Does it benefit the deceased if the Holy Qur’an is recited for them?

Gatherings in which the Holy Qur’an is recited for the deceased are not part of Islamic teaching. What benefits the departed is sincere prayer for them and the good they have left behind.

In some Muslim families it is customary to gather after a death and recite the Holy Qur’an for the deceased. Often those present do not understand a single word. This practice did not exist in the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), nor in the first centuries of Islam.

The Holy Qur’an is not a formula whose sound transfers reward to the dead. It is guidance for the living. Anyone who reads it without understanding and regards this as a service to the deceased misses its purpose. Sometimes there is also a wish to show others how much one honours the Holy Qur’an. True respect, however, means understanding it and following it.

The first verse above states the principle. A person receives what he himself has striven for. The hadith shows what continues after death, namely an ongoing charity, useful knowledge and righteous children who pray for the deceased. And the second verse teaches how believers pray for those before them. Praying for the dead is therefore clearly encouraged.

Whoever wishes to do good for those who have passed away should pray for them sincerely and carry on the good they began. And whoever wishes to honour the Holy Qur’an should invite people to gatherings where it is translated and explained. In this way its message is understood and lives on.