What is the ruling on gifting land to a person on the condition that he recites the Qur'an for him and intends the reward for him, and how should the recipient act if he is unable to do so?

The questioner : There is a piece of land belonging to a man who is said to have taken it from someone who told him: "If you wish to take this land as your property, you must recite one part of the Qur'an every day after the Fajr prayer." This man took the land under that condition. Now, this person wants to hand over this land because he is unable to continue the recitation due to his advanced age, and his sons do not recite the Qur'an. He fears that he may die or that something bad may happen to him because of leaving the land with his sons. He asks: How should he deal with this land, since everyone around him has refused to take it because of the recitation condition? How should he dispose of it? And what is the ruling on taking and owning it with that price, which is the recitation?

The Shaykh : This formulation has two aspects. If the owner of the land intended to make it a wage for whoever recites this amount for him every day, then this wage is not valid, because recitation is among the acts of devotion, and it is not permissible to take a wage for acts of devotion. If the owner of the land has endowed it for whoever recites one part every day, then he has endowed it for the reciters, so whoever is not a reciter does not deserve anything from it. In both cases, it is necessary that he hand it over to the Shari'ah court, which will take charge of its affairs. And success is from Allah.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.