Seeking Forgiveness for Past Wrongs: A Guide to Huquq al-Ibad

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What to Do When You've Wronged Others and They've Passed Away

What to Do When You’ve Wronged Others and They’ve Passed Away

Question: If someone has greatly neglected the rights of others and those they wronged have passed away, what should they do? It seems there is no way to seek forgiveness from them. They are very distressed. Additionally, can Allah, the Most High, forgive the rights of others, or must forgiveness be sought from the people themselves?

Answer: The matter of the rights of others (huquq al-ibad) is extremely important, and Muslims should be very cautious in this regard because life is unpredictable, and death can come at any time, leaving the sin of injustice unresolved, as in the situation described.

In this case, the person should first turn to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and sincerely repent to Him, resolving not to commit any further injustices.

If the matter involves financial rights, the deceased’s wealth should be returned to their heirs. If there are no heirs, the wealth should be given in charity on behalf of the deceased. If the matter does not involve financial rights but rather verbal or physical harm, the person should frequently seek forgiveness for the deceased and continue to do so for the rest of their life. This act of seeking forgiveness may benefit the deceased.

Ideally, forgiveness should have been sought when the wronged person was alive, but since that opportunity has passed, the door to seeking forgiveness from the deceased is closed. The only hope now is to make abundant supplications for the deceased and to refrain from committing further injustices.