A man bought a Qur’an and gave it as a gift, and the recipient gave it to another: who gets the reward?

Question

Question: If someone buys the Noble Qur’an with his own money and, intending reward, gives it outright as a gift (hiba) to another person, then the second gives it to a third, and the third to a fourth, and so on, then who, in respect of the gift, deserves the reward: the first person or each of them? Further, if the Noble Qur’an is taken away by theft, will the first person receive the reward or not? Further, is the reward for giving to a poor man and to a rich man equal, or will it be less and more?

Answer

As for giving the Qur’an as a present, the reward of all is equal; but in respect of the fact that the first person gave it after buying it (spending money), his reward is greater: the others gave the very thing that had come to them free. Moreover, the first person became the cause of the others’ giving, so for this reason too his reward is greater.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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