Prayers to Alleviate Grief for the Deceased
There are several prayers from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah which can be recited to help ease the sorrow of the bereaved and their loved ones. The following are notable examples:
- (Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return).
- (And give good tidings to the patient, who, when faced with a calamity, say: “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return.” Upon them are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is they who are truly guided).
- (Every soul will taste death, and you will be paid your rewards in full on the Day of Resurrection. So whoever is distanced from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has certainly attained success. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion).
- (And if you are patient and fear [Allah], indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination).
- (So be patient; indeed, patience is beautiful, and Allah is the One sought for help).
- (To Allah belongs what He takes, and to Allah belongs what He gives; everything has an appointed time. So be patient and seek reward [from Allah]).
Condolence and Comfort Prayers
A number of prayers can be recited to offer comfort and condolences, including:
- May Allah increase your rewards, forgive your deceased, and grant you strength and solace.
- I ask Allah to grant you solace, and to reunite you with your loved ones in the highest paradise.
- May Allah magnify your reward, bestow you with patience, and grant us all a generous reward for our endurance.
- May Allah console you, heal your grief, and magnify your reward, while forgiving your deceased.
- O Allah, grant them patience and solace.
- O Allah, guide them toward good outcomes in all matters and grant them a righteous successor that pleases You.
- O Allah, let their homes be filled with light and blessings, replacing their fear with security and tranquility, and their sorrow with happiness and joy.
- O Allah, help us cope with life after their absence, steady us in remembrance of them, and transform our loss into a source of reward and wellness.
Prayers for the Deceased
Several prayers can be said on behalf of the deceased, including:
- (O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, pardon him and grant him good health, honor his abode, expand his entrance, wash him with water, snow, and hail, and purify him of sins as a white garment is purified of dirt. Replace his home with a better home, his family with a better family, and his spouse with a better spouse. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the torment of the Fire).
- (O Allah, he is Your servant, son of Your servant, and son of Your maidservant. He bore witness that there is no deity except You, and that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. You know him best. If he was righteous, then increase his good deeds, and if he was sinful, overlook his sins. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not lead us astray after him).
- (O Allah, forgive our living and our deceased, those present and absent, our young and our old, our males and females. O Allah, whomever You have granted life among us, grant him life upon Islam, and whomever You have taken in death, take him in faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not lead us astray after him).
- O Allah, have mercy on him on the Day of Judgment and in his grave, and place him, O Allah, in the abode of Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
- O Allah, extend his stay in the grave to the vision, and make his grave a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and do not let it be a pit from the pits of Hell.
- O Lord, be merciful to him, overlook his shortcomings, and be his comfort and support in darkness.
- O Allah, if he was righteous, increase his good deeds, and if he was sinful, forgive his sins by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
- O Allah, make his record in the Right Hand, ease his reckoning, and make his remembrance among the people praiseworthy.
- O Allah, treat him according to Your worthiness, and do not treat him according to his worthiness.