Is it permissible to recite from a Qur'an copy (mushaf) in salat
During the nights of Ramadan, many people, particularly from the Sunni denomination attend the night prayers in congregation, known as 'taraweeh'. During these prayer sessions, some members of the congregation use a copy of the Qur'an to follow along with the recitation of the imam. The Arabic word for the Qur'anic text is mushaf and this is what we will use in this article. When referring to the mushaf, we are including the text in all its formats including on mobile phone devices. This issue leads to debates as to whether it is permissible to use a mushaf and questions are even raised on the validity of the salat itself. This article looks at how the Qur'an addresses this matter.
Hearing versus listening
Listening to the Qur'an with attention "...guides to the truth; and to a straight path" (46:30) and "...guides to what is correct..." (72:2). The Qur'an describes an event when Allah "...dispatched to you a company of Jinn, in order to let them listen to the Qur'an..." (46:29) and "...when they arrived there, they said 'pay attention.'..." (46:29. These Jinn recognised that if they did not pay attention, they would not receive the guidance.
When the Qur'an is being recited, and a person is not paying attention, they they become like the group of people from whom "...some of them listen..." (47:16) to when Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was reciting the Qur'an, but once they left his company, "...they say to those who have been given the knowledge 'what did he say?'..." (47:16). These people could hear what Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was reciting, but were not paying attention to the Qur'an itself. Allah describes such people as "...those are the ones whom Allah has sealed their hearts..." (47:16), which is the complete opposite of receiving mercy.
The Qur'an is full of parables for us to learn lessons from. Allah gives these stories "...so that any
In fact just listening to the recitation of the Qur'an without paying attention is one of the traits of the opponents of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). The Qur'an states that "when a reminder comes to them from their Lord..." (21:2), these would people would "...listen to it while playing" (21:2), going on to say that "their hearts are preoccupied..." (21:3) with other things. This is condemned in the Qur'an, especially in salat when Allah says "...woe to those who do salat. But, to their salat they are absent minded" (107:4 and 107:5).
listening ear may understand" (69:12). If a person is not paying attention, then the lessons from these stories will be lost on them.
In fact just listening to the recitation of the Qur'an without paying attention is one of the traits of the opponents of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). The Qur'an states that "when a reminder comes to them from their Lord..." (21:2), these would people would "...listen to it while playing" (21:2), going on to say that "their hearts are preoccupied..." (21:3) with other things. This is condemned in the Qur'an, especially in salat when Allah says "...woe to those who do salat. But, to their salat they are absent minded" (107:4 and 107:5).
Effects of listening
If a person is actively listening to the Qur'an, they will immediately know if they are obtaining any benefit from this compared to passive listening. The Qur'an states that "the believers are those whom..." (8:2) that "...when His revelations are recited to them, it increases their faith..." (8:2). If this effect was not felt, then the person was simply listening to the Qur'an whilst "their hearts are preoccupied..." (21:3).
Allah describes people of the past who "...when it is recited to them, they fall to their chins prostrating" (17:107) or "...when the revelations of the Almighty are recited to them, they fall down prostrating, and in tears" (19:58). We can conclude this requires a level of faith very few of us can hope to achieve. But the lesson from this is that they only fell down in prostration because they were paying attention to the Qur'an rather than simply hearing it.
Using a mushaf in salat
Before we tackle the question of this article, it must be noted that there is no direct evidence from the Qur'an to prohibit reciting from a mushaf when performing salat. Without any specific prohibition on using a mushaf or even a hint of one, the default position in Islam is always one of permissibility.
The overall purpose of salat is stated clearly in the Qur'an when Allah says "...hold the salat for My remembrance" (20:14). Whatever form of salat we offer, this should be our overarching goal. This is impossible without being present mentally. If the mushaf increases mental focus on the remembrance, then it should be used.
When offering salat generally, the believer must always "...stand dutifully for Allah" (2:238). This does not mean standing for the sake of standing, but to be aware that a person is standing in obedience to Allah.
The Qur'an addresses the optional night prayers specifically when Allah says "...read what is made easy of the Qur'an..." (73:20) and restates it by saying "...read what you can of it..." (73:20). Allah has made it easy to recite the Qur'an without restrictions, so if reciting from the mushaf is easier than from memory, then this should be adopted. Rejecting this as an option would be a sign of being ungrateful to the ease Allah has offered.
When someone has memorised the parts the imam is reciting, then it becomes easier for them to listen and pay attention. However, this altogether becomes more difficult for someone who has not, and for non-Arabs particularly, the recitation of the imam just becomes noise. The mind starts to wander on the remaining time, how many units have been offered, the heat in the mosque and so on. Many people simply "...listen to it while playing" (21:2) on their phones or talking amongst themselves, only joining the congregation as the imam is about to enter into the bowing position.
If such a person was instead following the recitation from a mushaf, then the outside distractions would cease immediately as total focus would be on the words themselves. They would start the salat with the imam at the very beginning of each unit just to follow along. They would now become active listeners instead of just hearing the Qur'an. They would fulfil the spirit of the verses "...read what is made easy of the Qur'an..." (73:20) and "...read what you can of it..." (73:20) and the same time they would fulfil the command to "...listen to it and pay attention..." (7:204).
Considerations when using the mushaf
Although there are no direct restrictions on using a mushaf in salat, some things need to be considered as best practice, particularly if using a mushaf on a mobile phone device to avoid distractions.
The the phone must be in aeroplane or do not disturb mode to prevent calls from coming through or pop-up notifications from showing during salat. The volume on the phone must be turned down to zero to prevent any accidental playback of sound. Finally, the screen should be dimmed to a level so it is still legible to read for the individual but not so bright that it distracts their fellow worshippers around them.
Conclusion
If the validity of salat is measured by the remembrance of Allah and the attention paid to the words of Allah, then the method which achieves this best should be utilised. For non-memorisers of the Qur'an and especially non-Arabs, reciting or following from a mushaf does not invalidate the salat but rather fulfills its true essence.