I have been constantly told to recite as much Qur’an as possible as it is Ramadan. Sheikh, I want to ask if it is better for me to recite without the meaning or to read the meaning instead?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah,
Reciting the Qur’an by way of Tilawa has its merits, whereas understanding its meaning has its own merits.
In itself, reading the meaning or translation is not recitation (tilawa) of the Qur’an. So one who merely reads the translation will loose out on the rewards of the tilawa.
Similarly, Ramadan comes with limited time, whereby every letter of the Qur’an which was giving us 10 rewards, is not being multiplied 700+ x times. Needless to say, for someone to choose Ramadan to abandon or divide his time away from reading Qur’an stands to loose immense rewards, even if it is in another meritorious activity such as reading translation.
My suggestion is to specify your Ramadan for only reciting (tilawa) to as much as possible. And then dedicate 11 months to recite along with translation and some good explanation like “The Meaning of the Qur’an with footnotes by Mufti Taqi” or “Ma’ariful Qur’an by Mufti Shafee rh.”
May Allah accept each and every good deed for you in this Ramadan and multiply it multi-folds in hasanaat and darajaat. Ameen
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi