Is there a contradiction between Ibn Kathir's نقل (narration/report) from Al-Shafi'i regarding the denial of the ثواب (reward) of dedicating Quran recitation to the deceased, and a fatwa that permits it? And what is the basis for the Shafi'is' agreement on this matter, given that the head of the madhhab (school of thought) says otherwise? And is the ثواب (reward) owned by the reciter of the Quran to bestow upon whomever he wishes, or is it a matter in the hand of Allah?

The disagreement regarding the issue of reciting the Quran for the deceased and dedicating its reward to them is old and well-known. The Hanafis and Hanbalis have affirmed its permissibility, based on the principle that all good deeds reach the deceased, and because people have habitually done so without objection. As for the Malikis and Shafi'is, they have two opinions: the non-reception of the reward (the view of the earlier scholars) and the reception of the reward (the view of the later scholars), with the latter being the preferred view supported by evidence. The noble verse "And that man will not have but what he strove for" indicates that a person is not given the earnings of others, but if that other person bestows their earnings, then it becomes part of their own earnings.