Acts of Salvation: Agency, Others and Prayer beyond the Grave in Islam This paper will explore the theme of salvation and the fate of "Others" through considering classical and contemporary discussions surrounding the question of whether Muslims can pray for deceased non-Muslim "Others". Answers to this question derived from the four schools of law usually cite the Qur'anic verse (9:113), holding that it explicitly closes the door on praying for non-Muslims who have died. "It is not fitting for the Prophet and the believers to pray for the forgiveness of the polytheists (mushrikin), even though they may be near kin (to them) after it has become clear to them that they are the people of Hell." Discussion on online forums suggest that this position is especially troubling to Muslims living in contemporary and pluralistic contexts, for example, converts to Islam or those aware of the good actions and exemplary lives of individual non-Muslims. The paper will therefore take into account: 1) Islamic understandings of prayers for the deceased, funerary or otherwise, whether Muslim or non-Muslim--for example, the diverse Muslim theological positions on intercession, vicarious blessings, and so oni 2) Various positions articulated in the Islamic tradition about this issue, derived from classical tafsirs through to certain contemporary Muslim discussions. 3) Whether diverse Muslim understandings of the afterlife allow reinterpretations or reframings of this discussion, in particular in light of a movement from fiqh to theologyi Could a historical/critical approach to the cause for the revelation of 9:113 in terms of terminology, such as the use of "mushrikun", or in the light of contravening evidence from the Sunna (the case of the Negus of Ethiopia) open a possibility for reconsidering the classical rulingse