Can We Pray for Someone Who Showed Faith but Had Doubts Due to Illness?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is it permissible to believe someone who showed signs of faith but expressed occasional doubts due to illness died as a Muslim and to pray for their forgiveness and hope for their place in Janna?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Unless they expressed a clear rejection of an integral tenet of faith such that it would be impossible to interpret what they meant in a good light, they are legally considered to have died as a Muslim, and all the rulings that would apply to a Muslim, apply to them. [Bayjuri, Sharh al-Jawhara]

In such a case, they would be washed, shrouded, prayed over, and buried as Muslims. It is permissible to pray for their forgiveness and hope for their place in Jenna.

Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies in Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen. There he completed the memorization of the Qur’an and his study of the Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz, al-Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, al-Shaykh Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others. Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.