Question
When a child is born or someone dies, our family sometimes does something called a ‘khatam’, where everyone in the family gets one Juz of the Quran and they have–for example–one week to complete it. Then we all come together and someone recites the last verses of Juz 30. My family says this way everyone got the reward of finishing the Quran. Is this a Bid’ah? And is it Haram to participate in it?
Answer
This is a Bid’ah (innovation), because Allah did not teach the Prophet to organize a Khatam when someone from his family died (such as his wife Khadijah, or his daughters, Zainab, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum) or if a child was born to him (such as his son Ibrahim). Nor did the Prophet teach his Ummah to do any such practice. Hence, it is Haram to participate in this ritual. The Prophet said:
‘Whoever introduces a practice not authenticated by me will have it rejected.’
Narrated by Muslim in As-Sahih 1718b
And the Prophet said:
‘Anyone who introduces in our Deen anything which does not belong to it will have it rejected.’
Narrated by Muslim in As-Sahih 1718a