Tarahhum (invoking mercy upon the dead and the righteous)

Tarahhum is asking for mercy and invoking it. Invoking mercy upon one's parents, living or dead, and upon the righteous is recommended by agreement. The sources differ on invoking mercy upon the Prophet inside and outside prayer and on the formula for the Companions and for those who came after them. ^{1 2}

Mercy in the language is tenderness, compassion and forgiveness; tarahhum is asking for it and invoking it. ¹

• Tarada: asking for pleasure and invoking acceptance; tarahhum is invoking mercy. ¹
• Tabrik: invoking blessing, which agrees with tarahhum in being an invocation. ¹

There is no dispute that invoking mercy upon parents, living or dead, upon those who came after the Companions, the scholars, the devout, and all the righteous, is recommended. ¹

The testimony in the sitting of prayer includes greeting him with peace, mercy and blessings. Outside the sitting, the Hanafis, some Malikis and some Shafi'is recommend adding a request for mercy upon him and his family to the blessing in prayer, citing hadiths weak in their chains that support one another. Most jurists keep to the form of the blessing, and some count the addition an innovation. ^{2 3} For the closing greeting of prayer, the Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that the fullest form is "peace and mercy of God be upon you", to the right and left. The Hanbalis in the accepted view do not allow only "peace upon you". ³ Outside prayer, the jurists differ. Some forbid it altogether, some allow it, and some separate: mentioning mercy alone is forbidden, while mentioning it attached to the blessing is allowed. ^{3 4 7}

Some jurists hold that one invokes pleasure upon the Companions and mercy upon those after them; others allow the reverse, and hold that pleasure and mercy may be invoked upon all the righteous, as al-Nawawi held and most scholars accepted. ^{7 5}

Mercy may be invoked upon parents if they are believers, and not if they are unbelievers, as the verse of surah al-Tawba (9:113) states. The better greeting among Muslims is "peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you", and the reply is the same. ⁵

Asking forgiveness for an unbeliever after his death is forbidden, by the agreement of Muslims. In his life one may ask for him guidance and health. Most jurists forbid starting a greeting to Jews and Christians. ^{5 6} A transmitter and copyist of hadith should keep writing and saying the invocations of pleasure and mercy. ⁶