgiveness for the deceased: Dua helps to ask Allah for forgiveness on behalf of the deceased, seeking mercy for their sins.
- Elevation of ranks: It can elevate the status of the deceased in the hereafter, granting them higher ranks in Jannah (Paradise).
- Continuous benefit: The deceased may continue to receive rewards for the dua made by loved ones, similar to sadaqah (charity) or good deeds left behind. Here is a guide on dua for success in life and hereafter.
- Fulfillment of their wishes: By making dua, we help fulfill the desires of the deceased for forgiveness and acceptance into Paradise. This will also help you in reducing stress and anxiety with dua.
- Barakah (blessing) for the family: The family and those who recite dua for the deceased also benefit spiritually by remembering Allah and maintaining a connection with the deceased.
- Strengthening bonds of love and respect: Making dua is a way of showing ongoing care, love, and respect for those who have passed away.
- It is an act of Sunnah: Following the example of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who encouraged making dua for those who have passed, is a rewardable act.
Wrap Up
So far, we have discussed the best duas for the dead and how you can make them for their forgiveness and for comforting your heart. We have included references from authentic Sahih Hadiths and explained what you can do for deceased parents.
We hope you find this guide useful and encourage you to share it with others. Jazakallah!
FAQs
Dua for the deceased in Arabic?
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
Dua Maghfirat for dead?
English transliteration: Allāhumma’ghfir li (name of the person) warfa` darajatahu fi ‘l-mahdiyyīn, wakhlufhu fī `aqibihi fi ‘l-ghābirīn, wagh’fir-lanā wa lahu yā Rabba ‘l-`ālamīn, wafsaḥ lahu fī qabrihi wa nawwir lahu fīh.
English translation: O Allah, forgive Abu Salama, raise his degree among those who are rightly guided, grant him a successor in his descendants who remain. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the Universe, and make his grave spacious, and grant him light in it. —Sahih Muslim 920a
Dua for dead person in Islam in English
Allāhumma’ghfir lahu warḥamh, wa `āfihi, wa`fu `anh, wa akrim nuzulah, wa wassi` mudkhalah, wagh’silhu bi ‘lmā’i wath-thalji walbarad, wa naqqihi mina ‘l-khaṭāyā kamā naqqaytath-thawba ‘l-abyaḍa minad-danas, wa abdilhu dāran khayran min dārih, wa ahlan khayran min ahlih, wa zawjan khayran min zawjih, wa adkhilhu ‘l-jannah, wa a`idhhu min `adhābi ‘l-qabri [wa `adhābin-nār].
What else should you know?
Here is a list of a few powerful dua you should know.
