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Fatwa CenterThe deceased is not tormented for the sins of his children
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. My mom and my brother went to my dad's gravethe other day, and they found two holes just under his headstone. My brother filled two buckets of soil to to cover the holes, but it did not cover all of it. My mum asked a shaykh, and he said something like that it must be a punishment because of his children's sins. Is this true? My dad was not a bad man Allaah willing; he did his daily prayers and read the Quran; he raised his children lovingly and with care. Allaah knows best.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Such a statement is mere guessing and following of assumption because such a matter belongs to the Unseen; verily, none has knowledge of the Unseen but Allaah, The Exalted, Who says (what means): {And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.} [Quran 53:28]
He also says (what means): {Say, “None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allaah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.”} [Quran 27:65]
Hence, you should simply disregard that statement. We hope that your father is in rest and provision and in Gardens of Delight where Allaah is pleased with him.
We do not believe that any scholar who has knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah would say such a thing while Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {...no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another...} [Quran 5:164]
Many lay Muslims may assume that any devoted worshiper is knowledgeable enough to be consulted regarding religious matters, and given his lack of adequate knowledge, this worshiper may go astray and lead others astray. ʻAbdullaah ibn ʻAmr 
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, “Indeed Allaah does not take away knowledge by removing it from the (hearts of) people; rather, He takes away knowledge by taking the scholars, until there remains no scholar and the people begin to ask the ignorant leaders, so they give their verdict without knowledge. They will go astray and lead the people astray.” [Al-Bukhari]
Allaah knows best.
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