This article was copied from Darulfatwa, Islamic High Council of Australia:
Question- Assalamualaikum, Inshallah i would like to know the ruling with proof from the sunnah or the Quran regarding reading the Quran for the dead. Usually s ome Imams read some Quran and also remind the dead person on (who is you lord what is your book what is you faith) while the dead person is in the grave but before he is covered with soil. And also after the dead is buried they gather at the house and read the fatiha and cook food for the guest's. I have been told different opinion's and don't really know which is right. I have been told that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not do it so we should not do it as this is innovation (bida). Inshallah if you can clear this up for me it would help clear a lot of confusion between people. Jazzakallahu Khairan Wassalam
Your Brother in Islam
Answer:
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds and may Allah raise the rank of our dear Prophet Muhammad.
Wa- `Alaykum As-Salam wa-Rahmatullahi wa-Barakatuhu.
The following shall clear up all the confusion and answer all your questions :
Firstly, regarding the reading of the Qur'an, it is a rewardable deed with the right intention and with the proper articulation of the Arabic letters, even if it were upon the Muslim dead. Imam An-Nawawiyy (d. 676 H.) said in his book Al-AdhKar: “It has been reported to us through Sunan al-Bayhaqiyy with a chain of narration classified as hasan, that Ibn `Umar regarded the recitation of the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah and its ending upon the grave of a newly buried Muslim as a mustahab (likeable) matter”. He also said: “Ash-Shafi`iyy and his companions in his madhhab said that it is a mustahab (likeable) matter to recite some of the Qur'an upon the grave of a Muslim, and they added that if the Qur'an was recited in its entirety then that would also be a rewardable matter”.
Imam Ahmad and other scholars also relayed the same ruling. Imam Al-Qadi Abul Fadl `Iyad said something to that effect in his commentary book to Sahih Muslim when explaining the hadith of the female slave in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said about two recently buried Muslims, after he split a moist palm branch into two and fixed the two branches over the graves: “We hope that any punishment will be eased while the branches are still moist”. Specifically, Al-Qadi `Iyad said: “Scholars deduced from this hadith that it is likeable (mustahab) to read the Qur'an upon the dead, because if punishment could be eased by the tasbih (glorifying Allah) of the branches which are objects, then given the priority of the Qur'an, its recitation upon the dead would be likeable”. This ruling was also conveyed from him and it was agreed upon by Al-Abiyy in his explanation book to Sahih Muslim. Another piece of evidence testifying to the benefiting of the dead Muslim from the Qur’anic recitation of another is the hadith narrated by Ma`qal bin Yasar in which the Prophet peace be upon him says: “Recite the verses of Surat Yasin upon your dead” (narrated by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’iyy and Ibn Majah, who classified it as a Sahih hadith).
