Q16 :A few months ago, you published an
answer claiming that it is permissible to recite the Qur’an on
behalf of a dead person and that the reward for such a
recitation is granted to the dead person. This opinion has been
vehemently opposed by almost all renowned Salafi scholars. They
consider such a recitation as an innovation and they support
that by the fact that neither the Prophet nor his netpanions
used to read the Qur’an on behalf of those who died in battle
or a natural death. They also suggest that it is not possible
to netpare such a recitation with offering substitute
pilgrimage on behalf of a dead person, which is certainly
permissible. Moreover, Allah defines the purpose of the Qur’an
as “an admonition to any one who is alive”. This means that the
Qur’an is for those who are alive. Please netment. I am
confused by your contradictory replies. You said sometime in
the past that “no one may offer prayers or other religious
duties which have been left undone by a deceased person.” You
have also quoted the Hadith which states that the actions of
every person nete to an end when he dies except in one of three
well-known ways. Now you are saying that it is possible to
transfer the reward of a good action to a deceased person. Will
you please explain these contradictions?
A16 : These are the view of only two of my
readers who have written to me on this subject. Others have
written, making the same objections. To all such readers I say
that this is a question which relates to an aspect of Islamic
worship. The answer, therefore, must be based on what the
Prophet has taught us. We cannot argue a case supporting any
viewpoint on purely logical basis. Our starting point may just
be the Qur’an and the Hadith. Before starting to answer the
objections of my readers, I wish to say that I hold on to my
position on both points and I do not see any reason to change
either. Nor do I see any contradiction between what I have said
on different occasions on this subject. The difficulty
experienced by some people in reconciling these points can be
easily overnete. Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, a highly renowned scholar,
has spoken extensively on this question, devoting to it more
than thirty pages in his invaluable book, Ar-Rooh, or The
Spirit. My reply is based largely on what he says, since he
discusses all points in detail and replies to all objections.
I have often quoted the Hadith which may be rendered in
translation as follows: “When a human being dies, all his
actions nete to an end, except in one of three ways: A
continuing act of charity, a useful contribution to knowledge
or a God-fearing, dutiful child who prays for him.” This Hadith
cannot be quoted in support of the argument that our actions
cannot benefit those who are dead. It is important to know that
when we attempt to understand the meaning of a Qur’anic
statement or Hadith, our approach should be one of careful
consideration of the statement in front of us. It must be clear
to us that every Qur’anic verse and every Hadith is meant to
convey only the sense of the words used in it. We cannot, and
must not, carry any such statement beyond its apparent meaning.
It cannot be imagined or envisaged that Allah would mean
something and express it in words which convey a different
meaning. Nor is it possible that the Prophet, who has been
endowed by Allah with the gift of the most precise expressions,
should mean anything other than what he states. Anyone who
would entertain such a thought actually suggests that Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) could fail to convey precisely an
idea which constitutes a part of his message. That is not
acceptable from a Muslim. No one would remain a Muslim for a
second if he attaches such an inadequacy to the Qur’an.
Bearing that in mind, we have to understand every Qur’anic
statement or Hadith as it is. The above mentioned Hadith states
that “When a human being dies, his actions nete to an end,
except in one of three ways, etc. ” What netes to an end, then,
is the deceased person’s own actions. This does not mean that a
dead person does not benefit by anything else. He simply cannot
do more for himself. He is powerless and incapable of
acnetplishing anything. Scholars, however, are unanimous that
those who are dead can benefit by what living people may do in
one of two ways: What the deceased person himself initiated
during his lifetime and the supplication of Muslims on his
behalf, their prayers to Allah to forgive him and whatever
charity or pilgrimage other Muslims may do on his behalf.
Scholars have different views on whether physical worship such
as fasting, prayer, reciting of the Qur’an, etc. may be done by
a living person and rewarded to a dead relative at his request.
Imam Ahmad and many scholars say that the reward of such
actions can be credited to the dead person, while the Shafie
and Maliki schools of thought take the other view, saying that
it does not. As for things that the dead person himself had
initiated in his lifetime, the above quoted Hadith is
sufficient evidence to endorse that. Another Hadith related by
Ibn Majah quotes the Prophet as saying: “What is credited to a
believer of his action and good deed after his death is any
useful knowledge he might have taught or spread, a God-fearing
child he might have left behind, a copy of the Qur’an he might
have left to an heir, a mosque he might have built, a house he
might have dedicated for use by travelers, a stream or river he
might have caused to run, a donation to charity (i.e. sadaqah)
he might have set aside when he was enjoying good health. All
that catches up with him after his death.” Another authentic
Hadith related by Muslim quotes the Prophet as saying: “Any
Muslim who initiates a good practice receives its reward and
the reward of anyone who follows his example without reducing
their reward by the smallest of fractions, and any Muslim who
initiates a bad practice will bear its burden as well as the
burden of everyone who follows his example without reducing
their burdens in anyway.” In support of our statement that a
dead person will benefit by the supplication and prayer of
living Muslims, I refer to the praise Allah bestows on
succeeding generations of believers for praying Him to forgive
those believers who lived before them. Allah says in the
Qur’an: “Those who nete after them pray: our Lord, forgive us
our sins, as well as those of our brethren who preceded us in
faith.” (59;10). When a Muslim dies, it is a duty on the
netmunity of Muslims to offer a special prayer for him during
which they pray Allah to forgive him and admit him into heaven.
The Prophet says: “When you pray for a dead person, make your
supplication sincere.” In his own supplication for a dead
person, just before the latter’s funeral, the Prophet said: “My
Lord, forgive him; bestow Your mercy on him; purge him of sin,
assign to him a good abode and a wide entrance (to heaven);
wash him with water, snow and hail and purge him of sin as a
white dress is purged of impurity; replace his home, family and
wife with better ones; admit him to heaven and protect him
against torment in the grave and the suffering in hell.” There
are numerous Hadiths which tell us that a number of his
netpanions came to the Prophet individually to ask him whether
they can give sadaqah or fast or do the pilgrimage on behalf of
their deceased relatives, and he always said that they may do
that and the dead person would benefit by it. Al-Bukhari
relates that Saad ibn Ubadah, the chief of the Ansari tribe of
Al-Khazraj, said to the Prophet: “Messenger of Allah, my mother
died when I was away. Would she benefit if I give charitable
donations (i.e. sadaqah) on her behalf? The Prophet answered in
the affirmative. Saad said: “I would like you to be my witness
that I am giving as sadaqah on her behalf my orchard at
Al-Meraf.” Ibn Abbas reports that a woman traveled in a boat
and pledged that should Allah save her life, she would fast for
a month. She was saved but she did not fast before she died.
Her daughter or her sister asked the Prophet about that and he
ordered her to fast on behalf of the deceased woman. (Related
by Abu-Dawood, An-Nassaie, Ahmad and others). Hadiths in
support of offering the pilgrimage on behalf of a deceased
person or one who is unanimously unable to undertake the
journey are numerous. Moreover, it is unanimously agreed by
scholars that if a person dies without settling an outstanding
debt, leaving no money to settle it, anyone could pay it on his
behalf. Whether the person paying it is a relative or not, the
deceased is deemed to have repaid his debt. If the case is such
and the deceased person may benefit by a financial payment, why
should he not benefit by a gift made of the reward for a good
action? It should be mentioned here that it is not possible to
do the obligatory duties of fasting and prayer on behalf of a
deceased person. This means that you cannot pray Dhuhr or Asr,
or fast a few days of Ramadhan on his behalf. You may, however,
fast if he took a pledge to fast but did not honor it, as in
the Hadith quoted above. You may also do a voluntary act of
worship and request Allah to credit its reward to the deceased
person. That applies to reciting a passage of the Qur’an. It is
important to have a clear intention when you begin such an
action that you are gifting its reward to a dead person. My
readers suggest that it is not known that the netpanions of the
Prophet used to recite the Qur’an and gift the reward of their
recitation to dead people. The reason is that they would view
such an action as a private matter between themselves and their
Lord. Why would anyone mention to other people that he recited
a surah and gifted its reward to his mother or to his friend or
relative? They were to gain the maximum reward for their
actions in the privacy of their own home. Your motive for such
publicity may not be free of self-esteem. That is bound to
reduce your reward. I do not know of any Hadith or Qur’anic
verse which suggests that a recitation of the Qur’an has a
special status which suggests that a recitation, pilgrimage or
charitable donations may not be so credited. I know of nothing
to prevent that. Indeed, Allah’s generosity will ensure that
the reward is credited to the person to whom it is gifted,
while the reciter will be rewarded for his kindness. [This is
different from the act of gathering people to recite Qur’an on
behalf of the deceased. Such recitations are private matters.]
The best thing that can be done on behalf of a dead person is
sadaqah or charitable donation. The best of that is something
which continues over a long period of time. A pilgrimage on his
behalf will be highly rewarded. Prayer to Allah to forgive him
and bestow His mercy on him is also sure to be answered.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )