Is it permissible to pray Tarawih using the Mushaf?

The Shaykh : ... There is an issue that occurs frequently today in every month of Ramadan, which is that many of the imams of the mosques, when they lead the people in the night prayer, read directly from the Mushaf. This is a reality in your land, just as it is a reality in our land. So, we ask here: Is this prescribed? As for me, my answer is no. There are some of the noble scholars who permit it, saying yes, and their evidence for that is a narration that is authentic in terms of its chain: This is an authentic narration. As for my answer regarding this narration, it is that this narration does not represent the methodology of the Salaf in general. It represents the opinion of the Mother of the Believers, first of all, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), for whom it is not obligatory to go out to the mosque and pray the obligatory prayers with the Muslim congregation, let alone the night prayer, which is from the voluntary prayers. Moreover, not only is it not obligatory for her, but it is recommended for her to pray in the privacy of her home. So, as I said, first, this does not represent the Salafi awareness in this issue, as the Salaf were a gathering of men, scholars, and students of knowledge, and so on. Second, this is a specific issue concerning the Mother of the Believers and her slave. If someone were to say that such a practice is permissible, we would say it is permissible by following the Mother of the Believers. But to make it a general Sunnah for the imams of the mosques who lead men in the mosques, this is contrary to what the Salaf were upon. Let us return to the fact that we are Salafis. So, when a detail like this detail contradicts the general methodology, we either exclude it from the rule absolutely, or we make an exception for it and give it a specific form that does not contradict the rule. The rule is that the imams of the mosques lead the people from their memorization and their recollection. This is similar to that issue, although it was not reported from any of the early Salaf, may Allah have mercy on you, that they used an amulet from the Qur'an. This was not reported from the Companions. This was reported from Sayyidah Aishah, but this is a specific issue. Then I say, yes? But yes, indeed. Then I add that opening the door to permitting the imams of the mosques to read from the Mushaf in the night prayer of Ramadan nullifies a fixed Shari'ah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "Keep this Qur'an in good condition." This means take care of its memorization and study, because if it is not studied, it will be lost and gone. If it is said to the imams of the mosques, "There is no necessity for you to memorize the Qur'an; just open the Mushaf, put it on a high table, read from it, and turn the pages while you are praying," this means practically diverting these imams from keeping the Qur'an in good condition, which they were commanded to do by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So, this would be from the innovations that contradict the Sunnah. Not just an innovation, but an innovation that contradicts the Sunnah. And it is agreed upon to combat the innovation that contradicts the Sunnah, if they only knew. For this reason, we do not permit this which has spread now, especially in the Sacred Mosque and in other mosques around it, to read directly from the noble Mushaf. Because first, it was not the practice of the righteous Salaf in general, and second, it involves nullifying the authentic Sunnah that commands keeping the noble Qur'an in good condition. So, this is exactly like that. Therefore, if one finds someone who says it is permissible to hang something of the Qur'an or read it from the courtyard and drink it, this is merely an opinion, merely an opinion, and it is not made a general Shari'ah.

Another questioner : In the Haram, some of our brothers told me, as you mentioned, about reading from the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : Sometimes, yes.
onAl-Halabi : This reminded me of a question to our Shaykh.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Ali: That sometimes a reciter stands behind him with the Mushaf, so if he makes a mistake... Is this the same ruling in another form?

The Shaykh : It is the same, the same. In fact, this is one of the bad effects of that, hehehe. Yes, indeed. I prayed once, I think in Ta'if, and Allah knows best, behind an imam who was reading from the Mushaf. Look, Subhan Allah, always when speaking about innovations, I remember the report: "No innovation is introduced except that a Sunnah is killed." What was this imam doing? When he finished and wanted to bow, he put the Mushaf under his armpit. Imagine how his bowing would be, how his prostration would be, like the prostration of women in some schools of jurisprudence, hehehe. What led him to contradict this Sunnah, or rather these Sunnahs, was his introduction of this innovation. No innovation is introduced except that Sunnahs are killed.
onAl-Halabi : Allahu Akbar...