Short answer
Not in the Hanafi school. According to Imam Abu Hanifa, whose view is the fatwa position, reading the Quran from a mushaf, phone or tablet during the prayer invalidates it, so pray with what you know by heart. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow it. Reciting an English translation instead of the Arabic does not count as the recitation.
Reading from a mushaf or screen in salah invalidates the prayer according to Abu Hanifa, the relied-upon position, because taking the words from a text is like being taught from outside the prayer, and handling it adds movement. Abu Yusuf and Muhammad held the prayer valid but makruh. A translation is not the Quran, so reciting it in place of the Arabic does not fulfil the recitation.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Reading from a mushaf in prayer is allowed and the prayer is valid, as long as there is not much movement.
- Hanbali
- Reading from a mushaf is allowed in voluntary prayers such as taraweeh, and disliked in obligatory ones.
- Maliki
- Looking into a mushaf to recite is disliked in an obligatory prayer, and in a voluntary prayer when it begins partway through.
Explanation
Many Muslims who have memorised little want to pray long taraweeh, or lead it, by reading from a phone. The Hanafi school does not allow this. Imam Abu Hanifa held that reading the Quran from a written copy inside the prayer breaks it, and Hanafi muftis give fatwa on his view. His two students held the prayer valid but disliked, and the other schools are more lenient.
Why the strictness. The prayer should be performed from within, as the Prophet ﷺ taught: pray as you have seen me pray. Taking the words from a page or screen means learning from something outside the prayer, and holding a phone, scrolling and turning pages add movement that does not belong to the prayer.
What to do instead:
- Pray taraweeh in the masjid behind a hafiz.
- At home, recite the surahs you know, even if they are short and repeated. See reading any surah in taraweeh.
- Learn a few new surahs before Ramadan, and revise them in the day.
English in place of Arabic. The recitation in salah must be the Quran in Arabic, which Allah sent down as an Arabic Quran. A translation carries the meaning but is not the Quran itself, so reciting it in place of the Arabic does not count. Someone new to Islam should learn the Fatihah and a few short surahs as a first step, and read translations outside the prayer.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Yusuf 12:2
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٢﴾
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.
The Quran recited in prayer is the Arabic revelation, not a translation.
Sahih al-Bukhari 631
Sahih... صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي ...
"Pray as you have seen me praying."
The prayer keeps the form the Prophet ﷺ taught, without outside aids such as reading from a copy.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on what invalidates the prayer. If he recited from a mushaf, his prayer is invalid according to Abu Hanifa; the two said it is valid but disliked.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on what invalidates the prayer. The fatwa is on Abu Hanifa's view; reciting a translation does not fulfil the obligatory recitation.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah. The Shafi'i view that reading from a mushaf does not invalidate the prayer.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Salah. The Hanbali allowance for reading from a mushaf in voluntary prayer.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.