He replied:

Praise be to Allah. His instructions must be carried out, for paying someone to recite the Quran and dedicate its reward to the deceased is an innovation not reported from any of the early generations. The scholars discussed only the case of someone who recites for Allah’s sake and dedicates the reward to the deceased. There are differing scholarly views concerning payment for teaching the Quran.

As for hiring someone to recite and dedicate the reward, this has not been reported from any of the imams, nor did they permit it. When recitation is performed for payment, it becomes an exchange for compensation: there is no spiritual reward in it, and nothing reaches the deceased. Only righteous deeds reach him. None of the imams endorsed hiring someone merely to recite; their discussion concerned hiring someone to teach.

If this woman wishes to benefit her husband, however, she should give in charity on his behalf whatever she intended to spend on hiring someone. By agreement of the imams, charity reaches the deceased, and Allah benefits him through it. If she gives this money in charity to poor Quran reciters so that they need not depend on their recitation for their livelihood, a reward is earned in proportion to the assistance they receive in reciting, and Allah benefits the deceased through that. And Allah knows best.

He was asked:

Concerning a man’s mosque supported by an endowment, whose property was subject to ground rent: before his death, he directed that money be taken from one-third of his estate to purchase the land for which the endowment paid ground rent. Its purchase proved impossible because that land was itself an endowment. He had heirs of limited means, and the executor agreed with them to spend part of the third on repairing the mosque. If some of the third is left to the orphans, is the executor personally liable for it?

He replied:

Rather, the executor must disburse the entire third as the deceased instructed him, leaving none of it to the heirs. Then, if it is possible to purchase the land specified by the testator, he must purchase it and establish it as an endowment