Fatwa ID: 08981
Answered by Maulana Iqtidar Ahmed
Question:
If a Hafiz reads from the mushaf in Quran without picking it up, will his salah be valid according to imam sahib?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
First of all, being a Hafiz is a great virtue and the people should honour and respect the Huffaz and Ulama – they are the special people of Allah and inheritors of the Prophets.
As for the question, the opinion of Imam Sahib (Imam Abu Hanifa) is that in such a case the salah would not be valid (presuming they aren’t simply looking at the mushaf but actually reading and taking from it), however there is flexibility in this issue as the two students of Imam Sahib allowed it with dislike [1].
Thus, there is flexibility in the matter inshallah especially when one is praying alone, however when leading the people one should exit the differences of opinion and ensure the prayer is valid according to all the scholars if possible.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Maulana Iqtidar Ahmed
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
و وقراءته من مصحف أي ما فيه قرآن مطلقا لأنه تعلم إلا إذا كان حافظا لما قرأه وقرأ بلا حمل ، وقيل لا تفسد إلا بآية : واستظهره الحلبي وجوزه الشافعي بلا كراهة وهما بها للتشبه بأهل الكتاب : أي إن قصده ; فإن التشبه بهم لا يكره في كل شيء ، بل في المذموم وفيما يقصد به التشبه ، كما في البحر… قوله إلا إذا كان إلخ لأن هذه القراءة مضافة إلى حفظه لا إلى تلقنه من المصحف ، ومجرد النظر بلا حمل غير مفسد لعدم وجهي الفساد ، وهذا استثناء من إطلاق المصنف .
Ibn Abidin, Radd Al-Muhtar Ala Ad-Durr Al-Mukhtar, vol 1, p.624, Kitab As-Salah (Dar Al-Fikr).