Can I give charity for my deceased parents who were not Muslims?

Giving charity is always good, but good deeds are not simply credited to a deceased person who never did them in life. The best thing children can do for parents who were not Muslims is to ask God for forgiveness and mercy for them.

This question shows a beautiful attitude. Someone who has lost their parents wants to do them good even after death. Islam honours this love, even when the parents followed another faith.

Islam also teaches that every person stands for their own life. The verse above says so clearly. Good deeds are not transferred from one account to another like money. If someone never prayed during their life, a child cannot make them a person of prayer by praying in their place. The same is true of charity given in the name of someone who did not know or want such a deed.

This does not mean the charity is wasted. Whoever gives does good, and that good counts for the giver. One should simply not imagine that it automatically becomes a merit of the parents.

What children can truly do for their deceased parents is to pray. One may ask God to forgive them and to be gracious to them, even if they were not Muslims. Whether they were Christians, Jews or without any particular religion makes no difference here. The Holy Qur’an sets a limit only for people who knowingly worshipped idols.

In the end every judgement belongs to God, who knows the hearts. A child’s sincere prayer for father and mother is the finest gift they can give them.