07/21/2026
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Statements of the Four Imams on Reciting the Qur’an and Dedicating Its Reward to the Deceased
From the Sources of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah
This issue is one of the juristic matters subject to scholarly ijtihād (independent legal reasoning). The majority of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah maintain that the reward of reciting the Qur’an reaches the deceased when the reciter dedicates its reward to them. While some early Shāfiʿī scholars were known to hold a different opinion, many later Shāfiʿī scholars affirmed that the reward does indeed reach the deceased. This is the position adopted by a number of their leading jurists.
First: The Madhhab of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah (may Allah have mercy on him)
The jurists of the Ḥanafī school hold that all acts of worship and devotion, including the recitation of the Qur’an, benefit the deceased when their reward is dedicated to them.
Imam al-Kāsānī (Ḥanafī) said:
“The established principle according to Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah is that a person may dedicate the reward of his deeds to another, and it reaches him.”
Source:
* Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ (2/212).
Imam Ibn ʿĀbidīn said:
“The position of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah is that the reward of recitation and all other acts of devotion reaches the deceased.”
Source:
* Radd al-Muḥtār (2/243).
Second: The Madhhab of Imam Mālik (may Allah have mercy on him)
It is well known that many early Mālikī scholars were cautious regarding reciting the Qur’an at graves. However, many later Mālikī scholars permitted recitation and the dedication of its reward to the deceased.
Imam al-Qarāfī (Mālikī) said:
“There is no objection to dedicating the reward of righteous deeds to the deceased.”
Source:
* Al-Dhakhīrah.
Imam al-Dardīr said:
“The deceased benefits from the recitation of the Qur’an if the reciter dedicates its reward to him.”
Source:
* Al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr.
Third: The Madhhab of Imam al-Shāfiʿī (may Allah have mercy on him)
It was narrated from Imam al-Shāfiʿī in Al-Umm that the reward of recitation does not reach the deceased through recitation alone. However, many leading later Shāfiʿī scholars held that if the reciter supplicates after the recitation or dedicates its reward to the deceased, it is hoped that it reaches him by the permission of Allah, the Exalted.
Imam al-Nawawī said:
“It is recommended that after completing the recitation one says: ‘O Allah, convey the reward of what I have recited to so-and-so.’”
Source:
* Al-Adhkār.
Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī said:
“The later scholars among our school adopted the view that the reward of recitation reaches the deceased if one supplicates for that.”
Source:
* Al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā.
Fourth: The Madhhab of Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (may Allah have mercy on him)
Imam Aḥmad said:
“Every act of goodness reaches the deceased.”
His son, ʿAbdullāh, narrated from him:
“When you enter the graveyards, recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, the two chapters of refuge (al-Muʿawwidhatayn), and Sūrat Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad, then dedicate the reward of that to the people of the graves.”
Source:
* Al-Mughnī by Ibn Qudāmah.
* Masā’il al-Imām Aḥmad.
Imam Ibn Qudāmah said:
“Any act of devotion performed by a Muslim and whose reward is dedicated to a deceased Muslim will benefit him, if Allah wills.”
Source:
* Al-Mughnī (2/225).
Statements of Senior Scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah
Imam al-Nawawī (Shāfiʿī)
He recommended supplication after completing the recitation of the Qur’an and mentioned that supplication upon completing the Qur’an is hoped to be accepted, and that a group of the righteous predecessors (Salaf) used to gather upon the completion of the Qur’an for supplication.
Source:
* Al-Tibyān fī Ādāb Ḥamalat al-Qur’ān.
Imam al-Suyūṭī
He authored a treatise entitled:
Sharḥ al-Ṣudūr fī Wuṣūl Thawāb al-Qirā’ah ilā al-Mawtā
(The Expansion of Hearts Regarding the Arrival of the Reward of Qur’anic Recitation to the Deceased).
In this work, he defended the position that the reward of reciting the Qur’an reaches the deceased.
Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī
He affirmed that the reward of recitation reaches the deceased and regarded it as the relied-upon position among the later Shāfiʿī scholars.
Imam al-Ramlī (Shāfiʿī)
He issued a legal ruling that the reward of reciting the Qur’an reaches the deceased when its reward is dedicated to him.
General Evidences
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And those who came after them say: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith…’”
[Sūrat al-Ḥashr (59): 10]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When the son of Adam dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who supplicates for him.”
Narrated by Imam Muslim.
The majority of jurists also relied upon authentic narrations proving that the reward of certain deeds reaches the deceased, such as charity, pilgrimage (Ḥajj), and fasting. They reasoned that if the revealed texts explicitly establish the arrival of the reward of some acts of worship, then there is no objection to other righteous deeds reaching the deceased when the performer dedicates their reward to him, for this falls within the bounty and mercy of Allah, the Exalted.
Important Note
The majority of jurists of the four schools of Islamic law, together with many eminent scholars, held that it is permissible to dedicate the reward of Qur’anic recitation to the deceased. Some other scholars, however, adopted a different opinion based on their scholarly ijtihād.
Therefore, this issue should be presented with scholarly etiquette, respect for the qualified jurists who exercised independent reasoning, and without making it a cause of dispute or division among Muslims. Indeed, all of them sought to follow the evidence and attain the truth. May Allah have mercy upon them all.
And Allah, the Exalted, Knows Best.
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Compiled and Arranged by:
𝓘𝓶𝓪𝓶 𝓢𝓗 𝓢𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷 𝓦𝓪𝔃𝓲𝓻
𝓐𝓘𝓒, 𝓘𝓷𝓬 𝓒𝓔𝓞 & 𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻
Atlanta, Georgia
United States of America 🇺🇸
20 July 1448 AH
