Reciting over the Dead
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Q: Some people among us recite the Qur'an over the dead and take a fee for it. Do the dead benefit from it in any way? And when one of them dies, they recite the Qur'an for three days, slaughter animals, and prepare feasts. Is this part of the Shari'ah?
A: Reciting over the dead is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and taking a fee for it is not permissible, because nothing indicating this has come in the pure Shari'ah. Acts of worship are based on specific evidence, and nothing is permissible in them except what Allah has prescribed, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718a It is agreed upon as authentic.
Likewise, slaughtering animals and preparing food for the sake of the deceased is all a blameworthy religious innovation (bid'ah) that is not permissible, whether it is done for one day or several days, because the pure Shari'ah has not come with this. Rather, it is from the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), as it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 934 And he said: Sahih Muslim 934 Narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: "We used to consider gathering at the home of the deceased and preparing food after his burial to be part of wailing (niyahah)." Narrated by Imam Ahmad with a good chain of narration.
It was not the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor the practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that when a person died, they would recite the Qur'an for him or over him, or slaughter animals, or hold mourning gatherings, foods, and parties. All of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Therefore, it is obligatory to be cautious of it and to warn people against it. And it is specifically incumbent upon the scholars to forbid people from what Allah has forbidden them, and to restrain the ignorant and the foolish until they are straight on the right path that Allah has prescribed for His servants. By that, conditions and societies will be rectified, the rule of Islam will manifest, and the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) will disappear. What is prescribed (mashru') is that food be made for the family of the deceased and sent to them by their neighbors or relatives, because when the news of the death of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said to his family:Sunan Ibn Majah 1610Hasan (Darussalam) Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the people of the Sunan with an authentic chain of narration.
And I ask Allah for guidance and success for us and for all Muslims, for He is Generous and Bountiful.
A: Reciting over the dead is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and taking a fee for it is not permissible, because nothing indicating this has come in the pure Shari'ah. Acts of worship are based on specific evidence, and nothing is permissible in them except what Allah has prescribed, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردLikewise, slaughtering animals and preparing food for the sake of the deceased is all a blameworthy religious innovation (bid'ah) that is not permissible, whether it is done for one day or several days, because the pure Shari'ah has not come with this. Rather, it is from the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), as it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Among my people there are four characteristics belonging to pre-Islamic period which they do not abandon: boasting of high rank, reviling other peoples' genealogies, seeking rain by stars, and walling.
أربع في أمتي من أمر الجاهلية: لا يتركونهن الفخر في الأحساب، والطعن في الأنساب، والاستسقاء بالنجوم، والنياحةIf the wailing woman does not repent before she dies, she will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of pitch and a chemise of mange.
النائحة إذا لم تتب قبل موتها تقام يوم القيامة وعليها سربال من قطران ودرع من جربAnd from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: "We used to consider gathering at the home of the deceased and preparing food after his burial to be part of wailing (niyahah)." Narrated by Imam Ahmad with a good chain of narration.
It was not the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor the practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that when a person died, they would recite the Qur'an for him or over him, or slaughter animals, or hold mourning gatherings, foods, and parties. All of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Therefore, it is obligatory to be cautious of it and to warn people against it. And it is specifically incumbent upon the scholars to forbid people from what Allah has forbidden them, and to restrain the ignorant and the foolish until they are straight on the right path that Allah has prescribed for His servants. By that, conditions and societies will be rectified, the rule of Islam will manifest, and the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) will disappear. What is prescribed (mashru') is that food be made for the family of the deceased and sent to them by their neighbors or relatives, because when the news of the death of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said to his family:
Prepare food for the family of Ja’far, for there has come to them that which is keeping them busy
اصنعوا لآل جعفر طعاما فقد أتاهم ما يشغلهمAnd I ask Allah for guidance and success for us and for all Muslims, for He is Generous and Bountiful.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.