What is the ruling on reciting the Qur'an in a language other than Arabic for one who is unable to read in Arabic, in prayer and otherwise?

The Shaykh : Yes

The questioner : Noble Shaykh, what is the ruling on reciting the Qur'an in a language other than Arabic, in prayer and outside of it, for one who cannot speak Arabic? And does he receive reward if he recites in a language other than Arabic?

The Shaykh : It is forbidden for a person to recite the Qur'an in a language other than Arabic, and I believe there is no disagreement among the scholars on this, because if he recites it in a language other than Arabic, it is not the Qur'an. Allah the Exalted said: And if he recites it in a language other than Arabic, the inimitability is not achieved without a doubt. If he recites it in a language other than Arabic, the order will change, because it is known that in languages other than Arabic, when the modifier and the modified are combined, the modified is placed before the modifier, the description before the described, and so on. Therefore, it is not permissible to recite the Qur'an in a language other than Arabic. Accordingly, one who does not know Arabic and wants to pray should recite the dhikr that was reported for one who is unable to recite, namely tasbih, takbir, tahlil, and tahmid. If he is unable to do this in Arabic, there is no harm in reciting the dhikr in a language other than Arabic, because it is not the Qur'an.