It Is Not the Charity Itself That Reaches the Deceased, but Its Reward

Question

Hazrat Thanawi ﵀ said in his sermon “Tariq al-Qalandar”: those who lay flowers and garlands [on a grave] cannot escape one of two cases — either it reaches the deceased or it does not. If it does not reach him, the act is futile; and if it does reach him, then obviously, compared with the flowers of Paradise which the shaykh has obtained, these worldly flowers of yours are like fragrant perfume oil at four annas (a coin worth 1/16 of a rupee) a tola (a unit of weight, ≈ 11.66 g)

Answer

The answer is obvious: it is not our belief at all that this charity reaches them in itself; rather, the belief is that its reward reaches them in the form of the bounties of Paradise. Yes, those who, even after going there, demand husked black gram lentils, soda water and the like, and leave a bequest that fatiha be read over the dishes they naturally relished — against them…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.