❖ 10 Evils of the Ritual Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ – In Light of Authentic Evidences ❖
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 226
Does the popular practice of Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ — involving the ritual rotation of the Qur'an for the deceased — have any basis in Sharīʿah? Or is it a fabrication invented by innovators and hypocrites to mislead Muslims from the true teachings of Islam?
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Islam is based on clear evidence and proofs.
There is no place in Islam for baseless sayings or fabricated rituals.
Only the Qur’an and Sunnah are the criteria in Sharʿī rulings — not the words of a faqīr or peer.
Fidya is legislated only for a deceased person who missed obligatory fasts.
There is no valid Sharʿī basis for offering fidya for missed prayers or other acts of worship on behalf of the deceased.
◈ Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah, p. 26):
“The prevalent Isqāṭ is absolute nonsense; there is no benefit in this baseless ritual, and there is no mention of it in the era of the pious predecessors.”
◈ Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Ludhyānwī (Aḥsan al-Fatāwā 1/348):
“The current method is harām and an innovation (bidʿah). It has no basis in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or classical Fiqh texts.”
Surah al-Māʾidah, Ayah 3:
“This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favour upon you, and have approved Islam as your religion.”
Surah al-Aḥzāb, Ayah 21:
“Indeed, for you in the Messenger of Allah is an excellent example.”
Hadith:
“Every innovation is misguidance.”
“It is not obligatory upon the heirs to perform Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ, even if the deceased made a will for it.”
◈ The will must only concern rights actually due upon the deceased.
◈ The value must not exceed one-third of the total estate.
◈ Wahbah al-Zuḥaylī (al-Fiqh al-Islāmī 2/135):
“Such tricks are unacceptable, as bodily worship (e.g. prayer) cannot be discharged through hollow financial transactions.”
◈ Mawlānā Sarfarāz Khān Ṣafdar (al-Minhāj al-Wāḍiḥ, p. 283):
The so-called ritual of rotating the Qur’an has no evidence from the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, Tābiʿīn, or Mujtahid Imams.
The narration supporting it is fabricated, its wording is weak, and its chain of narration is broken and false.
Claimed Statement:
That ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) rotated the Qur’an and said it should be made a source of salvation.
Research-Based Findings:
◈ This phrase does not exist in Fatāwā Samarqandiyyah.
◈ Its chain is invalid — with unknown and broken narrators.
◈ The cited source al-Futūḥ is authored by al-Wāqidī, a known liar and abandoned narrator.
◈ Ibn Jurayj is a mudallis narrating from al-Zuhrī via ʿanʿanah (ambiguous transmission).
◈ Other narrators: Ayyūb, Saʿīd, and Jamīʿ are unknown.
◈ Vol. 7, p. 82 & Vol. 6, p. 50:
“The ritual of Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ is against the Sharīʿah, and making a will for it is ḥarām.”
“This ritual is not reported from the Lawgiver, the Salaf, or the scholars. In fact, most scholars have rejected it.”
◈ al-Tibyān by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Salām (p. 196)
◈ Fatāwā Deoband by Mufti Muḥammad Shafīʿ (1/122)
◈ Marāqī al-Falāḥ (p. 102)
◈ Majmūʿat al-Rasāʾil li al-Shāmī (1/208–210)
(as listed by Shaykh Muḥammad Ṭāhir in al-Nashāṭ, p. 9):
① Lack of Sharʿī Origin:
Had this been a meritorious act, the Sharīʿah would have legislated it.
② Bidʿah (Innovation):
Making a non-obligatory act seem obligatory is a clear innovation.
③ Insistence on Mustaḥabb Acts:
Overemphasizing optional acts leads to deviation.
④ Deception:
The supposed distribution to the poor is a façade — the money is often reclaimed.
⑤ Usurping the Wealth of Orphans & Absentees:
Distributing their shares is ḥarām.
⑥ Forcing Expenditure:
Forcing heirs to spend without consent is unjust.
⑦ Improper Fidya Distribution:
Fidya must be given in full to one needy person, not split up.
⑧ Misuse of Ownership:
Once wealth reaches someone’s hand, it becomes their property — using it without their permission is oppression.
⑨ Hypocrisy:
Those flaunting charity here often neglect Zakāh — it is showmanship, not sincerity.
⑩ Further Corruption:
The practice includes other prohibited acts like innovations, love for wealth, ostentation, and turning away from the Sharīʿah.
هذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 226
❖ Question:
Does the popular practice of Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ — involving the ritual rotation of the Qur'an for the deceased — have any basis in Sharīʿah? Or is it a fabrication invented by innovators and hypocrites to mislead Muslims from the true teachings of Islam?
❖ Answer:
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
❖ Foundational Principle of Islam:
Islam is based on clear evidence and proofs.
There is no place in Islam for baseless sayings or fabricated rituals.
Only the Qur’an and Sunnah are the criteria in Sharʿī rulings — not the words of a faqīr or peer.
❖ The Ruling on Fidya (Compensation):
Fidya is legislated only for a deceased person who missed obligatory fasts. There is no valid Sharʿī basis for offering fidya for missed prayers or other acts of worship on behalf of the deceased.❖ The Popular Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ – An Unlawful Practice:
❖ Statements of Recognized Scholars:
◈ Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah, p. 26):
“The prevalent Isqāṭ is absolute nonsense; there is no benefit in this baseless ritual, and there is no mention of it in the era of the pious predecessors.”
◈ Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Ludhyānwī (Aḥsan al-Fatāwā 1/348):
“The current method is harām and an innovation (bidʿah). It has no basis in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or classical Fiqh texts.”
❖ Evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah:
Surah al-Māʾidah, Ayah 3:“This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favour upon you, and have approved Islam as your religion.”
Surah al-Aḥzāb, Ayah 21:“Indeed, for you in the Messenger of Allah is an excellent example.”
Hadith:“Every innovation is misguidance.”
❖ Clarification in
“It is not obligatory upon the heirs to perform Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ, even if the deceased made a will for it.”
❖ Conditions of a Valid Wasiyyah (Will):
◈ The will must only concern rights actually due upon the deceased.
◈ The value must not exceed one-third of the total estate.
❖ Criticisms from Scholars of Fiqh:
◈ Wahbah al-Zuḥaylī (al-Fiqh al-Islāmī 2/135):
“Such tricks are unacceptable, as bodily worship (e.g. prayer) cannot be discharged through hollow financial transactions.”
◈ Mawlānā Sarfarāz Khān Ṣafdar (al-Minhāj al-Wāḍiḥ, p. 283):
The so-called ritual of rotating the Qur’an has no evidence from the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, Tābiʿīn, or Mujtahid Imams.
The narration supporting it is fabricated, its wording is weak, and its chain of narration is broken and false.
❖ The Samarkandī Narration — A False Claim:
Claimed Statement:That ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) rotated the Qur’an and said it should be made a source of salvation.
Research-Based Findings:◈ This phrase does not exist in Fatāwā Samarqandiyyah.
◈ Its chain is invalid — with unknown and broken narrators.
◈ The cited source al-Futūḥ is authored by al-Wāqidī, a known liar and abandoned narrator.
◈ Ibn Jurayj is a mudallis narrating from al-Zuhrī via ʿanʿanah (ambiguous transmission).
◈ Other narrators: Ayyūb, Saʿīd, and Jamīʿ are unknown.
❖ Fatāwā from Dār al-ʿUlūm Deoband:
◈ Vol. 7, p. 82 & Vol. 6, p. 50:
“The ritual of Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ is against the Sharīʿah, and making a will for it is ḥarām.”
❖ Fayḍ al-Bārī (1/302) by Anwar Shāh al-Kashmīrī:
“This ritual is not reported from the Lawgiver, the Salaf, or the scholars. In fact, most scholars have rejected it.”
❖ Additional References:
◈ al-Tibyān by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Salām (p. 196)
◈ Fatāwā Deoband by Mufti Muḥammad Shafīʿ (1/122)
◈ Marāqī al-Falāḥ (p. 102)
◈ Majmūʿat al-Rasāʾil li al-Shāmī (1/208–210)
❖ Ten Major Evils of Ḥīlah al-Isqāṭ
(as listed by Shaykh Muḥammad Ṭāhir in al-Nashāṭ, p. 9):
① Lack of Sharʿī Origin:
Had this been a meritorious act, the Sharīʿah would have legislated it.
② Bidʿah (Innovation):
Making a non-obligatory act seem obligatory is a clear innovation.
③ Insistence on Mustaḥabb Acts:
Overemphasizing optional acts leads to deviation.
④ Deception:
The supposed distribution to the poor is a façade — the money is often reclaimed.
⑤ Usurping the Wealth of Orphans & Absentees:
Distributing their shares is ḥarām.
⑥ Forcing Expenditure:
Forcing heirs to spend without consent is unjust.
⑦ Improper Fidya Distribution:
Fidya must be given in full to one needy person, not split up.
⑧ Misuse of Ownership:
Once wealth reaches someone’s hand, it becomes their property — using it without their permission is oppression.
⑨ Hypocrisy:
Those flaunting charity here often neglect Zakāh — it is showmanship, not sincerity.
⑩ Further Corruption:
The practice includes other prohibited acts like innovations, love for wealth, ostentation, and turning away from the Sharīʿah.
هذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
