Ruling on giving the reward for righteous deeds to all the Muslims

Praise
be to Allah

Giving the
reward of righteous deeds to another Muslim, living or dead, is a matter
concerning which there was a difference of opinion among the scholars (may
Allah have mercy on them). We have previously discussed this issue on our
website, and stated that the view which is most likely to be correct is that
which says that no reward for any deed will reach the dead, except those
which the religious texts indicate will reach him, such as charity and
supplication (du‘aa’), because Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And
that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives”

[an-Najm
53:39].

See also the
answers to questions no. 46698 and
103966.

It is more
appropriate to say that no reward for a righteous deed will reach all the
Muslims; in fact Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: This way of giving away a reward was not narrated from any of the
early generations.

Shaykh al-Islam
(may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who, every time he
completed the Qur’an or recited anything from it, would say: O Allah, give
the reward for what I have recited as a gift from me to the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or to all the people of
the earth, from east to west.

Is that
permissible or recommended? Is it obligatory to object to this and denounce
the one who does it? Did any of the Muslim scholars do that?

Among other
things, he said:… Giving the reward of reading Qur’an to him (the Prophet –
blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or to all the people of earth is
like giving the reward of a voluntary fast or a voluntary prayer, and the
like; it is like giving the reward of charity, manumitting a slave, or
performing Hajj – according to one of the two views – to the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and all the Muslims. We have not
heard that any of the early generations, the Sahaabah, the Taabi‘een and
those who followed them, did such a thing. The earliest report that we have
heard of anyone doing any such thing mentions ‘Ali ibn al-Muwaffaq, who was
one of the senior shaykhs who were contemporaries of Ahmad and the shaykhs
of Junayd.

But giving the
reward of good deeds to all the people is something that I have never heard
of anyone doing, and I have not heard of anyone giving such reward to the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), except for what I heard
about ‘Ali ibn al-Muwaffaq and the like. But following the example of the
Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, and their followers, is more appropriate. The
individual should do what is prescribed of sending blessings and peace upon
him. This is what Allah and His Messenger have enjoined, and in as-Sunan
it is narrated from him (that he said): “Send a great deal of blessings upon
me on Friday and the night before Friday, for your blessings will be
presented to me.” Concerning the virtue of sending blessings upon him – may
my father and mother be sacrificed for him – there are many reports, and we
do not have the space to quote them all here. The same may be said about
offering supplication (du‘aa’) for the believing men and women, and praying
for forgiveness for them; this is what is mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and
ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women”

[Muhammad
47:19].

Deeds that are
prescribed in the religious texts are the deeds that the believer should be
keen to do. And Allah knows best.

End quote from
Jaami‘ al-Masaa’il by Ibn Taymiyyah (4/209-213).

Based on that,
it is not prescribed to give the reward for ‘umrah to all the Muslims.
However, for the person who did that, we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to
reward him with good for his good intention, but he should not do that
again, and he shared stick to what the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) has prescribed for us, as Shaykh al-Islam said:
Deeds that are prescribed in the religious texts are the deeds that the
believer should be keen to do.

And Allah knows
best.