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Dua for the Deceased - In Arabic and English
When someone dies, dua is the first thing we can give them and the thing we never stop giving. This page gathers the established duas - on hearing the news, for the deceased, for your parents, and at the graveside - each in Arabic, in English letters so you can read them aloud, and in English meaning.
And if you only remember one thing: dua in your own words, in your own language, is heard. Sincerity is the condition - not Arabic.
On hearing the news
For the deceased
For your parents
At the graveside
The short version
- On hearing of a death: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" - to Allah we belong and to Him we return.
- The simplest dua for any deceased person: "Allahumma-ghfir lahu warhamhu" - O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him.
- For deceased parents, the Qur'an itself gives the words: "Rabbi irhamhuma kama rabbayani saghira."
- Dua reaches the deceased, by Allah's permission - it is one of the few gifts that still arrives.
- English counts. Your own words count. Sincerity is the condition.
First words
On Hearing the News
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
"To Allah we belong, and to Him we return."
Qur'an 2:156 - the words of the patient when loss reaches them.
It is also reported that with these words one may add: "Allahumma-jurni fi musibati wakhluf li khayran minha" - "O Allah, reward me in my affliction and replace it for me with something better" (reported in Sahih Muslim).
The heart of it
Dua for the Deceased
Short enough to keep on your tongue, complete enough to carry everything.
The simplest and most established
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ
Allahumma-ghfir lahu warhamhu wa 'afihi wa'fu 'anhu.
"O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him wellbeing and pardon him."
From the Prophet's ﷺ dua for the deceased, reported in Sahih Muslim. For a woman, the feminine forms are used: "Allahumma-ghfir laha warhamha wa 'afiha wa'fu 'anha."
The fuller dua from the janazah prayer
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا
Allahumma-ghfir li hayyina wa mayyitina, wa shahidina wa gha'ibina, wa saghirina wa kabirina.
"O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old."
Reported in Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. The full version, with every line explained, is in our janazah prayer guide.
For mothers and fathers
Dua for Deceased Parents
The Qur'an itself puts these words in our mouths - dutifulness to parents does not end at their death.
رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا
Rabbi irhamhuma kama rabbayani saghira.
"My Lord, have mercy on them both, as they raised me when I was small."
Qur'an 17:24.
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ
Rabbana-ghfir li wa li-walidayya wa lil-mu'minina yawma yaqumu al-hisab.
"Our Lord, forgive me and my parents, and the believers, on the Day the reckoning is established."
Qur'an 14:41 - the dua of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
It is reported in Sunan Abi Dawud that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ whether any dutifulness to his parents remained after their death. Among what was named: praying for them, asking forgiveness for them, honouring their ties and their friends - and giving in charity for them.
Visiting
At the Graveside
The greeting the Prophet ﷺ taught for visiting the resting places of the believers.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ
As-salamu 'alaykum ahla d-diyari mina l-mu'minina wa l-muslimin, wa inna in sha' Allahu bikum lahiqun.
"Peace be upon you, people of these dwellings, believers and Muslims. And we, if Allah wills, will join you."
Reported in Sahih Muslim.
Honestly said
- Gathering to recite the Qur'an for the deceased, khatam gatherings, and set days - practice varies between communities, and Aid For Mankind does not take a position. What all communities agree on: dua for the deceased is heard, and charity in their name reaches them.
- When to make dua - there is no set time and no expiry. On their anniversary, on a quiet Tuesday, in the last third of the night - the door does not close.
Dua's companion
The Other Gift That Still Reaches Them
Dua is the gift of your tongue. Sadaqah is the gift of your hand.
It is reported in Sahih Muslim that when a person dies, their deeds end except three: an ongoing charity, knowledge that benefits, and a righteous child who prays for them. Dua and charity stand together in that narration - and when Sa'd ibn Ubadah asked the Prophet ﷺ what he could still do for his mother, the answer was charity: he dug a well and said, "This is for Umm Sa'd" (reported in Sunan Abi Dawud).
Water in a loved one's name, or the care of an orphan - given today, working tomorrow, reward written for them by Allah's permission. Aid For Mankind's Gaza water plant is already running: water given in their name flows today.
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In their name
Their kindness. Continued.
When Sa'd ibn Ubadah lost his mother, he asked the Prophet ﷺ what he could still do for her - and dug a well in her name (reported in Sunan Abi Dawud). Fourteen centuries later, families still do the same.
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Their giftWater · Gaza
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A day of clean water, in their name
Your gift£10
Gift Aid from HMRC (+25%)+£2.50
Total impact£12.50
♥Add their name above and this gift will be given on their behalf.
Your gift is given in their name - a place where their kindness lives on.
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Common questions
Dua for the Deceased - Your Questions Answered
Does dua actually reach the deceased?
Yes, by Allah's permission. The narration reported in Sahih Muslim names "a righteous child who prays for them" among what continues to benefit a person after death, and asking forgiveness for the deceased is established throughout the Qur'an and Sunnah - the janazah prayer itself is, at its heart, a dua for the one who died.
Can I make dua in English?
Yes. Outside the formal prayer, dua in any language is heard. "O Allah, forgive her and have mercy on her" is a complete dua. Sincerity is the condition, not Arabic.
What is the best dua for deceased parents?
The Qur'an gives it: "Rabbi irhamhuma kama rabbayani saghira" - "My Lord, have mercy on them both as they raised me when I was small" (17:24). Alongside it, asking forgiveness for them and giving charity in their name are both named among the dutifulness that continues after their death.
Is there a set time or number of days for dua?
No expiry and no set schedule. Dua is accepted at any time; some moments are reported as especially blessed - the last third of the night, between the adhan and iqamah, and within the prayer. Practice around gathering on set days varies between communities, and the door of private dua never closes.
Can I make dua for a non-Muslim who has died?
This is a question the scholars discuss in detail, and the answer depends on circumstances. Kindness to their family, honouring their memory, and charity on behalf of the living are open to everyone. For the specifics of dua, speak to a scholar you trust rather than settling it from a webpage.
What else reaches the deceased besides dua?
Ongoing charity given in their name is the most firmly established - the narration in Sahih Muslim pairs it with the prayers of a righteous child. Water, a well, the care of an orphan: gifts that keep working keep rewarding, by Allah's permission.
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