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Fatwa CenterReciting Al-Faatihah for the dead
Question
It is customary in our country on hearing the news of someone death, to say "Al-Fatihah", that is in addition to reciting "Innaalilaahi wa innaa ilaihi roji'un". This is to done to implore whoever is receiving the news to recite Surat AlFatihah and to ask Allah to give rewards of the recitation to dead person. Is this a sunnah of the Prophet?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
We are not aware of any evidence in the Sunnah that proves the recitation of chapter Al-Faatihah particularly and offering its reward to a dead person.
As for reciting Quran and offering its reward to the dead person and the reward of other good deeds, then this is allowed according to the preponderant opinion of the scholars 
. For more details, refer to Fatwa 84122.
However, a religiously valid action sometimes turns into an innovation due to some matter, such as reciting a specific chapter of the Quran at a specific time or reciting it in a gathering and the like, which makes people think that it is a form of Sunnah. Hence, they believe that practicing it in such a manner is confirmed in the Sunnah while it is not, and this belief in itself is an innovation.
As for the saying “Innaa lillaahi wa-innaa ilayhi raaji’oon". (To Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return.), it is religiously valid to say this at the time of calamity. Allaah says (what means): {And give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allaah, and indeed to Him we will return.”} [Quran 2:156]
Allaah Knows best.
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