Is it permissible to dedicate the reward of reciting the Qur'an to a deceased person?
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The questioner : Does reciting the Qur'an fall under this? There are people who recite the entire Qur'an and then dedicate it to a deceased relative.
The Shaykh : Yes, reciting the Qur'an falls under this, because the Qur'an contains a great reward.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For every letter, there are ten good deeds. However, this does not include what some people do, which is hiring a reciter to read the Qur'an for the deceased.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is an innovation (bid'ah), and there is no reward in it, neither for the reciter nor for the deceased. This is because the reciter reads only for worldly gain, for money. And any righteous deed intended for the world does not bring one closer to Allah, nor is there any reward for it with Allah. Consequently, this act—meaning hiring a person to read the Qur'an for the soul of the deceased—is a wasted act, containing nothing but the squandering of the heirs' money. So let one beware of it, for it is an innovation and an evil.
The questioner : The sister questioner has another question, but I believe the answer to the first question included the answer to it, which is her question about the permissibility of performing the lesser pilgrimage ('Umrah) on behalf of her deceased father.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, reciting the Qur'an falls under this, because the Qur'an contains a great reward.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For every letter, there are ten good deeds. However, this does not include what some people do, which is hiring a reciter to read the Qur'an for the deceased.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is an innovation (bid'ah), and there is no reward in it, neither for the reciter nor for the deceased. This is because the reciter reads only for worldly gain, for money. And any righteous deed intended for the world does not bring one closer to Allah, nor is there any reward for it with Allah. Consequently, this act—meaning hiring a person to read the Qur'an for the soul of the deceased—is a wasted act, containing nothing but the squandering of the heirs' money. So let one beware of it, for it is an innovation and an evil.
The questioner : The sister questioner has another question, but I believe the answer to the first question included the answer to it, which is her question about the permissibility of performing the lesser pilgrimage ('Umrah) on behalf of her deceased father.
The Shaykh : Yes.