The loss of a family member is a difficult challenge to overcome. However, one can overcome this situation by doing the following:

A: Having patience: Patience is mans’ greatest friend in life.[1] Patience in the face of calamities is one type of patience.[2] The ahadith speak of a great reward for patience in such situations. To pay attention to its results and rewards which are mentioned in the Quran and ahadith is one of the ways to overcome a loss. We will mention some of these Quranic verses and ahadith below:

1- In the Quran, God says: “Peace be to you, for your patience." How excellent is the reward of the [ultimate] abode!”[3] “We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits; and give good news to the patient. Those who, when an affliction visits them, say," Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return. It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy, and it is they who are the [rightly] guided”[4]

2- Imam Ali says “Having patience when calamities strike stems from one’s wisdom.”[5]

“Amongst the treasures of belief is having patience when calamities befall one.”[6] “Having patience at the time of catastrophes elevates one to lofty spiritual levels.”[7]

B: We must understand that death will take place for all of us: “Every soul shall taste death. Then you shall be brought back to us.”[8] Because all creatures are manifestations of Go Godl’s existence and attributes and they have come from him, they will all go back to him “Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return.”[9]

One of the results of having belief in God is that when catastrophes strike, a believer reminds himself of the abovementioned verse. The better and deeper one understands the truth mentioned in the verse, the easier he will be able to overcome such issues.

C: The ahadith have mentioned certain acts to be carried out for the dead. Some of them are wajib and some are mustahab. We will mention some examples of these ahadith below:

First: Paying charity; A man from the tribe of Bani Saedah came to the Prophet after his mother passed away and said: “My mother passed away during my absence. If I pay charity on behalf of her, will her soul be rewarded?” The Prophet replied: “Yes.”[10]

Second: Reciting Quran; The Prophet stated: “Whoever passes by a graveyard and recites surah Ikhlas eleven times and sends the reward for the dead, he will be rewarded by the number of people that are buried there.”[11]

Third: Doing good deeds; Imam Sadiq said: “The reward of charity, supplicating and good deeds will reach the dead as well as the one who carried them out.”[12] “Whenever a Muslim does good deeds on behalf of the dead, God will multiply his reward and also give the dead the reward of the good deed.”[13]

Fourth: Performing Wahshat prayer; It is mustahab to pray two raka’ats on the first night of burial.[14] The details of this prayer are mentioned in the law books of the maraji’.[15] Therefore, it is musthab to perform this prayer only on the first night and not all nights. For the other nights, one may perform other acts for his mother to send her the reward and make her soul calm and happy in the other world.

For further information about acts that may be carried out for the dead, refer to the following answers

1- The khums of the wealth of a deceased person, Question 3542 (site: 3870).

2- Making up for missed prayers and fasts of one’s mother and father, Question 20034 (site: 19325).