The Shaykh’s talk on reciting from the mushaf in prayer.

The Shaykh: Often, and naturally, lightly, they divert Muslims from their religion and the rulings of their Shari'ah. They make attractive to them something that, at the very least, is not prescribed, thereby diverting them from what is prescribed. For hours I have been talking about reciting the Qur'an from the mushaf in prayer. What comes to mind is that there is something in it: one reads more of the Qur'an than what he has in his mind. I know that in this house, or these houses, they engage in this practice a lot during Ramadan.

The questioner: In the tarawih prayer.

The Shaykh: Yes, indeed. You find the imam holding the mushaf while he is reciting.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Why? Because he does not have it memorized, and if he did... if he had memorized it, he would not need to read from the mushaf. Few people remember and reflect on the consequence of this practice. The consequence of this practice is contrary to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended with his authentic, well-known hadith: . In this hadith, there is a command to keep the Qur'an... to repeat it until it is firmly established in the chest. This is because the Messenger (peace be upon him) emphasized that this Qur'an is more likely to slip from the chests of men than camels from their ropes. So when a person relies on opening the mushaf, what does he need this effort for? This means he tires his mind. Memorization, in reality, requires care. I am drinking, I mean, a sip or two for the sake of Umm al-Fadl, otherwise she knows that there is no... between me and it. In Islamic jurisprudence, there is something called the chapter of blocking the means to harm (sadd al-dhara'i'), and this is a very important principle of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh). Through it, a person can come to know many rulings for which there is no explicit text in the Sunnah or the Qur'an, such as this issue. What is in it? He opens the mushaf and reads. The Messenger said: . So he is able to read from the Qur'an directly from the mushaf more than he is able to read from his memory. But also, the previously mentioned rule applies here: deeds are judged by their endings. Where does opening the door to reciting from the mushaf by the imams of mosques lead? Do we not find memorizers... people who rely on reading the Qur'an directly from the mushaf? This is one thing. The second thing is that these imams who read from the mushaf in their prayer will lose many of the recommended practices (sunnah), if not the obligatory ones, regarding the manner of prayer. You find one of them, after he finishes reading from the mushaf, puts it under his armpit and tightens it like this. How do you see him after the bowing (ruku')? Because when he stands up, the mushaf falls. So he has to do this. He contradicts the Sunnah more than this when he wants to prostrate (sujud): . He cannot do it; he has to support himself on the mushaf so it does not fall. This is like, and I wish it were like, the one who builds a palace and demolishes a fortress. But this is not what he wants; it means he contradicts the Sunnah in caring for the memorization of the Qur'an and relies on reading from the mushaf. Therefore, we do not see this reading from the mushaf as permissible for the person. And may the one who takes a salary for the duty of leading the prayer fulfill the obligation of this salary and give special care to this Qur'an so that he leads the people well, especially in the month of standing, the blessed month of Ramadan.

The questioner: ... meaning a person who is not a memorizer and is praying alone.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: And praying alone.

The Shaykh: Like al-Hakam.

The questioner: Because this is the one who puts a small mushaf in his pocket.

The Shaykh: Like al-Hakam. This is not different. It is said to him: If you do not memorize...

The questioner: Meaning the prayer is not valid.

The Shaykh: No, the prayer is valid. We do not want to say the prayer is valid, but this is the most complete, or otherwise this is better, or otherwise.

The questioner: There is no doubt this is better. There is no doubt.

The Shaykh: No, we are now discussing.

The questioner: Perhaps with the Hanafis the prayer is invalidated. I mean, where did they get this ruling from?

The Shaykh: This ruling comes from the movements. The three movements invalidate the prayer with them.

The questioner: He reads, but it is related to...

The Shaykh: This is not what I know about them, but it is known about them that they are very strict about movements in prayer. They say three consecutive movements invalidate the prayer. So the person praying alone whom you asked about is told: If you have the ability and the need, memorize the Qur'an and keep it so it does not slip from you. And if you do not have the ability, do what the one who led the people in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him) did. A man from the Ansar led the people in the five prayers, not in Ramadan, and he used to recite in every rak'ah . They complained to the Messenger that this is our imam... this is his story. He sent someone after him. He was saying to them: O people, if you like this, I will lead you, otherwise look for someone else. So they complained to the Messenger and he sent someone after him. He mentioned to him what they said to him. He said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I love it. He said: Your love for it has brought you into Paradise . So which layman thinks he will not memorize and repeat it? And he (peace be upon him) said: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ تعدل ثلث القرآن Say: He is Allah, the One, is equal to one-third of the Qur'an.. And once the Messenger (peace be upon him) came out to the Companions and said to them: . They said: All of us. He said: مَن قرأ : قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ثلاث مرات فكأنَّما قرأ القرآن كله Whoever recites: Say, He is Allah, the One, three times, it is as if he has read the whole Qur'an.. So the matter is made easy. But this ease has been lost by many Muslims for years... from one side, and because of their arrogance and following their desires from the other side. And Allah is the Helper.

The questioner: Our teacher...

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : The time.

The Shaykh: What is it? We said, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, previously, he needs to bring us sweets. He brought us sweets and then finished with coffee. I do not know if there is anything after that.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Please. May Allah reward you with good. We are ready.