Reading the Quran as Charity

for a deceased Muslim By Imam

Muhammad Ash-Shawkani (1250H)
Reading the Quran as Charity for a deceased Muslim

By Imam Muhammad Ash-Shawkani (1250H)

‫ﺑﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬

Imam Ash-Shawkani was asked about reading the Quran on behalf
of a deceased Muslim for charity and to explain what is the
strongest position about this topic.

Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned: The scholars differ over whether

or not the deceased receives the reward for Quran readings.

Imam Ash-Shafa’I and a group of the Mu’tazilah don’t believe

the deceased can be rewarded from the reading of the living
without it being mentioned as a request in a will.

Other scholars such as Imam Ahmed, some Shafa’I scholars,

Hanafi specialists, Ibn As-Salah, and Ibn Nahwi held the
opinion that the deceased can earn charitable benefits for the
Quran readings.

Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned both opinions which don’t deny the

possibility the deceased can feel the pleasure of this
charitable deed while in their graves, but the first group of
scholars made the condition for the dead Muslim to earn this
benefit, is they must request it in their will.

Imam Ash-Shawkani said: The scholars with the first opinion

use the verse: And that man can have nothing but what he
does.[ An-Najm :39]

This ayah is general and covers all actions and rejects the
idea that a person can be rewarded from the actions of others.

On the hand the scholars who hold the opposite view answered
this theory by saying the verse was abrogated by the verse,
“And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in
Faith.”[At-Tur :21]

Ash-Shawkani said: An-Naskh(abrogation of rulings) are only

effective and correct once there is certainty that the ruling
revealed abrogating the earlier one came after it, and not
based on the possibility there is an Ijma(concensus) of an
abrogation. Moreover the verse from At-Tur isn’t suitable to
abrogate everything in the first verse from An-Najm.

Furthermore, the scholars who reject the verse from An-Najm as

proof their view say the intended meaning of ,” the man..” in
the verse refers to the disbeliever. This understanding is
erroneous as a Muslim and a non-Muslim are both included in
word man; and this is understood from the linguistic, the
Islamic, and the customary usage of the word.

Additionally, the scholars who say the deceased is unable to

earn the reward of the Quran recital on their behalf use the
hadith, “Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)
reported: The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said, “When a man dies,
his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous
charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son
who prays for him.”[1]

Imam Ash-Shawkani said: This hadith clearly mentioned a

person’s deeds come to end in general, except for those three
specifically mentioned.

Also, the ulema who concluded the dead are unable to profit
from the readings of the living use the verse,” This Day shall
every person be recompensed for what he earned.”[ Al-
Ghafir:17]

Imam Ash-Shawkani said: being recompensed is general and

applies to a reward or to a punishment for the actions they
performed, but this doesn’t mean that he can’t be rewarded for
something done on his behalf.

There are proofs that are suitable for allocating specific

Quran readings for general situations and can be used here in
this issue.

Ibn `Abbas narrated:

Some of the companions of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬passed by some

people staying at a place where there was water, and one of
those people had been stung by a scorpion. A man from those
staying near the water, came and said to the companions of the
Prophet, “Is there anyone among you who can do Ruqya as near
the water there is a person who has been stung by a scorpion.”
So one of the Prophet’s companions went to him and recited
Surat-al-Fatiha for a sheep as his fees. The patient got cured
and the man brought the sheep to his companions who disliked
that and said, “You have taken wages for reciting Allah’s
Book.” When they arrived at Medina, they said, ‘ O Allah’s
Messenger (‫( !)ﷺ‬This person) has taken wages for reciting
Allah’s Book” On that Allah’s Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬said, “You are
most entitled to take wages for doing a Ruqya with Allah’s
Book.”[2]
Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned the proof of this hadith is the
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬allowed a person to take wages for reading the
Quran. This shows that person who the Quran is read to can
benefit from someone else’s reading, and if the reciter was
the only one who could benefit, then the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬wouldn’t
have permitted that transaction, and this would be a form of
devouring people’s wealth unjustly.

You want to know how? Ok, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬made the recitation
of the Quran among the things that entitle a person to take
wages for. It’s well known that wages are only given to person
in exchange for the employer’s benefit.

If the person’s intention to recite the Quran is to have an

effect on the one read to, then there is no difference between
the living and dead, for money or for free; and this is the
right of any employee.

The second proof suitable for assigning specific Quran

readings for general situations and can be used here in this
issue is the hadith,

Sahl ibn Sad as-Saidi that a woman came to the Messenger of

Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said,
“Messenger of Allah! I have given myself to you.” She stood
for a long time, and then a man got up and said, “Messenger of
Allah, marry her to me if you have no need of her.” The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, “Do you have anything to give her as a bride-price?” He
said, “I possess only this lower garment of mine.” The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, “If you give it to her you will not have a garment to
wear so look for something else.” He said, “I have nothing
else.” He said, “Look for something else, even if it is only
an iron ring.” He looked, and found that he had nothing. The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, “Do you know any of the Qur’an?” He said, “Yes. I know
such-and-such a surah and such-and-such a surah,” which he
named. The messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said to him, “I have married her to you for what
you know of the Qur’an.”[3]

Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned that the proof here is the Prophet

(‫ )ﷺ‬allowed the man’s recital of the Quran to be a Worldly
benefit for him and a means to benefit others.

After the aforementioned two Hadith Imam Ash-Shawkani used the

Qiyas(an analogy by comparison) as an evidence. He cited five
examples, all which strongly support the deceased can benefit
from the readings of the living.

Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned;

1. Based on the permissibility for a person to make Hajj on

the behalf of others as found in the hadith. Ibn ‘Abbas
(Radi Allahu anhu) narrated, The Messenger of Allah (‫)ﷺ‬
heard a man saying, ‘O Allah! Here I am in response to
Your call (saying Labbayk on behalf.. ) on behalf of
Shubrumah.’ The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬asked him. “Have
you performed your own Hajj?” He replied, ‘No,’ then the
Prophet told him, “You must perform Hajj on your own
behalf first, and then perform it on behalf of
Shubrumah.” [4]
Did Shubrumah leave it in the will that Hajj be made his
behalf?

2. Another incident suitable as proof is the hadith ,The

Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: “Whoever dies while he
still has some fasts to make up (of the days of
Ramadan), then his heir (any of them) should fast on his
behalf.”[5]

3. Dua can be used as a comparison to deduct the proof that

the dead benefit from the reading of the living. Allah
said:“And those who came after them say: “Our Lord!
Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in
Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against
those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full
of kindness, Most Merciful.”[Al-Hasr:10] Dua reaches the
dead without them requesting it to be done on their
behalf after their deaths.

4. The superior virtue of a Muslim making Dua on behalf of

his brother in his absence is another proof. The
Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬saying, “Whenever a Muslim
supplicates for his (Muslim) brother in his absence, the
angels say: ‘May the same happen for you too’.” [6]

5. The Sunnah to make Dua when visiting the graveyards is

also another proof. Sulaiman bin Buraidah narrated on
the authority of his father (Radi Allahu anhu) that the
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬taught us that when we visit graves we
should say, “Peace be upon you, O believing men and
 women, O dwellers of this place. Certainly, Allah
willing, we will join you. We supplicate to Allah to
grant us and you well-being.”[7]

Imam Ash-Shawkani mentioned next that Imam An-Nawawi stated

there was a consensus that Dua for the deceased reaches them
in their graves, and also there is an Ijma that charity given
on behalf of the dead benefits them. Moreover the scholars
unanimously agree that a debt paid for the dead helps them in
their graves.[8]

Ibn Al-Nahwi said: “One should be absolutely certain that

reading the Quran as charity benefits deceased; as it’s Dua.

In conclusion, Imam Ash-Shawkani’s arguments are strongly

supported from the areas of the Sunnah and Qiyas. He
established instances when the Quran reader benefited others
through his recital from authentic ahadith ,and then summed up
his argument with 5 angles of Qiyas. The closing arguments he
focused on was the fact that there is an Ijma that Dua on
behalf of the deceased benefits and what better Dua is there
than the Quran.

So from this point on we need to make sure that we teach our

children the Quran as parents, because every ayah they recite
after our death will benefit us in the graves, and if they
read Quran and give their readings to us when we are in that
dark place, then their readings will bring some light to us
when we will need it the most –Inshallah. And Allah knows
best.
Taken Fathur Rabbani/ vol 6,page 3157

Arranged and presented by your brother in need of Allah’s

Mercy,

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar 1437©

[1] Abu Dawud(2880),At-Tirmithi(1376),An-

Nisa’6/251),Ahmed(2/372)

[2] Al-Bukhari(2272),Muslim(2201)

[3] Al-Bukhari(5087)Muslim(1425)

[4] Related by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah. Ibn Hibban graded it
as Sahih

[5] Al-Bukhari(1952)Muslim(1147)

[6] Muslim/book 17/hadith 30

[7] Muslim (975)

[8] Sharh Sahih Muslim(8/26)