أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي تَوَلَّى ﴿۳۳﴾ وَأَعْطَى قَلِيلًا وَأَكْدَى ﴿۳۴﴾ أَعِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْغَيْبِ فَهُوَ يَرَى ﴿۳۵﴾ أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَى ﴿۳۶﴾ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى ﴿۳۷﴾ أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ﴿۳۸﴾ وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى ﴿۳۹﴾

﴾33﴿ Afara'ayatal lazee tawallaa
﴾34﴿ Wa a'taa qaleelanw wa akdaa
﴾35﴿ A'indahoo 'ilmul ghaibi fahuwa yaraa
﴾36﴿ Am lam yunabbaa bimaa fee suhuhfi Moosa
﴾37﴿ Wa Ibraaheemal lazee waffaaa
﴾38﴿ Allaa taziru waaziratunw wizra ukhraa
﴾39﴿ Wa al laisa lil insaani illaa maa sa'aa

﴾33﴿ Have you seen the case of the one who has turned away
﴾34﴿ And has given a little, then withheld
﴾35﴿ Does he have knowledge of the unseen, so he sees
﴾36﴿ Has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses, peace be upon him
﴾37﴿ And in [the scriptures of] Abraham, who fully fulfilled [his obligations]
﴾38﴿ That no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another
﴾39﴿ And that man shall have nothing except what he strives for

[33,34] The connection is this: just as self-praise is forbidden, likewise it is also prohibited to have the false hope that doing a little righteous deed and then abandoning the religion is enough for salvation — such a belief is of no benefit.
In these verses, the rebuke is directed at a specific trait — and whoever possesses it is included — such as someone who performs one prostration to Allah, yet does not accept Tawḥīd (Oneness of God) or the Prophethood, and believes that this alone is sufficient for salvation.
Or a scholar who calls to the truth for a while and then stops, or who preaches one issue while neglecting to convey other parts of the truth, thinking that this is enough.
A human or jinn devil may deceive such a person by saying, “There’s no need to do more — the sin is on me,” or, “Your father and grandfather did many good deeds; that’s enough for you.”
So in these verses, Allah warns such people and refutes these two misconceptions.
(وَأَكْدَى) — this word is derived metaphorically from "kudiyyah" (a hard rock layer). It refers to someone digging a well who encounters a rock and gives up, unable to continue.
In the same way, this person began doing some religious work, but when hardship or difficulty appeared, he abandoned it.
[35] That is, as if it has been revealed to him through the unseen or through revelation that a small portion of religion is enough for salvation and there is no need to follow the entire religion — but in reality, this is not the case.
[36,37] The meaning of the Scrolls of Musa (Ṣuḥuf Mūsā) is the Torah, because it contained various sections — just as the Qur'an is also referred to as "honorable scriptures" (ṣuḥuf mukarramah).
Or it may refer to other smaller scriptures that were given to Musa (peace be upon him) before the Torah. The exact number of these, according to the sound opinion, is not definitively established.
Likewise, the complete number of the Scriptures of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is also not known with certainty according to authentic narrations.
[38] From this verse up to verse (55) are the themes and messages of those scriptures (Ṣuḥuf), though according to another opinion, it is up to verse (42).
Within these verses is a refutation of the first doubt or whispering (waswasah) — which is that the person who abandons part of the religion has been deceived by a human or jinn devil, who whispers to him: “There is no sin in leaving the rest of the religion — I will bear the responsibility for it.”
[39] This passage addresses the second waswasah (doubt/whispering) — the notion that the actions of one's forefathers are sufficient for salvation, and thus the descendants need not act themselves. The verse refutes this, encouraging each person to strive and act for their own benefit and salvation.
Note: Recitation of the Noble Qur’an is included among physical acts of worship. There is no explicit textual evidence (nass) that rewards from such acts can be given to others, but according to the Hanafis, it is included under general principles.
However, organizing a special gathering to complete the Qur’an (khatm), such as when many people gather and divide portions among themselves — with some reading aloud and others silently — for the sake of a communal completion (khatm), has no authentic basis in the texts. This is also mentioned in Fatāwā Bazzāziyyah:
> "It is disliked (makrūh) to prepare food for the deceased on the first, third, or seventh day, or during the festivals; and to bring food to the grave during seasonal occasions; and to organize gatherings for Qur’an recitation, or to gather pious people and reciters for completing the Qur’an or for reciting Sūrah al-Anʿām or al-Ikhlāṣ."** (Volume 1, page 81, Ḥāshiyah Ālamgīriyyah)
Ibn Kathīr said the meaning of this verse has been used by Imām al-Shāfiʿī and his followers as proof that the reward of Qur’an recitation does not reach the deceased, because such a practice was not done by the Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not request it, encourage it, or indicate it in any text or hint, and it is not reported from any Companion. If it were a good deed, the Companions would have done it before us. In matters of worship, one must rely solely on established texts, and not on analogy or personal opinions.
In Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, it is written that if Qur’an recitation is done for payment — as is common today, where people pay ḥāfiẓes to recite on behalf of their deceased — then the reward does not reach the deceased, because the act becomes invalid due to the sin of taking payment for Qur’an recitation, which is impermissible.