Question
What is the ruling on the one who wishes to hold a mushaf whilst praying behind an imam during the tarâwîh prayer, so that he can better understand and follow along with what is being recited?
Answer
A worshipper can hold the Qur’ân to follow the reading of the imam in prayer if there is a need for it. This would be because the imam has a weak memory and has to delegate one of the worshippers to follow along with his reading in case he makes some mistake.
Otherwise, I do not think that a worshipper in prayer should follow the imam’s recitation by reading from the Qur’ân. This is because, by doing so, he has to leave out certain desirable practices in his prayer and engage in other things that are undesirable. For instance:
1. Holding the Qur’ân in prayer prevents the worshiper from placing his right hand over his left while standing, though this is a Sunnah act of prayer.
2. It prevents him from looking at the place of prostration while he is standing in prayer, which is also a Sunnah act.
3. It forces the worshipper to make many extraneous and unnecessary movements, such as opening and closing the Qur’ân and putting it somewhere, like under his arm, when he bows, prostrates, and the like.
Scholars say that any movement in prayer that is unnecessary is something disliked, since it detracts from the worshipper’s humility and concentration.
Some scholars have even said that the unnecessary movements of the eyes are enough to invalidate the person’s prayer. The eyes have to follow along with the recitation, moving from right to left and from line of text to line of text. Due to the amount of words he will have to read, this adds up to a lot of unnecessary movement, enough to invalidate the prayer.
Therefore, my advice to my fellow Muslims is to avoid this practice, and instead, concentrate on improving their concentration and their humility in prayer.
Otherwise, I do not think that a worshipper in prayer should follow the imam’s recitation by reading from the Qur’ân. This is because, by doing so, he has to leave out certain desirable practices in his prayer and engage in other things that are undesirable. For instance:
1. Holding the Qur’ân in prayer prevents the worshiper from placing his right hand over his left while standing, though this is a Sunnah act of prayer.
2. It prevents him from looking at the place of prostration while he is standing in prayer, which is also a Sunnah act.
3. It forces the worshipper to make many extraneous and unnecessary movements, such as opening and closing the Qur’ân and putting it somewhere, like under his arm, when he bows, prostrates, and the like.
Scholars say that any movement in prayer that is unnecessary is something disliked, since it detracts from the worshipper’s humility and concentration.
Some scholars have even said that the unnecessary movements of the eyes are enough to invalidate the person’s prayer. The eyes have to follow along with the recitation, moving from right to left and from line of text to line of text. Due to the amount of words he will have to read, this adds up to a lot of unnecessary movement, enough to invalidate the prayer.
Therefore, my advice to my fellow Muslims is to avoid this practice, and instead, concentrate on improving their concentration and their humility in prayer.
-islamtoday.net
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