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:

u have said that the ajr of reading Quran is not transferrable ...and have argued with common sense that like sins can not be transferred good deeds can also not be transferred..But we can do hajj and Umrah on the behalf of deceased relative..it is also a kind of transfer of ajr so how this is permissible ...??..plz Reply ASAP 

(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:

Why Hajj is transferable and not Quran?

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

There are three types or conditions of one’s rites of worship:

One that involves only physical qualities or exertion (like prayer, fasts, recitation of Quran, etc.)

One that involves only financial qualities (like giving charity, building a mosque, etc.)

One that involves both physical and financial qualities (like performing Hajj or Umrah, offering sacrifice, etc.)

The majority of the scholars in Islam are of the opinion that other than the rites of worship that require only physical qualities, there is no harm if one offers the other two types of worship for his departed loved ones.

Their ruling is based on the wisdom that under no circumstances can one offer any of the rites of worship that require only physical exertion for another. There is absolutely no evidence in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he (saws) allowed one to pray or fast for someone who has missed his prayers or fasts; but on several occasions he (saws) allowed that one may give charity, sadaqah, or even perform Hajj or Umrah on behalf of another.

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."

The best thing one may and must do for a departed loved one is constantly supplicate the Merciful Lord to have Mercy on the soul of the deceased, implore Allah to forgive the deceased his sins, and beseech the Merciful Lord to increased his grades and rewards in the Hereafter.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan