[Q-ID0839] Is it permissible to hold or look at the Qur’an whilst praying Salah?

QUESTION:

What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: I saw a video of Tarāwīh Salāh where the respected Imām was reciting the Holy Qur’ān whilst looking at a physical copy of it during Salāh, so by doing so, will Salāh be valid – is there leeway & leniency for this in Nafl and Tarāwīh Salāh?

Questioner: Imam Ijaz from UK

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

No! It is not permissible in any Salāh – be it Fard, Sunnah or Nafl – for a man or woman to hold a physical copy of the Holy Qur’ān and recite it or pray it without holding in fact even looking at it during Salāh; Salāh becomes invalid from this because this is regarded as a major action of movement [‘Amal Kathīr]. Furthermore, there is instruction and learning of such a thing found in this that is outside of Salāh, and learning from anything outside of Salāh invalidates Salāh itself^[1].

Just as it is stated in al-Bahr al-Rā’iq,

“(وَقِرَاءَتُهُ مِنْ مُصْحَفٍ) أَيْ يُفْسِدُهَا عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَقَالَا هِيَ تَامَّةٌ لِأَنَّهَا عِبَادَةٌ انْضَافَتْ إلَى عِبَادَةٍ إلَّا أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ تَشَبُّهٌ بِصَنِيعِ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلِأَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَجْهَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ حَمْلَ الْمُصْحَفِ وَالنَّظَرَ فِيهِ وَتَقْلِيبَ الْأَوْرَاقِ عَمَلٌ كَثِيرٌ الثَّانِي أَنَّهُ تَلَقَّنَ مِنْ الْمُصْحَفِ فَصَارَ كَمَا إذَا تَلَقَّنَ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ۔۔۔ كَمَا ذَكَرَهُ الْعَلَّامَةُ الْحَلَبِيُّ بِمَا أَخْرَجَهُ ابْنُ أَبِي دَاوُد عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ نَهَانَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْ نَؤُمَّ النَّاسَ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ فَإِنَّ الْأَصْلَ كَوْنُ النَّهْيِ يَقْتَضِي الْفَسَادَ وَأَرَادَ بِالْمُصْحَفِ الْمَكْتُوبَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ”

[al-Bahr al-Rā’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqā’iq, vol. 4, p. 73]

And it is also stated in Badā’i’ al-Sanā’i’,

“أَنَّ هَذَا يُلَقَّنُ مِنْ الْمُصْحَفِ فَيَكُونُ تَعَلُّمًا مِنْهُ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ الْمُصْحَفِ يُسَمَّى مُتَعَلِّمًا فَصَارَ كَمَا لَوْ تَعَلَّمَ مِنْ مُعَلِّمٍ وَذَا يُفْسِدُ الصَّلَاةَ وَكَذَا هَذَا”

[Badā’i’ al-Sanā’i’, vol. 1, p. 236]

^[1] Another similar example to this is following the Luqmah of someone outside of Salāh.

واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری

Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Haider Ali Madani

Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0839] Is it permissible to hold or look at the Qur’an whilst praying Salah?