Does reciting Qur'an for a deceased person reach them?

What is certain from the texts is that duʿa, seeking forgiveness, sadaqah, settling debts and Hajj on their behalf benefit the dead: "When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except three — ongoing charity, knowledge benefited from, or a righteous child who supplicates for him" (Sahih Muslim 1631), and Allah praises those who came later saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith" (Quran 59:10). As for gifting the reward of Qur'an recitation specifically, there is genuine ikhtilaf among the scholars: the Hanafis and Hanbalis held that it reaches the deceased, while the well-known Maliki and Shafiʿi position — and that of scholars such as Ibn Baz and Ibn ʿUthaymin — is that it is not established from the Prophet or his Companions, and they pointed to "man shall have nothing but what he strove for" (Quran 53:39). Since neither the Prophet nor his Companions are known to have recited Qur'an for their dead, the safest and best-supported course is to make duʿa for them, give sadaqah on their behalf, and clear their debts — while someone who recites and gifts the reward is following a recognised madhhab and should not be rebuked over it. Reserve the recitation itself, above all, for your own reward and guidance.

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