**إِيصَالُ ثَوَابِ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَى الْمَيِّتِ**
📖 **A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO QUR’ĀN RECITATION, ĪṢĀL AL-THAWĀB & THE SCHOLARS’ DIFFERENCE OF OPINION**
╔══════════════════════════════════════╗
✦ **AHMADTRINI** ✦
╚══════════════════════════════════════╝
❶ INTRODUCTION
The death of a Muslim brings grief to family and friends, but Islam also teaches the living to continue benefiting their deceased loved ones through **duʿāʾ, charity and other righteous deeds**.
One question frequently asked is:
**Can a Muslim recite the Qur’ān and ask Allah ﷻ to grant the reward of that recitation to someone who has died?**
Another question sometimes arises:
**Is there a special practice of completing the entire Qur’ān three days after a person's death?**
These two questions should not be confused.
The first concerns the classical juristic discussion of **Īṣāl al-Thawāb — إِيصَالُ الثَّوَابِ**, meaning conveying or gifting the reward of a righteous deed.
The second concerns whether **three days after death** has been specifically established by the Qur’ān or authentic Sunnah as a prescribed time for completing the Qur’ān.
A careful study shows that these matters require some distinction.
---
❷ WHAT DOES ĪṢĀL AL-THAWĀB MEAN?
### **إِيصَالُ الثَّوَابِ**
**Īṣāl al-Thawāb** literally refers to causing the reward of a righteous deed to reach another person.
In the terminology of the jurists, it refers to a person performing an act of worship and asking Allah ﷻ to grant its reward or benefit to another Muslim.
This may concern:
✦ Ṣadaqah — ** الصَّدَقَةُ **
✦ Duʿāʾ — ** الدُّعَاءُ **
✦ Istighfār — ** الِاسْتِغْفَارُ **
✦ Ḥajj — ** الْحَجُّ **
✦ Fasting in circumstances established by the Sharīʿah
✦ Qur’ān recitation — ** قِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ **
The important question is whether **all types of worship have the same ruling regarding the transfer of reward**.
This is where the jurists differed.
---
❸ WHAT IS ESTABLISHED WITHOUT DISPUTE?
Before discussing Qur’ān recitation specifically, it is important to begin with matters that are clearly established by authentic Sunnah.
The deceased can benefit from certain deeds performed by the living.
Among the clearest examples are **charity and duʿāʾ**.
---
# ❹ CHARITY ON BEHALF OF THE DECEASED
📜 **Narrator: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما**
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما reported that the mother of Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah رضي الله عنه died while Saʿd was away.
When he returned, he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ whether giving charity on behalf of his mother would benefit her.
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
**نَعَمْ** **“Yes.”**
Saʿd رضي الله عنه then said that he would make his garden **al-Mikhraf** charity on her behalf.
**Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2762**
**Kitāb al-Waṣāyā — The Book of Wills and Testaments**
🌿 Lesson
This is an unequivocal authentic proof that **charity performed on behalf of a deceased Muslim benefits the deceased**, by the permission of Allah ﷻ.
---
❺ ANOTHER AUTHENTIC HADĪTH CONCERNING CHARITY
📜 **Narrator: ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها**
A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about his mother who had died suddenly without leaving a will.
He asked whether she would receive a reward if he gave charity on her behalf.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
**نَعَمْ** **“Yes.”**
**Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1004**
✦ Reflection
The Sunnah therefore establishes a general principle:
**A deceased Muslim can benefit from certain righteous actions performed by the living on his or her behalf.**
The remaining question is whether this principle extends to **Qur’ān recitation**.
---
❻ THE DECEASED ALSO BENEFITS FROM DUʿĀʾ
📜 **Narrator: Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه**
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: صَدَقَةٍ
جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ
> **“When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who supplicates for him.”**
**Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1631**
🌙 Reflection
This hadīth is especially important because it demonstrates that the connection between the living and the deceased does not completely end with death.
The living can still make **duʿāʾ** for the deceased, and the deceased benefits from it by Allah's permission.
---
❼ THE QUR’ĀN AND THE DECEASED
Now we reach the central issue.
There are two separate questions:
**Question One**
Is Qur’ān recitation itself an act of worship?
**Answer: Yes.**
Allah ﷻ says:
** فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ **
**“So recite whatever is easy for you of the Qur’ān.”**
📖 ** Sūrat al-Muzzammil 73:20 **
Qur’ān recitation is therefore unquestionably a virtuous act.
**Question Two**
Can its reward be dedicated to a deceased Muslim?
**Answer: This is a matter of classical fiqh disagreement.**
This distinction is essential.
---
# ❽ THE TWO PRINCIPAL JURISTIC APPROACHES
**① THE POSITION THAT PERMITS ĪṢĀL AL-THAWĀB**
A substantial body of Sunni scholarship permits a person to recite the Qur’ān and dedicate its reward to a deceased Muslim.
This is well established in the **Ḥanafī** and **Ḥanbalī** schools, and it was also supported by a number of later scholars from the **Mālikī** and **Shāfiʿī** traditions.
Among the scholars who discussed or supported this position are:
**Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله**
**Imām Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī رحمه الله**
**Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله**
**Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله**
and numerous later jurists.
---
❾ THE POSITION OF THOSE WHO RESTRICT IT
Other scholars did not consider the reward of Qur’ān recitation itself to automatically reach the deceased.
The classical Shāfiʿī discussion is particularly important here.
The well-known position attributed to Imām al-Shāfiʿī and the earlier Shāfiʿī school is that the reward of Qur’ān recitation does not reach the deceased merely through the act of recitation.
However, later Shāfiʿī scholars discussed ways in which the deceased may benefit through **duʿāʾ** following the recitation.
Therefore, it is inaccurate to reduce the entire Shāfiʿī school to a simple statement that:
“The Shāfiʿīs reject Qur’ān recitation for the deceased.”
The actual discussion is more detailed.
---
❿ THE EVIDENCE OF YĀ-SĪN
One of the narrations frequently mentioned in this discussion is the report of **Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه**.
The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
** اقْرَؤُوا يس عَلَى مَوْتَاكُمْ **
**“ Recite Yā-Sīn over your dead. ”**
*Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 3121* *Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1448* *Musnad Aḥmad* *Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, 3002*
⚠️ * Hadīth Verification *
This narration requires qualification.
Some scholars accepted the narration, including **Ibn Ḥibbān**, who included it in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
However, other hadīth critics regarded its chain as weak or disputed.
For this reason, it should **not be presented as an undisputed authentic Prophetic proof**.
There is also a scholarly discussion over whether the expression **“your dead”** refers to people who are already deceased or those who are **approaching death**.
Therefore, this narration should be cited carefully.
---
⓫ THE REPORT OF IBN ʿUMAR رضي الله عنهما
Another important report concerns the Companion **ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما**.
It is reported that he recommended reciting the **beginning and ending portions of Sūrat al-Baqarah** at the graveside following burial.
📖 The Report
وَرَوَيْنَا فِي سُنَنِ الْبَيْهَقِيِّ بِإِسْنَادٍ حَسَنٍ أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ اسْتَحَبَّ أَنْ يُقْرَأَ
عَلَى الْقَبْرِ بَعْدَ الدَّفْنِ أَوَّلُ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ وَخَاتِمَتُهَا
**Al-Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 4/56**.
This is a mawqūf report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما. Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله described its chain as ḥasan in al-Adhkār, while Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله likewise described it as a “mawqūf ḥasan” report.
⚠️ Important distinction
This should be identified as a **report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما**, rather than confidently presented as an authentic marfūʿ statement of the Prophet ﷺ.
This is an example of why careful **takhrīj** is important in Islamic writing.
---
⓬ IBN QUDĀMAH ON GIFTING REWARD
The great Ḥanbalī jurist **Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī رحمه الله** discussed the matter in **Al-Mughnī**.
He explained the position that when a person performs an act of worship and dedicates its reward to a deceased Muslim, the deceased may benefit by Allah's permission.
**Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī**
The discussion occurs in the chapters dealing with acts whose reward is dedicated to the deceased.
His treatment represents the established Ḥanbalī approach to the issue.
---
⓭ WHY DO SCHOLARS ALLOW IT?
The scholars who permit īṣāl al-thawāb do not claim that every act reaches the deceased merely because someone performs it.
Rather, they consider several established principles.
✦ 1. CHARITY REACHES THE DECEASED
This is explicitly established by authentic hadīth.
✦ 2. ḤAJJ MAY BE PERFORMED ON BEHALF OF THE DECEASED
Authentic narrations establish this principle.
✦ 3. CERTAIN FASTS MAY BE FULFILLED FOR THE DECEASED
This is also established through authentic Sunnah in specific circumstances.
✦ 4. DUʿĀʾ BENEFITS THE DECEASED
This is explicitly established.
✦ 5. QUR’ĀN RECITATION IS A RIGHTEOUS ACT
Those who permit īṣāl al-thawāb therefore hold that Allah ﷻ may grant the reward of this worship to the deceased when the living asks Him to do so.
This is the foundation of their juristic reasoning.
---
⓮ DOES A PERSON HAVE TO SAY ANY SPECIAL FORMULA?
No particular formula is required.
A person may simply recite the Qur’ān sincerely and then make duʿāʾ.
For example:
اللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي هَذِهِ الْقِرَاءَةَ، وَاجْعَلْ ثَوَابَهَا لِفُلَانٍ، وَاغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ
**“O Allah, accept this recitation from me, grant its reward to so-and-so, forgive him and have mercy upon him.”**
The wording is not itself a Sunnah formula.
The essential matter is the person's intention and supplication to Allah ﷻ.
---
⓯ CAN THE ENTIRE QUR’ĀN BE COMPLETED?
According to the scholars who permit īṣāl al-thawāb:
** Yes. **
There is nothing inherently wrong with completing the entire Qur’ān and asking Allah ﷻ to grant its reward to a deceased Muslim.
It may be completed:
① Individually **
② By members of a family **
③ By students **
④ By a group of Muslims **
provided that the manner in which it is organized does not involve something contrary to the Sharīʿah.
---
⓰ BUT WHAT ABOUT THREE DAYS?
This is where an important correction must be made.
**There is no authentic evidence establishing the third day after death as a special Sunnah for completing the Qur’ān.**
Therefore, Muslims should distinguish between:
✔ **Completing the Qur’ān**
and
❌ **Believing that the third day is specifically prescribed for completing it.**
The first is permissible according to the scholars who permit īṣāl al-thawāb.
The second requires specific evidence.
No authentic Prophetic instruction has been established that says:
**“When someone dies, complete the Qur’ān specifically on the third day.”**
Therefore, such a practice should **not be described as an established Sunnah**.
---
# ⓱ CAN IT STILL BE DONE ON THE THIRD DAY?
Yes, provided the person does **not believe that the third day itself possesses a specially legislated status** for this purpose.
For example, if relatives happen to gather on the third day because that is when they are available, they may recite Qur’ān according to the position permitting īṣāl al-thawāb.
The problem would arise if someone claims:
**“Islam specifically prescribed a Qur’ān khatmah on the third day.”**
That claim requires evidence.
This distinction between **doing an act** and **believing a specific time is religiously prescribed** is extremely important in matters of worship.
---
# ⓲ THE HOME, MOSQUE OR GRAVESIDE
The scholars have also discussed where Qur’ān may be recited.
Those who permit recitation for the deceased generally do not restrict the act to one particular location.
It may be performed:
🏠 **At home**
🕌 **In the mosque**
📖 **At another suitable place**
and, according to scholars who permit it, **at the graveside**.
However, because the evidence concerning graveside Qur’ān recitation is itself discussed by the scholars, this should not be turned into an absolute claim of unanimous agreement.
---
⓳ WHAT IS THE SAFEST THING EVERYONE AGREES UPON?
Even though the scholars differed concerning the specific issue of gifting Qur’ān recitation, there are deeds for the deceased that are unquestionably supported by authentic evidence.
🤲 **DUʿĀʾ**
Ask Allah ﷻ to forgive and have mercy upon the deceased.
💰 **ṢADAQAH**
Give charity on the deceased's behalf.
🌳 **ṢADAQAH JĀRIYAH**
Establish an ongoing charitable project.
📚 **BENEFICIAL KNOWLEDGE**
Support beneficial Islamic knowledge in the deceased's name where appropriate.
🕋 **ḤAJJ**
Where the conditions are fulfilled, Ḥajj may be performed on behalf of a deceased person.
These matters should never be neglected regardless of which position someone follows concerning Qur’ān recitation.
---
⓴ THE BALANCED FIQH POSITION
After examining the evidence and the statements of the jurists, the matter can be summarized as follows:
**① Qur’ān recitation is unquestionably a virtuous act of worship.**
**② Duʿāʾ for the deceased is unquestionably established.**
**③ Charity on behalf of the deceased is unquestionably established through authentic Sunnah.**
**④ A substantial body of Sunni scholarship permits gifting the reward of Qur’ān recitation to the deceased.**
**⑤ This position is particularly well known within the Ḥanafī and Ḥanbalī schools.**
**⑥ Other scholars, particularly within the classical Shāfiʿī tradition, placed restrictions on the transfer of the reward of Qur’ān recitation.**
**⑦ The matter is therefore a recognized issue of fiqh disagreement.**
**⑧ The narration concerning Yā-Sīn has a disagreement over its authenticity and interpretation.**
**⑨ The report from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما should be identified as a Companion report rather than automatically presented as a Prophetic hadīth.**
**⑩ No authentic evidence establishes the third day as a specially prescribed day for completing the Qur’ān for the deceased.**
---
🌿 A MESSAGE OF BALANCE
Questions of this nature should be approached with knowledge and adab.
A Muslim who follows the recognized position permitting **Īṣāl al-Thawāb** should not be condemned merely because another scholar follows a different juristic position.
Likewise, someone who follows the more restrictive position should not be accused of rejecting the Qur’ān or Sunnah.
This is a **furūʿ al-fiqh** discussion.
The responsibility of the student of knowledge is to distinguish:
**what is authentic,**
**what is disputed,**
**what is established by consensus,**
**what is a scholarly interpretation,**
and
**what has no specific evidence.**
That approach protects the Sunnah while also respecting the legitimate scholarship of the Ummah.
---
🤲 A BEAUTIFUL DUʿĀʾ FOR THE DECEASED
Allah ﷻ teaches us to say:
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا
غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
**“Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts any resentment toward those who believe. Our Lord, indeed You are Most Kind, Most Merciful.”**
📖 **Sūrat al-Ḥashr 59:10**
This Qur’ānic supplication beautifully teaches the living to remember those who preceded them in faith.
---
📚 **TAKHRĪJ & REFERENCES**
**QUR’ĀN**
**Sūrat al-Muzzammil 73:20**
The command to recite what is easy of the Qur’ān.
**Sūrat al-Ḥashr 59:10**
Supplication for believers who preceded us.
---
**ḤADĪTH**
**① Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2762**
Narrator: **ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما**
Subject: Charity on behalf of the deceased.
**② Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1004**
Narrator: **ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها**
Subject: Charity given on behalf of a deceased mother.
**③ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1631**
Narrator: **Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه**
Subject: Three things continuing to benefit a person after death.
**④ Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 3121**
Narrator: **Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه**
Subject: The report concerning reciting Yā-Sīn over the dying/deceased.
**Grading: disputed among the hadīth scholars.**
**⑤ Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1448**
Narrator: **Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه**
Subject: The report concerning Yā-Sīn.
**Grading: disputed.**
**⑥ Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, 3002**
Narrator: **Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه**
Ibn Ḥibbān accepted the narration.
**⑦ al-Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī, 4/56**
Report concerning **ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما** and the opening and closing verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah.
---
📖 **FIQH & SCHOLARLY REFERENCES**
**Al-Mughnī — Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī**
Discussion of dedicating the reward of righteous deeds to the deceased.
**Al-Adhkār — Imām al-Nawawī**
Discussion of remembrance, supplication and matters connected with the deceased and graves.
**Fatāwā and works of the Ḥanafī jurists**
Discussions concerning **Īṣāl al-Thawāb** and the gifting of reward to the deceased.
**Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā — Ibn Taymiyyah**
Discussions concerning whether the reward of various acts of worship reaches the deceased.
**Kitāb al-Rūḥ — Ibn al-Qayyim**
Extensive discussion of the benefit received by the deceased from the deeds and supplications of the living.
---
📝 **FINAL END NOTE**
**A WORD FOR THE STUDENT OF KNOWLEDGE**
The purpose of studying this issue is not to create division among Muslims.
Rather, it is to understand how the scholars examined the evidence and why they arrived at different conclusions.
The evidence unquestionably establishes that the deceased benefits from **duʿāʾ and charity**, among other matters.
Regarding **Qur’ān recitation**, a substantial body of Sunni scholarship permits the gifting of its reward to the deceased, while other scholars held a different position.
Therefore, the most careful conclusion is:
**Reciting the Qur’ān for the deceased and asking Allah ﷻ to grant its reward to them is permitted according to a substantial body of classical Sunni scholarship. It should, however, be presented as a recognized juristic position rather than as an issue upon which there is unanimous consensus. As for specifically designating the third day after death for a Qur’ān khatmah, this is not established as a specific Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.**
May Allah ﷻ forgive our deceased, have mercy upon them, illuminate their graves, overlook their shortcomings, accept the righteous deeds performed on their behalf, and grant them the highest levels of Jannat al-Firdaws.
**آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ**
**وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ**
**And Allah knows best what is correct.**
╔══════════════════════════════════════╗
🌙 **AHMADTRINI**
### **QUR’ĀN • SUNNAH • ḤADĪTH • FIQH**
╚══════════════════════════════════════╝
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌿 **PASS ON BENEFICIAL KNOWLEDGE**
**“And remind, for indeed the reminder benefits the believers.”**
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَىٰ تَنْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
**Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt 51:55**
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
No comments:
Post a Comment