That the mother of Sa`d bin Ubada the brother of Bani Saida died in Sa`d's absence, so he came to the Prophet saying, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! My mother died in my absence, will it benefit her if I give in charity on her behalf?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes." Sa`d said, "I take you as my witness that I give my garden Al-Makhraf in charity on her behalf."
Hadith Text
That the mother of Sa`d bin Ubada the brother of Bani Saida died in Sa`d's absence, so he came to the Prophet saying, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! My mother died in my absence, will it benefit her if I give in charity on her behalf?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes." Sa`d said, "I take you as my witness that I give my garden Al-Makhraf in charity on her behalf."
Source Reference
Book: Wills and Testaments (Wasaayaa)
Author: Sahih al-Bukhari
Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 2762
Scholarly Commentary
This noble hadith establishes the permissibility and virtue of performing charitable acts on behalf of deceased Muslims. The Prophet's affirmative response demonstrates that the reward of such charity reaches the deceased and benefits them in their afterlife.
The immediate action of Sa'd bin Ubada - donating his valuable garden called Al-Makhraf - illustrates the Companions' swift implementation of prophetic guidance and their generosity in seeking reward for their deceased loved ones.
Scholars derive from this hadith that charity given on behalf of the dead, whether by their children or others, benefits the deceased through the transfer of reward (isal al-thawab). This includes various forms of charity: feeding the poor, building mosques, digging wells, and other continuous charities (sadaqah jariyah).
The hadith also emphasizes the importance of having witnesses for significant charitable endowments, as Sa'd took the Prophet as his witness to formalize this act of devotion for his mother's benefit in the hereafter.