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:

salam aleikom

my mother is not arab so she cannot read arabic. as we are in ramadan i was wondering whether i could read Koran for her, i mean reading Koran with the intention that the deeds go to her.

is this acceptable?

jazakom Allah khairan

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Mom cannot read Arabic

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 185:

185    Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to (all) mankind.

 

Beloved Sister in Islam, it is indeed a grave misconception that the Glorious Quran is only for the Arab race….for without an iota of a doubt, the Guidance of the Glorious Quran is not confined to any one race of people, but rather its guidance is for all of mankind!

 

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2137         Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter, and Meem’ is a letter."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.459         Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet (saws) said, "Such a person as recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward."

 

It is incumbent upon every person who claims to be a believer that they must at least make an effort to learn the Arabic language, the language in which the Lord Chose to reveal His Last and Final Revelations.

 

Your Question: as we are in ramadan i was wondering whether i could read Koran for her, i mean reading Koran with the intention that the deeds go to her.

is this acceptable?

Respected Sister, if your mother is alive and is unable to read Arabic, instead of striving to recite the Glorious Quran ‘for’ her, you should recite the Quran ‘to’ her….not only in the Arabic language, but also translate the wise guidance of the Quran to her in a language she understands best….so that she may benefit from its guidance and its counsel.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 164:

164    …. Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.  Your goal in the end is toward Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 53 Surah Najm verse 39:

39      That man can have nothing but what he (himself) strives for.

 

Just as one cannot do a sin and transfer the evil of that sin to another, one cannot do a good deed and transfer its rewards to their loved ones, unless and until that ‘transfer’ of rewards is endorsed by Allah and His Messenger (saws).  To the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) allowed one to recite the Glorious Quran and ‘transfer’ the rewards of their recitation to their loved ones!

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan