I read the Qur'an and dedicate it to our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), then to the parents, then to the deceased Muslims. Is this practice correct?
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The questioner : I read the Qur'an and dedicate it to our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then to the parents and the deceased Muslims. Is this practice correct? Please guide us. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : As for dedicating it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is a religious innovation (bid'ah), because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who loved the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) more intensely than we do, did not do this. Also, it is foolishness on the part of the doer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in no need of his work. Any good deed performed by any member of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) Ummah is equivalent to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has, without having to dedicate its reward to the Messenger. This is because whoever guides to good is like the one who does it, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who guided his Ummah to good. As for the parents and the Muslims, while this is a permissible (ja'iz) act, it is better to make du'a' for one's parents and for the believers. The evidence for this is from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Allah the Exalted said in His Noble Book:[Al-Hashr 59:10] Thus, Allah described those who came after them as making du'a' for them, meaning for those who preceded them. He did not describe them as performing good deeds and dedicating their reward to them. This is following those who came before with excellence, which brings about the pleasure of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as Allah the Exalted said: [At-Tawbah 9:100] As for the Sunnah regarding the parents, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1376Sahih (Darussalam) meaning that he should establish it himself before he dies, such as mosques, waterways, and the like. Sahih Muslim 1631 He did not say: "or a righteous son who prays for him, or reads the Qur'an for him, or fasts for him, or gives charity for him." The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed over all of these and instead said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1376Sahih (Darussalam) There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not guide us except to what is best for us. If our acts of worship, which we perform for Allah and dedicate to our parents, were better than making du'a' for them, the Adviser and Trustworthy one, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), would have made that clear. Therefore, we say to the brother, the questioner: It is more befitting, better, and preferable for you to dedicate the reward of good deeds to yourself and not dedicate them to anyone. For any Muslim or relative you love, make du'a' to Allah for them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : As for dedicating it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is a religious innovation (bid'ah), because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who loved the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) more intensely than we do, did not do this. Also, it is foolishness on the part of the doer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in no need of his work. Any good deed performed by any member of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) Ummah is equivalent to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has, without having to dedicate its reward to the Messenger. This is because whoever guides to good is like the one who does it, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who guided his Ummah to good. As for the parents and the Muslims, while this is a permissible (ja'iz) act, it is better to make du'a' for one's parents and for the believers. The evidence for this is from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Allah the Exalted said in His Noble Book:
And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful."
وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالإِيمَانِ وَلا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌAnd the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُWhen a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: Continuing charity
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث: صدقة جاريةrecurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious child, who prays for him
صدقة جارية، أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو لهa righteous son who supplicates for him
ولد صالح يدعو لهThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.