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:

You claim that the ajr of a Quran cannot be transferred. How is that possible? That means that the ajr of reciting surah-e-fatihah for a soul is also not transferrable. So we recite surah-e-fatihah uselessly according to you. How is that possible? And why do you compare it to sin transfer? Those are totally separate things, unrelated to each other. When you state something, stay with the topic and don`t bring unrelated things into it, just to create distraction or diversion. Pls reply ASAP.

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Answer:

Transferring ajr of Surah Fateha

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.

For all acts of worship, we must always follow what is said by Allah and His Messenger (saws). There is absolutely no evidence that the Messenger of Allah (saws), his noble ‘ahly-bayt’, or any of his noble companions ever read Quran or Surah Fateha for the ‘ajr’ or peace of any deceased soul!

Abu Hurairah reported that The Prophet (saws), said, 'When a person dies all his good deeds cease except for three: a continuous act of charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous son who prays for him'.'' (Muslim, and the Sunan)

Also Abu Hurairah reported The Prophet (saws) said, 'The righteous works that continue to benefit a believer after his death include the knowledge that he taught and spread among others, a righteous son whom he leaves behind, or a copy of the Qur'an that he bequeaths to his inheritors, or a mosque that he builds, or a rest house that he builds for the wayfarers, or a canal of water that he digs for the benefit of others, or a charity that he gives out of his property during his life while he is sound of health. He will continue to receive reward for all these even after his death.' (Ibn Majah)

The Glorious Quran is a Book of Guidance revealed by Allah for the guidance of the living amongst mankind and one who is alive will definitely benefit from its recitation and from its commands of Wisdom and Knowledge. In light of the above narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws), all the good deeds of a person who dies cease except for the three categories specifically mentioned above; and the recitation of the Quran over the deceased is not one of them!

Thus gathering and the ceremonial reading of the Quran over the deceased is a clear and manifest innovation, and this act must be avoided by the believers who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day.

Your Statement: So we recite surah-e-fatihah uselessly according to you.

If one understands the clear meanings of what one is saying while reciting Surah Fateha, he would realize that after praising and glorifying Allah, one is beseeching Allah to guide him to the Straight Path. This is a dua and a supplication a living beings makes to His Lord and Creator; and in response to his supplication Allah has given mankind the whole Quran to guide those amongst them who want to believe and be guided to the Straight Path of Islam! If one reads the Surah Fateha with understanding, he will immediately realize that the benefit is for the person who makes this supplication; not for anyone else, and definitely not for the departed soul! The one who recites Surah Fateha will definitely receive its reward and ajr; but the recitation of this Surah has absolutely no benefit for the departed soul.

Your Question: How is that possible?

We are commanded by Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah(saws), if indeed we are true believers. Whatever the Messenger of Allah (saws) did, we are commanded to do without hesitation; and whatever he abstained from, we are to avoid. We are not allowed to invent our own acts and ways of worship according to our whims and fancies…. But in all acts of worship, we are to do only what was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws)….simply because, there was no human being ever created who worshipped Allah better and more perfectly than the person of the noble Messenger of Allah (saws)! And the Messenger of Allah (saws) never ever recited the Quran or Surah Fateha and transferred its rewards to anyone else!

And if the Messenger of Allah (saws) did not perform this act of worship, then it is surely possible that this act of the transfer of reward of reciting Surah Fateha is an innovation! And as said by the Messenger of Allah (saws), every innovation in the deen of Islam is an error!

It has been reported by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.”

It has been reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah (r.a.) in another authentic narration that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a sermon: “The best speech is that which is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran; and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the innovations, and every innovation is an error.”

Your Statement: And why do you compare it to sin transfer? Those are totally separate things, unrelated to each other.

Just as one cannot do a sin and transfer it to the account of the deceased; one cannot do any good deed and transfer it to the deceased unless specified by Allah and His Messenger (saws)! These are not totally separate things; because both of them make common sense! You are willing to accept the commonsense and the fallacy of the sin transfer, but are unwilling to accept the notion of the reward transfer?

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