Is It Compulsory to Teach Children to Read and Recite the Quran in Arabic?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is it compulsory to teach children to read Arabic and recite the Quran in Arabic? Is it acceptable for them to read it from transliterations?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is compulsory for one to facilitate for their children to be able to recite the Quran properly in the Arabic language. This is because the recitation of the Quran is an obligation of the prayer, without which the prayer is invalid – and is an obligation on the parents to teach their children the prayer. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Command your children to pray when they are seven years old and discipline them for not doing so at the age of ten and give them separate beds.”  [Abu Dawud]

As for reading the Quran in Arabic, this in itself is not legally obligatory. This is clear from the fact that many of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) could not read or write, even though they were able to recite the Quran.

However, not facilitating for one’s child to learn to read the Quran will deprive them of immense good in this life and the next, even if they can mimic the Arabic through transliteration. Due to this consideration, if one has the means to facilitate for their children to learn to read the Quran in the original Arabic, neglecting to do so would be reprehensible at the least.

Many mosques have Quran classes for children. Seek out a Quran class for your children and yourself if needed, and sign your child up for it. Intend that you are securing your child’s future relationship with the Book of Allah Most High. This will benefit him and you in this world, the grave, and the Hereafter.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.