Question : A question was asked regarding the benefits over reciting the Qur’an on behalf of the dead person.

Fatwa in Brief: Reciting the Qur’an with the intention of sending its reward to the dead person is not permitted; this practice is not supported by any [authoritative] text.

The Permanent Committee, 9/47-49

Response:

According to the majority of scholars, a dead person benefits from the Qur’an being recited on his/her behalf. This is the consensus of Muslim scholars. Hence, in every era and place, people have gathered to recite the Qur’an over, and send it reward to, their dead. Previously this has never met with disapproval.

Commentary:

The majority of the People of Knowledge believe that the benefits of charitable acts and prayers (du‘a) will reach a dead person. They disagree, however, on whether other voluntary acts, such as fasting, reciting the Qur’an over them, and other such things, will also benefit the deceased. According to the majority, a dead person benefits from both acts [fasting and Qur’anic recitation on their behalf]. Some of them, however, forbid this on the grounds of the following hadith: “If a son of Adam dies, all his works (‘amalu) cease, except for three of them: an ongoing act of charity, his knowledge [that he has left to the community], or a righteous child who prays to God for him [i.e. the deceased]”. The Prophet (upon him be peace) remarked: “all his works cease except for three”, and he did not say that he [the deceased] can no longer receive benefit from someone else’s works. If someone calls God for him, this is not his work. He nevertheless benefits from it; and reciting the Qur’an on behalf of another falls under the same ruling.

In response to those who do not think that reading can reach [and thus benefit] the dead, if he [the reader] concludes his recitation by saying “may God give the reward of this reading to such and such person”, this guarantees the effectiveness of the act. Thus stated, this is a matter of du‘a’.

The hadiths show that reciting the Qur’an in the presence of a dead body benefits the deceased, whether or not this is the intention of the reader. This is because when the Qur’an is read, especially in a gathering, angels descend around the readers, and [God’s] mercy is brought forth. Indeed, this is not dependent upon reading in a gathering; such benefits also arrive when an individual reads. Hence, in the collections of Muslim and al-Bukhari, there is a hadith attributed to ‘Asid ibn Hadr in which, having reading the Qur’an (in the company of only his son and horse), ‘Asid says to the Prophet (upon him be peace) that “a cloud seemed to descend over my head, as if there existed around me a canopy of lights”. The Prophet (upon him be peace) replied to ‘Asid: “these were angels who drew near to hear you [while you were reading]. Had you continued to recite, people would have seen them in the morning, and they would have been seen by everyone”.

In a hadith included by Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal], Abu Dawud, al-Nisa’i (the utterance is his), Ibn Majah, Ibn Haban and al-Hakim (the latter two consider it sahih), the Qur’anic chapter of Yassin is to be narrated over the dead. Here, the Prophet (upon him be peace) is reported to say: “Ya-Sin is the heart of the Qur’an. The one who recites it solely for God’s Sake, his sins will be forgiven. Read it on behalf of your dead”.

There is no harm in reciting the Qur’an at the grave. In a hadith attributed to Ahmad, it is said that: “on approaching graves, [the Muslim should] recite the verse of al-Kursi [Q. 2: 255]. Then, s/he should say the Sura of Ikhlas (Qul huwa allahu ahad), and do so on behalf of the people in the grave [that s/he is visiting]. Indeed, Muslims in every time and place have gathered to recite the Qur’an, and send its rewards to their dead, without any disapproval being voiced. And because of the sound hadith (sahih) of the Prophet (upon him be peace): “Verily the dead are punished in their graves by the wailing of their family over them”. And God is too generous to send the punishment of sin (ma‘siya) to one [that has died], and to stop the reward for him.[1]

Also, al-Abi said, while reciting on behalf of the dead is a matter of disagreement, we should not disallow it. Rather, we should continue, and perhaps the correct opinion will emerge. These matters are not known to us. The disagreement does not hinge on a legal technicality, but, rather, on whether something happens or does not [i.e. do one’s prayers over the deceased reach God?]. In this sense, reading over the dead is never a bad thing. For, even if these prayers do not reach the dead, they benefit the reader. Thus, [at least] one of them always benefits from this; while, at the same time, no harm is caused to anyone. We always hope, of course, that God does bless the dead person through our prayers. This hope underpins the practices of asking Muhammad (upon him be peace) for relief from torment in the grave (shafa‘), and praying supplementary prayers (du‘), and so on.

In the Fatwa Centre, under the Supervision of Dr. ‘Abdullah al-Faqih:

According to Shaykh Ibn al-‘Uthaymin, it is permitted to recite Qur’an on behalf of the dead. The Shaykh agrees that these prayers reach him (the deceased), and that he will benefit from one’s recitation if God wills this to be so. What is not permitted, however, is for people to gather at graves and to recite over them. Here, the Shaykh’s opinion agrees with that of the majority of the People of Knowledge and with that of Muslim researchers. On this point, see the fatwa of the Shaykh in Majmu‘ Fatawa al-‘Aqida, book II, p. 305.

And God knows best.[2]

Dr. ‘Ali Mansur