Is it permissible to perform the prayer (Salah), ذكر (Dhikr - remembrance of Allah), and recite the Quran for the deceased, and if so, how?

Scholars have reached a consensus that the deceased benefits from supplication (du'a) and charity (sadaqah), and that their rewards reach them. However, they differed on whether the rewards of other good deeds, such as remembrance (dhikr), Quran recitation, and prayer (salat), reach the deceased.

Some scholars are of the view that the rewards of all good deeds reach the deceased. Among those who held this view are Ahmad and Abu Hanifa, as well as a group of Maliki and Shafi'i scholars. They based their argument on narrations from the Prophet (peace be upon him) permitting giving charity and fasting on behalf of the deceased, and on the actions of the Companions.

On the other hand, others held that what reaches the deceased is limited to some deeds and not others, such as supplication, charity, and fasting. An-Nawawi, the well-known position of the Shafi'i school, and a group of scholars stated that the recitation of the Quran does not reach the deceased.

Scholars have differed in interpreting the verse: "And that man will only have what he endeavored for" [Quran 53:39], offering several interpretations. These include: that it is abrogated by the verse: "And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith" [Quran 52:21]; or that it indicates justice, and that grace is in Allah's hand, to bestow upon whom He wills; or that a person's endeavor can be through various means.