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Fatwa CenterPraying for a Christian to come to Islam
Question
Can I pray for my Christian friend that Allah should have Mercy on him and should show him the righteous path of Islam?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
If your friend is still alive you can ask Allah to bless him since he is alive and hence there is hope that he becomes Muslim. Ibn Mas'ood may Allah be pleased with him, says in this respect: "As if I saw the prophet talking about the prophet whose nation had beaten him and caused him to bleed, while he was cleaning the blood off his face and saying," O Allah forgive my nation they have no knowledge."(Al-Bukhari)
Al-Qurtubi said: "this means that seeking forgiveness for living people is lawful because there is hope that they believe and talking to them is a good way might make them attracted to the religion." Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "they used to ask forgiveness for their dead non-Muslim parents. But when the verse: "It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allâh's Forgiveness for the Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief)," (9:113) was revealed they refrained from doing so. Nevertheless Allah did not forbid them to ask forgiveness for the living non-Muslims until they die.
Moreover, it is lawful to ask Allah to guide him. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) sought guidance for the tribe of Daws who were polytheists; he said: "O! Allah bestow your guidance for the tribe of Daws and bring them forward." (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) also asked for forgiveness Abu Hurairah's mother who was a disbeliver who used to insult the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam),he (the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam)) said: "O! Allah, guide the mother of Abu Hurairah." (Muslim)
But if your friend is now dead, it is unlawful for you to ask forgiveness or blessing for him.
This is so because if he dies while still non-Muslim, then he is among the denizens of the hell. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said "Prophet Ibrahim kept seeking forgiveness for his father until the latter died. But when it became clear to him Ibrahim that he (his father) is an enemy to Allah, he dissociated himself from him".
Allah knows best.
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