Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Can I byheart quran intending for the rewards to be given to my mother?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Memorize Quran and reward to mother

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Generally speaking, worship in Islam can be broadly categorized into three types:

1. Worship with self: ie. prayers, fasting, recitation of Quran, Dhikr or remembrance of Allah Subhanah, etc.
2. Worship with wealth: ie. charity, sadaqah, zakah, etc.
3. Worship with a combination of self and wealth: ie. pilgrimage of Umrah and Hajj, etc.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.418 Narrated by Ibn Abbas

A woman came to the Prophet (saws) and said, "My mother vowed to perform the Hajj but she died before performing it. Should I perform the Hajj on her behalf?" He (saws) said, "Yes! Perform the Hajj on her behalf. See, if your mother had been in debt, would you have paid her debt?" She said, "Yes." He (saws) said, "So you should pay what is for Him, as Allah has more right that one should fulfill one's obligations to Him."

There is allowance in Shariah that one may perform a rite of worship which involves wealth alone (charity, sadaqah, etc.) or a rite of worship which involves a combination of self-and-wealth (pilgrimage) and transfer the rewards of their worship to their desired loved one……but there is absolutely no allowance in Shariah that the rewards of a rite of worship which involves one’s ‘self’ alone can be transferred to the account of another. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself did or allowed that one offer prayers for another, or fast for another, or recite the Glorious Quran with the intention to transfer the rewards to another.

And that is in absolute accordance with nature! For example, if one has taken a loan or a debt and cannot repay their loan, the creditor or any court in the world will allow and accept the payment of the loan by anyone else and thus absolve the debtor of their debt.

Similarly, if one is required to do a task or a job which involves some cost and some work, and one perchance cannot or does not do it, the task or job done by their loved one or another will be acceptable to the employer.

But even in this world, one normally cannot do an act which involves only the expense of ‘self’ for

another….for example:

1. Can one study a course, and ask the school or college to give the degree to their desired loved one?
2. Can one give a driving test, and ask the authorities to issue the driving license to their desired loved one?
3. Can one pass the training school required to join the army, and then ask the authorities to enlist their brother in the army instead of them?

Prayers, fasting, doing ‘dhikr’ or the Remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Glorious Quran, etc. are acts of worship which involves only the ‘self’, and only the one who actually performs these rites of worship is eligible to receive its rewards. It would not be lawful or permissible or acceptable in Shariah for one to transfer the rewards of the worships which involve only ‘self’ to someone else.

Your Question: Can I byheart quran intending for the rewards to be given to my mother?

If one recites the Glorious Quran one would earn the reward for their recitation themselves; but it is not possible or acceptable in Shariah nor is it logical for one to transfer the rewards of their recitation to the account of their desired loved one. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan