This excerpt is taken from Kitab al-Sawm, compiled by Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri, may Allah preserve him.
Question:
How is it to make a minor listener stand in the first row during Taraweeh prayer?
Answer:
It is permissible.
Question:
How is it to spread a prayer mat to designate a place for the listener during Taraweeh?
Answer:
It is necessary, because the listener stands in a place where he can hear the recitation of the reciter perfectly and can easily correct any mistake. Therefore, spreading a prayer mat to designate the listener's place is correct.
Question:
Can the Taraweeh congregation be held outside the mosque?
Answer:
Taraweeh prayer can be held anywhere.
Question:
How is it for a person who shaves his beard to lead the Taraweeh prayer?
Answer:
Shaving the beard is openly a major sin; such a person is a disobedient one (fasiq), and a fasiq should not be made an imam of any prayer, neither voluntary nor obligatory.
Question:
How is it to lead the prayer by looking at the Mushaf?
Answer:
If one is unable to recite verbally in prayer, then reciting by holding the Quran in hand is permissible; the hadith scholars considered it permissible. Similarly, if the listener is not a hafiz, he can also do so. The evidences are as follows:
➊ It is about Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
يؤمها عبدها ذكوان من المصحف
"Their servant Zakwān used to make them lead the prayer by looking at the Quran."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1/96 commentary, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, Kitab al-Musahif by Ibn Abi Dawood: 797, Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi: 2/253, and its chain is authentic)
Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (Khilasat al-Ahkam: 1/550)
declared the chain authentic, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (Taghleeq al-Ta'leeq: 2/291)
also declared the narration authentic.➋ Imam Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
في الرجل يؤم في رمضان يقرأ في المصحف رخص فيه
"Hakam bin Utaybah (may Allah have mercy on him) permitted reciting from the Quran by looking during the blessed month of Ramadan."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, and its chain is authentic)
➌ Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) say:
"There is no harm in reciting the Quran by holding it in prayer."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, and its chain is authentic)
➍ Ata bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
"There is no harm in reciting from the Quran by looking during prayer."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, and its chain is authentic)
➎ Imam Yahya bin Saeed Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
لا أرى بالقراءة من المصحف في رمضان بأسا يريد القرآن
"There is no harm in reciting from the Quran by looking during the blessed month of Ramadan."
Reference: (Kitab al-Musahif by Ibn Abi Dawood: 805, and its chain is good)
➏ Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
سألت ابن شهاب عن القراءة في المصحف يؤم الناس فقال لم يزل الناس منذ كان الإسلام يفعلون ذلك
"I asked Imam Zahri (may Allah have mercy on him) that people hold the Quran in their hands while leading the prayer? He said: Since the beginning of Islam, Muslims of every era have done so."
Reference: (Kitab al-Musahif by Ibn Abi Dawood: 806, and its chain is good)
➐ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked that a person leads the prayer holding the Quran in his hand? He said:
لا بأس بذلك إذا اضطروا
"If there is a necessity, then there is no harm."
Reference: (Kitab al-Musahif by Ibn Abi Dawood: 808, and its chain is good)
➑ Thabit Banani (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
كان أنس يصلي وغلامه يمسك المصحف خلفه فإذا تعايا في آية فتح عليه
"When our master Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray, his servant would stand behind him holding the Quran. When he would stop at a verse, he would feed him a morsel."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi: 3/212, and its chain is authentic)
It is established that reciting by holding the Quran does not invalidate the prayer. Nothing from the Salaf contradicts this.
Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) also, in the research of Fath al-Bari (2/185), has declared it permissible when necessary.
Refutation of Doubts:
Those who say that holding the Quran in hand and reciting in prayer invalidates the prayer present this argument:
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما:
نهانا أمير المؤمنين عمر رضي الله عنه أن يؤم الناس في المصحف
"Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه forbade us from leading the prayer while holding the Quran in hand."
Reference: (Kitab al-Masahif: 772)
The chain is very weak:
➊ Nahshal bin Saeed is "abandoned and a liar."
Reference: (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb by Ibn Hajar: 7197, Mizan al-I'tidal by al-Dhahabi: 4/275)
➋ Dhahak bin Muzahim was not heard directly from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما.
Reference: (Shu'ab al-Iman by al-Bayhaqi: 3/367, 4/187; al-Qira'ah Khalf al-Imam by al-Bayhaqi: 197; Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 5/236; al-Talkhees al-Habeer by Ibn Hajar: 1/21; al-Aja'ib fi Bayan al-Asbab by Ibn Hajar, p. 104)
➌ It is about Saleem bin Hanzalah Bakri رحمه الله:
إنه مر على رجل يؤم قوما في مصحف فضربه برجله
"He passed by a person who was leading the prayer by looking at the Mushaf, so he kicked him with his foot."
Reference: (Kitab al-Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawood, p. 452)
The chain is weak.
① Saleem bin Hanzalah Bakri is unknown; only Imam Ibn Hibban رحمه الله mentioned him among the trustworthy (4/332).
② Sufyan al-Thawri is a mudallis (one who conceals a weak link in the chain), and there is no explicit mention of hearing.
Note:
In the manuscript of "Al-Masahif," it is Suwaid bin Hanzalah instead of Salim bin Hanzalah, and he is trustworthy. Imam Bukhari
Reference: (Al-Tarikh Al-Kabir: 4/122)
, Imam Abu Hatim
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta'dil: 4/212)
, Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him (4/332), and others consider it to be Salim bin Hanzalah. Ayash Amri is among the students of Salim, not Suwaid bin Hanzalah.Statements of some Imams:
In this regard, statements from some Imams have also been reported, in which there is a prohibition on holding the Mushaf in the hand during prayer. A brief review of these statements is as follows:
➊ The statement of Saeed bin Musayyib
Reference: (Musannif Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/124)
and Hasan Basri (also) is weak due to the chain of narration from Qatadah.➋ The statement of Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Musannif Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/124)
, is weak due to the chain from Laith bin Abi Sulaym.➌ The statement of Imam Shu’bi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Musannif Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/124)
, is weak due to the chain from Jabir Ja’fi.➍ The statement of Rabi’ bin Anas, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Al-Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawood, p. 454)
, is also weak because the narration from Abu Ja’far ‘Isa bin Abi ‘Isa from Rabi’ bin Anas is weak.Hammad bin Abi Sulayman, Qatadah, and Ibrahim Nakha’i, may Allah have mercy on them, consider reciting from the Mushaf during prayer as disliked (makruh). The statements of these two elders should be understood as applying to non-emergency situations, that is, when the Qur’an is memorized and yet one holds it in the hand to recite, it is disliked. Thus, all statements can be reconciled. This is also supported by the above statement of Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, that “if there is compulsion, then there is no harm in doing so.” Hence, Imam Zahiri’s claim of consensus is proven correct. We also consider holding the Qur’an in the hand and reciting during prayer as disliked without valid reason, but it is permissible in emergency situations.
Summary:
In prayer, it is permissible to hold the Quran in hand and recite when necessary; similarly, it is also permissible for the Imam to look at the Quran to give cues for the next portion.
Question:
How is it to give cues by looking at the Quran?
Answer:
It is permissible without any dislike.
❀ Thabit Banani, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
كان أنس يصلي وغلامه يمسك المصحف خلفه فإذا تعايا في آية فتح عليه
"Our master Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, when he prayed, his servant would stand behind him holding the Quran. When he stopped at a verse, he would give him a cue."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/337, Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 3/212, and its chain is authentic)
Giving cues by looking at the Mushaf does not invalidate the prayer. Nothing from the Salaf is proven against this.
