What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your view, regarding a discussion that took place between me and another person concerning the recitation of the Qur'an and the abundance of supplication after the death of a Muslim, and this person said to me
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The questioner : What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your view, regarding a discussion that took place between me and another person concerning the recitation of the Qur'an and the abundance of supplication after the death of a Muslim, and this person said to me that this is a religious innovation? I ask you to inform us, O honorable Shaykh, so that I may cut off the doubt and confusion from my mind?
The Shaykh : Reciting the Qur'an in times of calamity, if it is a collective recitation where people gather to read the Qur'an or bring a reader they hire to recite the Qur'an, then this is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance.
As for when a person is struck by a calamity, whether it is death or something other than death, and he takes the Book of Allah to read it to calm his grief, then there is nothing wrong with that and no blame on him. It is mentioned that one of the scholars had an adult son who was devoted to seeking knowledge. When they took him out to bury him and the gathering was large, one of the attendees stood up and said in a loud voice:[Yusuf 12:78] The people burst into crying. Then the father of the deceased, who was one of the scholars of the Hanbali school, namely Ali ibn Aqil (may Allah have mercy on him), stood up and said: "O this one, the Qur'an was only revealed to remove griefs, not to agitate souls" meaning that this man's words agitated the people, made them cry, and saddened them, whereas the Qur'an was only revealed to remove griefs and to provide consolation regarding what else.
The summary is that reciting the Qur'an in times of calamity, if it is collective as is done in some Islamic lands upon the death of a person, then it is a religious innovation that is forbidden and must be eradicated. But if it is individual, such as the stricken man standing up to recite the words of Allah the Exalted to console himself in this calamity, then there is nothing wrong with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the one struck by the death of someone or otherwise to say:Sahih Muslim 918a So the stricken one says: "Indeed to Allah we belong and to Him we return. O Allah, reward me in my calamity and replace for me something better than it." And if he does that, Allah will reward him for his calamity and replace for him something better than it.
The Shaykh : Reciting the Qur'an in times of calamity, if it is a collective recitation where people gather to read the Qur'an or bring a reader they hire to recite the Qur'an, then this is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance.
As for when a person is struck by a calamity, whether it is death or something other than death, and he takes the Book of Allah to read it to calm his grief, then there is nothing wrong with that and no blame on him. It is mentioned that one of the scholars had an adult son who was devoted to seeking knowledge. When they took him out to bury him and the gathering was large, one of the attendees stood up and said in a loud voice:
They said, "O 'Azeez, indeed he has a father [who is] an old man, so take one of us in place of him. Indeed, we see you as a doer of good."
يا أيها العزيز إن له أباً شيخاً كبيراً فخذ أحدنا مكانه إنا نراك من المحسنينThe summary is that reciting the Qur'an in times of calamity, if it is collective as is done in some Islamic lands upon the death of a person, then it is a religious innovation that is forbidden and must be eradicated. But if it is individual, such as the stricken man standing up to recite the words of Allah the Exalted to console himself in this calamity, then there is nothing wrong with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the one struck by the death of someone or otherwise to say: