permanently and in perpetuity for work that benefits neither him nor the person performing it? This harms the heirs and other people by withholding wealth from them without anyone deriving any benefit. It also harms the recipients by putting them to work in which they are bound to serve, preventing them from attending to their religious and worldly interests. Thus, neither he nor they derive any benefit. We have discussed this principle at length elsewhere.

Once this is understood, it is better for each person to recite the Quran individually than for a group to recite together in unison. The latter is called “qirā’at al-irāda.” A number of scholars have disapproved of it, including Mālik, some followers of Imam Ahmad, and others. Those who permitted it—such as some followers of Imam Ahmad—did not say that it was better than individual recitation, in which each person recites the entire Quran. As for the recitation under discussion, no individual recites the entire Quran; rather, one continues from where another left off, and another continues from where he left off. Anyone who has not memorized the Quran omits the portions he has not memorized.

Recitation after Maghrib has no particular recommended merit that would give it precedence over recitation in the middle of the night, after Fajr, or at other such times. Thus, singling out that time for such an act does not in itself draw one nearer to Allah. If someone were to vow to pray, fast, recite the Quran, or undertake a devotional retreat in a particular place