Reciting the Qur'an from a Mushaf in prayer

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

It is legally permissible, without objection, for one to recite the Qur’an from the Mushaf during prayer. Whether or not the individual has memorised it, such recitation does not invalidate the prayer. Indeed, if one has not committed Al-Fatihah to memory, they are required to read it from a Mushaf, a sheet of paper, or a similar source. Turning pages occasionally within the prayer does not compromise the validity of the prayer.

Likewise, if one glances at non-Qur’anic writing and repeat it internally, their prayer remains valid even if prolonged, though this is considered disliked. This ruling is established by Ash-Shaf^iyy in Al-‘Imlaʾ and is unanimously upheld by Ash-Shaf^iyy’s companions.

This position—that reading from the Mushaf does not invalidate the prayer—is upheld by Ash-Shaf^iyy, as well as by Malik, Aḥmad, and ‘Abu Yusuf al-Qadi and Muhammad ibnu l-Hasan, the two companions of ‘Abu Hanifah.

As for ‘Abu Hanifah, he stated that reading from the Mushaf invalidates the prayer. ‘Abu Bakr ar-Raziyy clarified that this ruling applies when one has not memorised the Qur’an and reads extensively from the Mushaf. However, if one has memorised it, or if they have not memorised it but read only a small portion—such as a single verse or something similar—then it does not invalidate the prayer.

‘Abu Hanifah justified his position by arguing that reading from the Mushaf requires both reflection and visual attention, which he regarded as considerable actions, comparable to receiving prompts from another person during prayer.

Those who held that reading from the Mushaf does not invalidate the prayer argued that the individual is fulfilling the act of recitation. As for thought and visual attention, they unanimously agreed that these do not invalidate the prayer if directed towards something other than the Mushaf; thus, they should certainly not do so when using a Mushaf. Furthermore, they contended that this does not constitute considerable actions or the like; it is merely a matter of glancing at the Mushaf.

^A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, reported that her servant, Dhakwan, used to lead her in prayer while reading from the Mushaf during Ramadan. This was narrated by Al-Bayhaqiyy and others and alluded to by Al-Bukhariyy.

In Al-Mudawwanah, one of the esteemed Malikiyys’ texts, Ibnu Wahb reported that Ibnu Shihab said, 'The finest among us used to read from the Masahif during Ramadan.' It was also mentioned that the servant of ^A’ishah would lead her in prayer while reading from the Mushaf during Ramadan. Malik and Al-Layth shared this view.

And Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise, and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Sources: These issues have been compiled and summarised from:

• The Prophetic Sunnah.
• Sahih Al-Bukhariyy.
• As-Sunanu l-Kubrā by Al-Bayhaqiyy.
• Al-Mudawwanah by Imam Malik.
• Al-Majmu^ by An-Nawawiyy.