Do Parents Pray for Their Children After Death? Islamic Perspective

The Relationship Between Parents and Children in the Afterlife: A Closer Look

Question: I heard that when parents pass away, the good deeds done by their children cause Allah to elevate the parents’ status in the afterlife. The parents ask how their status was elevated, and Allah informs them that it was due to the good deeds of their children, and then the parents pray for their children. Is it true that after parents die, they pray for their children when they do good deeds, and can this happen after death?  

Answer: The way you have heard and described it is not found in Hadith. However, it is mentioned in Hadith as follows:  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "A man's status will be raised in Jannah, and he will ask how it came to be. He will be told: 'It is because of your child’s seeking forgiveness for you.'" (Sunan Ibn Majah: 3660)  

This implies that the status of parents is elevated through the prayers and seeking of forgiveness by their children, not through every good deed performed by the children. Moreover, it is not established from the Hadith that parents pray for their children after death. This belief is incorrect and baseless.  

Furthermore, parents also receive the reward for the good deeds for which they provided specific training and guidance. Therefore, parents are rewarded only for those good deeds of their children that they instilled, not for every good deed.