Ruling on committing Lahn while reciting Qur'an


Question:

A person committed Lahn (incorrect recitation due to mispronunciation of letters or grammatical mistakes), so another person who was praying beside him and was reciting Tashahhud (a recitation in the sitting position in the second/last unit of Prayer) corrected the man’s recitation. Is there sin on the reciter? Is the Salah (Prayer) of the one who corrected him valid? Please give us your opinion along with the relevant proof.

Answer:

Firstly, there is no sin if the reciter is a beginner in learning the Qur’an by heart, who encounters difficulty while attempting a proper recitation of the Qur’an. On the contrary, he will be rewarded for his efforts. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is proficient in the Qur’an (i.e. Masterfully recites and perfectly memorizes it) will be with the noble, dutiful scribes (angels); and the one who recites the Qur’an and falters in it, and recites it with difficulty, will have a double reward” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) 1

Secondly, the Salah of the person who corrected the man who was reciting the Qur’an - other than his Imam - is valid and he is excused for correcting the man (while praying) for his ignorance of the relevant ruling.

  1. Sahih Al-Bukhari [Book on Tafsir] no. 4937; Sahih Muslim [Book on travelers, Salah and Salah shortening] no. 798; Al-Tirmidhi [Book on the virtues of the Qur’an] no. 2904; Abu Dawud [Book on Salah] no. 1454; Ibn Majah [Book on manners] no. 3779; Musnad Ahmad p. 6/98; Sunan Al-Darimi [Book on the virtues of the Qur’an] no. 3368. ↩