Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I would like to know if it is permissible to recite Qur’an in a gathering to benefit the deceased soul; is it authenticated by Qur’an and sunna if not would it be considered a bid’a?
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
1. It is permitted and praiseworthy to recite the Qur’an and donate the reward to the deceased. [see answers below]
2. Similarly, it is permitted and praiseworthy to listen to the Qur’an and to donate the reward of one’s listening to the Qur’an–which is a highly praiseworthy act when coupled with attentiveness and reflection. This is very useful for those who are slow in the Qur’anic recitation; for those who spend a lot of time commuting daily; for those who spend a lot of time in repetitive work that doesn’t prevent remaining attentive to the Qur’an being played.
In fact, as Shaykh Nur al-Din `Itr, the great Hanafi jurist, hadith master and Qur’anic exegete from Aleppo (Syria) points out in his work on the sciences of the Qur’an, in the Hanafi school there is greater reward in listening to the Qur’an than reciting it. [`Itr, `Ulum al-Qur’an; see also, Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha fi’l Hadhr wa’l Ibaha; Nablusi, Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya]
A beautiful complete recitation of the Qur’an is that of Shaykh Mishary Rashid al-Afasy, available in full from:
Shaykh Mishary’s Recitation of the Qur’an (full, downloadable)
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani
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