The Book Of Prayer (Kitaab-ul-Salaat)

RECITATION OF THE QUR’ AN
Allah the Supreme states, “ Recite from the Qur’ an as much as you can achieve.”
And on another occasion He states: “ And when the Qur’ an is recited, listen to it attentively and
keep silent, so that you receive mercy.”
Memorizing one Ayah (verse) of the Holy Qur’ an is a principal obligation upon every dutybound
Muslim, and memorizing the entire Holy Qur’ an is a “ Sufficing Obligation” (Farz
Kifayah). Memorizing Surah alFatehah and one small Surah (or three small verses or one large
verse equal to one small Surah) is Essential.
Learning the rulings of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) is also a principal obligation and learning it
more than what is needed is better than memorizing the entire Holy Qur’ an.
Reading the Qur’ an whilst looking at it is better than reciting from memory, for this entails
reciting it plus looking at it plus touching it – and all these are acts of worship. It is
recommended to read it with ablution, while facing the “ Qiblah” and wearing clean clothes. It
is also recommended to recite “ Taawuz” and “ Tasmiyah” prior to beginning reading the
Qur’ an. If it is the beginning of a Surah, reciting the “ Tasmiyah” is Sunnah. During recitation
if one stops to attend any worldly matter, the “ Taawuz” and the “ Tasmiyah” should be recited
again.
Reciting the Qur’ an whilst lying on the back is permitted, provided the knees are folded up.
Likewise reciting it whilst walking or working is also permitted provided the heart is not
distracted or else it is undesirable (Makrooh).
When the Qur’ an is being recited audibly, it is obligatory for all those present to be quiet and to
listen to it attentively. Listening to the Qur’ an is better than reciting it or offering Voluntary
Prayers.
In a gathering, it is forbidden for everyone to read the Qur’ an audibly at the same time. In some
“ Qur’ an Completion” (Qur’ an Khwani) gatherings everyone reads it aloud at the same time
– such collective loud reading is forbidden (haraam). When there are several people reading the
Qur’ an, each one of them must keep a low voice which is not audible to others but at least
audible to the reader (provided there is no noise interference from other sources).
Each alphabet must be pronounced correctly. Special care should be taken for similar sounding
alphabets e.g. Alif, Ain – Qaf, Kaf – Daad, Daal etc. This is very important because changing
the pronunciation could corrupt its meaning, leading to the invalidation of Prayer.
It is a grave sin to forget the Qur’ an after having memorized it or having learnt how to read it. It
is mentioned in the Hadith that a person who forgets the Qur’ an after having read it will come