Does the reward of Qur'an recitation reach the dead?

A question on gifting the reward of Qur'an recitation to the dead, in which Ibn Baz set out the disagreement and held that it is better left, in favour of charity and supplication. ¹

The questioner asked whether, if someone recites the Qur'an and gifts its reward to his father, friend or brother, the reward reaches them. ¹

Ibn Baz said the question is disputed: most scholars hold that the reward arrives, while others say neither the Prophet nor the Companions are reported to have done it. ¹ He held that it is better to leave it, with each person reciting for himself, and that charity on behalf of the dead and supplication for them benefit them by the consensus of Muslims. ¹ He added that fasts a person neglected after recovering from illness are fasted on his behalf after his death, and an obligatory or vowed pilgrimage is performed for him, but praying on behalf of the dead has no basis. ¹

This answer is published on binbaz.org.sa, the official site of Ibn Baz's legacy, as fatwa 4002. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.