What is the ruling on dedicating the reward of reciting the Qur'an to the soul of a deceased person, and how do we address the statement of those from among the people of the Sunnah who said it is permissible?

The questioner : May Allah preserve you and protect you. What is the ruling on dedicating the reward of reciting the Qur'an to the soul of a deceased person?

The Shaykh : Okay.

The questioner : And how do we address the statement of those from among the people of the Sunnah who said it is permissible?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is an important and good question. If we recite the Qur'an with the intention that its reward is for a specific deceased person, does he benefit from it or not? That is one point. And how do we answer those who say that it benefits him?
Answer: First, my brothers, you know that when a person dies, his deeds are cut off. When the deceased person dies, his deeds are cut off. Therefore, it is obligatory for us to seize the time before death comes to us and to work. Finish, man. This is one point.
Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Or a righteous son who recites the Qur'an for him, or a righteous son who performs 'Umrah for him, or a righteous son who performs Hajj on his behalf, or a righteous son who fasts on his behalf?" He did not say any of this. He said: Even though the context of the hadith is about what? It is about the deeds from which the deceased benefits. And he did not mention this. And by Allah, then by Allah, then by Allah, I do not find anyone, nor do I know of anyone, who is more beneficial to creation than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If the deed for the deceased were better than supplication for the deceased, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have indicated that. Why do we ignore this reality?
So, if someone says: "Which is better, that I supplicate for my father and mother, or that I perform 'Umrah for them?" I perform 'Umrah for them. Which is better? Supplication, my brothers. Let us not go far. Is supplication clear? That is one point. So, what is required of us regarding our deceased is to supplicate for them. But the Sunnah came with the permissibility of certain things for the deceased, such as charity. This is in what was narrated from Sa'd ibn Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him that his mother had died and that he had a date palm grove that bore fruit. He asked: "Shall I give charity from it on her behalf?" He said: . He said: . And a man came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, my mother died suddenly, and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity. Shall I give charity on her behalf?" He said: . The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved charity. But did he say: "O people, give charity on behalf of your deceased?" He did not say that. And there is a difference between charity for the deceased being a recommended practice (sunnah) and it being merely permissible. So the Messenger did not deny it, but he did not command it. What did the Messenger guide to? He guided to what? To supplication. That is one point.
Reciting the Qur'an. The scholars differed on whether it reaches the deceased or not. And I tell you that reciting the Qur'an for a fee definitely does not reach the deceased. I mean, if we bring a reciter and say, "Come, recite a complete recitation (khatmah)," and he says, "How much will you give me?" and we say, "Twenty riyals." Does he agree or not? Yes. We don't know, but in any case, he says, "No, that is too little. Okay, thirty." And we go with him up to one hundred riyals. He agrees to one hundred riyals. He agreed to one hundred riyals. Does this reciter have any reward? No, he has no reward. The reciter has hastened his reward with what? With the one hundred riyals he mentioned. So, if he has no reward, does the deceased benefit from this? Answer, people. No, he does not benefit.
And I complain to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I complain to Allah of the ignorance of many of our Muslim brothers. When a person dies, they set up a tent, chairs, and lights, and reciters who read. And reciters who read for how much? For one thousand riyals. And where does the one thousand riyals come from? From the deceased's estate. And perhaps there are orphans in the deceased's estate, and they eat the money of these orphans. Because the deceased, people, from the day his soul departs, his wealth transfers to his heirs. Subhan Allah! Before he is even washed. His wealth transfers to the heirs, but the debt and the bequest are given priority. - Pay attention, man -. So, we lose money on his recitation, we do not gain reward, and the deceased does not benefit from it.
Another type of recitation is when a person volunteers to recite with the intention that the reward of the recitation is for his parents. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on this. Some scholars denied it and said: "It is not possible for anything of that to reach the deceased, because what came in the Sunnah is only financial deeds, which is charity. Non-financial deeds do not benefit, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: . But since the Sunnah came with the permissibility of charity, we restrict ourselves to what came only, and the rest is not valid.
And some scholars said that what came in the Sunnah are specific cases, and we do not know if someone had recited and dedicated the reward of the recitation to the deceased and asked the Messenger, we do not know if he would have prevented it or not? And specific cases do not necessitate restriction, so physical deeds are analogized to charity. The issue is hesitant in my view. But I do not praise those people who dedicate most of their deeds to their deceased.