Serving Tea at an Isal al-Thawab Gathering

Question

Some Muslims, monthly or weekly, in one place or in various houses, recite the Holy Qur’an and bestow the reward upon the souls of their friends, relatives and all the people of Islam, and the host of the house, out of courtesy, serves tea and the like. What is the ruling on everyone reciting the Qur’an together in this manner and partaking of the tea and so on — given that this programme is dropped from time to time?

Answer

Performing isal al-thawab through Qur’an recitation with such [organised] care is not established [in the Sacred Law]; one should refrain from it. Individually there is no objection. And serving tea and the like at the conclusion is, in form, a recompense (mu‘awada); one should refrain from it.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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