Reciting the Qur’an in the Ritual Prayer (Salat)

Question: Is reciting the Qur’an in the ritual prayer (salat) the same as praying outside of the ritual prayer?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

Reciting the Qur’an in the ritual prayer (salat) is different from reciting it normally, and that is for a number of reasons.

Firstly, by opening the prayer with the takbir (saying Allahu akbar) one is in a sacred state (much like pilgrim sanctity), and that makes everything one does far greater on a spiritual level.

Secondly, reciting (a certain amount) of the Qur’an in the prayer is an obligation, while reciting the Qur’an normally is a sunna. This means that reciting Qur’an in prayer is more in Allah’s eyes and the reward He gives for it is more.

Also, there are many hadiths that mention the merit of reciting the Qur’an, and many of them mention the context of reciting the Qur’an specifically in prayer. For example, one hadith mentions how the angels descended around the Companion Usayd ibn Khudayr as he recited Qur’an at night in prayer (Bukhari and Muslim).

So reciting Qur’an is an amazing thing, but greater still is reciting it in prayer.

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language