Reciting Tahlil on the dead for 7 to 40 days

20-1-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

I would like to ask a question concerning issues that usually happen in Thailand.A group of people and reading and providing food to other people invited to recite TAHLIL on dead people at home the day of a person dies until 7 days and some times for 40 days. Is this proper?May Allah blessing all of us.

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

By and large, it is permitted to recite Qur'an and pray to Allah to grant its reward to some deceased. But, it is an innovation to fix a time limit to do so, such as one week, 40 days and so on since there is no evidence for it in Shari'a.
As for giving a banquet and holding meeting with supplication and remembrance, this is not in accordance with the Prophetic guidance (SAW) nor his companions or their followers. This constitutes an innovation that we are to avoid. Then, we are advised to do some legal deeds on this occasion such as giving Sadaqa, supplication in general, reciting Qur'an and doing good deeds, and then granting their reward to the deceased. Then, it is not allowed to ask some one to recite the Qur'an on behalf of the dead and pay him some money.
Allah knows best.