Supplicating for Forgiveness for a Mushrik

Question

There was a man, ‘Abd al-Hayy, who was engaged in acts of shirk, also held beliefs of shirk, and drew others into shirk as well; he called the noble Prophet ﷺ present everywhere and all-seeing, made and had others make nadhr and niyaz (vows and votive food offerings made in the name of saints) to other than Allah, and called the elders of the Umma unbelievers. Now he has died. I call him a mushrik and do not make any supplication for forgiveness or the like for him.

Answer

Supplicating for forgiveness for one who died in a state of shirk is impermissible. However, passing the ruling that a certain person died a mushrik is also no easy matter. In any case, even for one on whom the ruling of shirk is not passed, supplicating for forgiveness is not obligatory; silence is what is most fitting.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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