Shar‘i Ruling on Reciting the Qur’an Near the Deceased
Source: Fatāwā al-Deen al-Khālis, Vol. 1, p. 73
Question:
When a deceased person is covered with a sheet and people sit around reciting the Qur’an, is this practice established from the authentic Sunnah?
Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
There is no strong Shar‘i evidence supporting the practice of reciting the Qur’an near the deceased, and to consider it a regular Sunnah or obligatory custom is a form of innovation (Bid‘ah).
📖 Ruling on Reciting Qur’an Near the Grave
Recitation of the Qur’an near the grave has been discussed in books such as Kitāb al-Janā’iz, and this practice is considered an innovation.
Detailed evidences have been presented that this act is not established from the Prophet ﷺ or his noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم).
📖 Reports on Reciting Qur’an at the Time of Death or Near the Deceased
Some weak narrations do mention this, but they are unreliable.
📘 Ibn Abī Shaybah (3/236) reports:
“Mujāhid and al-Shaʿbī narrated that the Anṣār used to recite Surah al-Baqarah near the deceased.”
However, Mujāhid’s memory deteriorated in old age, as noted in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, so this narration is weak in its chain.
📖 Weakness of the Hadith on Reciting Sūrah Yā Sīn
📘 It is narrated from Maʿqil bin Yasār (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Recite Surah Yā Sīn for your deceased.”
(Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/237, Musnad Aḥmad: 5/26, Mishkāt: 1626)
This ḥadīth is weak, because:
- In its chain are Abū ʿUthmān and his father, both of whom are unknown narrators (majhūl).
- All chains of this narration are weak, as clarified by Hadith scholars.
📖 Ruling on Reciting the Qur’an Near the Deceased
Since there is no authentic or strong basis for this act, it cannot be considered Sunnah, nor should it be practiced regularly.
If people begin to consistently perform it—especially the general public and women—and consider it obligatory or meritorious, it falls into innovation (Bid‘ah).
Despite many deaths during the Prophet’s ﷺ time, neither he, nor the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, nor the Companions are reported to have engaged in this practice.
Had this act been recommended or virtuous, the Companions would have preceded us in practicing it.
❖ Is There Any Harm in Reciting Sūrah Yā Sīn?
If someone recites Surah Yā Sīn with the intention of seeking mercy and blessings, there is no harm.
However, it must not be treated as a prescribed or established Sunnah.
📘 Imām Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) mentions in Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (3/26, 563):
“Among some scholars, it is believed that Surah Yā Sīn possesses a special virtue: if it is recited in times of hardship, Allah makes things easier. Similarly, if it is recited near the deceased for mercy and blessing, Allah may bestow His mercy.”
Nonetheless, this does not mean that it is an established Sunnah.
Rather, it may be a concession or an act of personal benefit—not a prescribed Shar‘i act.
❖ Conclusion
✔ There is no sound or authentic evidence supporting the recitation of Qur’an near the deceased.
✔ Treating this act as necessary or routine, particularly among the general public and women, is a Bid‘ah.
✔ Reciting Surah Yā Sīn for mercy and blessing is permissible, but not Sunnah.
✔ The primary teaching is to supplicate for the deceased and seek forgiveness on their behalf, as this is what is firmly established in the Sunnah.
📚 References:
Ibn Abī Shaybah, Musnad Aḥmad, Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, Aḥkām al-Janā’iz
