Is it permissible for the imam to read from the mushaf in the tarawih prayer if he fears making a mistake?

The questioner : In the tarawih prayer, if the imam fears making a mistake, may he read from a mushaf placed in front of him?

The Shaykh : He is not permitted to do that. Who is it that fears making a mistake when reciting the Quran? If the one to whom the Quran was revealed sometimes made a mistake, then here are two examples that come to mind for me, one related to outside the prayer and the other related to inside the prayer. As for the first, it is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque one day and heard a reciter reciting the Quran, so he said: As for the second hadith, which is related to the prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed a prayer with loud recitation, and he became confused. He became confused. What does "became confused" mean? What do you say? I do not know?

The questioner : He was closed over.

The Shaykh : He was closed over. He was closed over. He began to stammer, taking and giving, as happens with people, because he is a human being by the text of the Noble Quran. After he finished the prayer, he said: He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: From this comes the legitimacy and the Sunnah of the person behind the imam correcting the imam, because every person makes a mistake and every person forgets. What is this?

The questioner : The adhan, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed. Every person forgets, and therefore Allah the Exalted said: So the means is not that, fearing the imam will make a mistake, he places the mushaf open with its pages in front of the imam. No, for two reasons. The first reason is that this opening or this means is an unlegitimate means; rather, it is an innovative means that our righteous predecessors did not know. This is the first reason. The other reason is that this means contradicts a noble Prophetic guidance and method. And if a means contradicts a Prophetic guidance or a Prophetic method, then it is undoubtedly of the category of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): If we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes made a mistake, and that he called Abu Ayyub to correct him when he became confused, that means the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. The second reason is that adopting this means contradicts a noble Prophetic guidance, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): The meaning of "keep this Quran in check" is that you should take care of preserving it and follow up on its study. For if you do not do that, it will slip out of your chests just as camels slip out of their tethers from their moorings. And it is known among camel owners that camels have a fierce nature in their disposition, and therefore the Arabs used to strike a comparison with them, saying in old times: "So-and-so is more resentful than a camel." So from his resentment and narrowness of chest, he cuts his tether and runs away like a runaway camel, and it is used as a comparison. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) orders the preservers of the Quran to keep the Quran in check through study, preservation, and review, otherwise the Quran will slip out of their chests just as camels slip out of their tethers. And we see today a phenomenon in many mosques, even in the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, regarding some imams, and not all of them, that they place a mushaf on a high table or stand. And I witnessed this myself in Ta'if, where one of them takes a mushaf, not the small size, but a bit larger, and places it under his armpit. Glory be to Allah. He bows, but he cannot lean forward. He is in the middle of reciting, he finishes the recitation, and he wants to bow, so he puts it under his armpit and bows and prostrates, as some jurists say, like a woman, with it held close to his body, because if he leans forward, the noble mushaf would fall. He stands for the second rak'ah, opens the mushaf, and reads from it. I saw this, and others saw it, and I was asked more than once: What is the ruling on one of the followers taking the mushaf in his hand with the same fear that was in the previous question, so that he can correct the imam if he makes a mistake in his recitation? We say the same answer. First, it is an innovation that was not in the time of the righteous predecessors. Second, it places this person who relies on the mushaf, whether he is an imam or a follower, in a state where he does not take care of studying the Quran, keeping it in check, and following up on its review.

The questioner : There are some sheikhs who come with a reciter?

The Shaykh : You got ahead of me. Be patient. This is the ruling.