Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
Is it permissible to gather annually in order to complete the recitation of the Qur’an for a deceased person? What are the etiquettes of such a gathering?
Yes, it is permissible to gather every year, or even every day and every hour, in order to recite the Qur’an with the intention of donating its reward to the deceased. For gathering to recite the Qur’an is recommended and the Lawgiver has associated a great, well-known reward with it, such as [m: what is mentioned in] the hadith, “No people gather in one of Allah’s houses, reciting the Qur’an and studying it among themselves except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy envelopes them, angels surround them, and Allah mentions them among those with Him.” Furthermore, reciting the Qur’an has a great reward with Allah. It is sufficient to mention the hadith (and others [m: like it]), “Whoever recites a letter of the Qur’an will have ten good deeds. I do not say that Alif Lam Meem is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Meem is a letter.”
According to the schools of our three imams — by this I mean the Hanafis, Malikis, and Hanbalis — it is well established and verified that the reward of Qur’an recited for the deceased reaches him. As explicitly stated [m: in their books], our late Shafi’i imams agree with this opinion if:
1. [m: The one reciting] intends it on behalf of the deceased; or
2. [m: The one reciting] recites at the grave of the deceased.
Similar to the reward of Qur’anic recital is the reward of other good acts: it reaches the deceased by the permission of Allah (Most High) if the one performing the act intends the deceased thereby or supplicates that its reward reaches him. The imams of religion have much textual evidence in this matter. This is in contrast to those who prohibit [m: donating reward to the deceased] and are strict with people regarding it.
– Amjad Rasheed
(Translated by Moustafa Mounir Elqabbany)