What is meant by reciting the Quran?

Recitation means pronouncing the Quran with the tongue. A person who recites from memory or looks at a phone screen, moves the lips, and pronounces the verses has recited the Quran and may receive the basic reward of recitation when acting sincerely for Allah and following the Sunnah.

Merely moving the eyes over the words without moving the tongue is not recitation in the customary sense. Nevertheless, looking, reflecting, and learning the meaning are beneficial acts for which a Muslim may be rewarded according to the intention.

What is meant by directly touching the mushaf?

It means that the hand directly contacts any part of the mushaf, including its pages, written letters, or attached cover. Its ruling is more specific than the ruling on recitation: recitation may be permitted in a situation in which direct contact with the mushaf is not.

Therefore, a Muslim may recite without wudu from memory or a phone while not directly touching a printed mushaf until performing wudu.

May someone in minor ritual impurity recite the Quran?

Yes. A person in a state of minor ritual impurity, such as someone who passed wind, slept, or relieved himself, may recite the Quran from memory or without touching the mushaf.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (146), who said it is a hasan sahih hadith. It was also narrated with similar wording by Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad.

Al-Tirmidhi then reported that more than one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Tabi‘in held that a person may recite the Quran without wudu but should not read from the mushaf unless purified. He also mentioned that this was the view of Sufyan al-Thawri, al-Shafi‘i, Ahmad, and Ishaq.

Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

Narrated by Muslim (373).

Minor ritual impurity does not prevent dhikr or recitation, although wudu is better and represents more complete etiquette with the Speech of Allah.

May a person in janabah recite from a phone?

A phone does not take the ruling of a mushaf with respect to touching the device, but this does not change the ruling on recitation itself. The majority of scholars hold that a person in a state of janabah should not recite the Quran until performing ghusl, whether from a phone, from memory, or from a mushaf.

The evidence is the preceding hadith of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him:

A person in janabah may listen to the Quran, remember Allah, seek His forgiveness, send salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and make dua. Quranic words commonly used as dhikr or supplication may also be said with the intention of dhikr or dua rather than recitation, such as the basmalah and:

The translation of the meanings of the Quran and the writings of commentators may be read without reciting the Arabic Quranic text, because a translation or commentary is not itself the Quran, although its presentation of the meanings of revelation must be respected.

For the method of purification, see How to Make Ghusl from Janabah.

May a menstruating woman or a woman in postpartum bleeding recite the Quran?

Scholars differed regarding Quran recitation by menstruating women and women experiencing postpartum bleeding. The stronger view presented here is that they may recite from memory or a phone because no sound and explicit text has been established prohibiting their recitation, and because menstruation and postpartum bleeding may last for an extended period, unlike janabah, which can be ended by performing ghusl once the cause has ceased.

This was chosen by a group of scholars, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. It is especially relevant to a woman who has memorized the Quran, teaches it, fears forgetting it, or needs to recite for ruqyah or dhikr.

However, a menstruating woman or a woman experiencing postpartum bleeding should not directly touch the mushaf while the bleeding continues. Once it stops, she performs ghusl before touching it, or tayammum when water is unavailable or she is legally unable to use it. During menstruation or postpartum bleeding, she may read from a phone or memory and, when needed, use a separate barrier according to scholars who permit that.

Does reading from a phone earn the reward of recitation?

Yes. A person who pronounces the Quran while reading from a phone is reciting the Quran and may receive the reward of recitation. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2910), who said it is a hasan sahih gharib hadith through this route.

The virtue is connected to recitation, sincerity, reflection, and action, not to whether the text is on paper or a screen. If a person’s heart is more attentive and humble with a mushaf, the mushaf is more beneficial for that person. If a phone makes consistent reading and review easier, then the phone is a blessing to be used in obedience to Allah.

May a phone containing a Quran app be taken into the restroom?

If the application is closed and no verses are visible on the screen, the phone does not take the ruling of a mushaf and may be carried. Proper etiquette is to close the Quran page before entering, not to display verses or the names of Allah in the restroom, and to protect the device from physical impurity or falling.

For further details, see Dua for Entering and Leaving the Restroom.

May someone read from a phone during salah?

When needed, a worshipper may read from a phone during a voluntary prayer, such as qiyam al-layl or tarawih, according to a group of scholars by analogy with reading from a mushaf. Reading from memory, however, is more conducive to humility and involves less movement and distraction.

It is established that Dhakwan, the freedman of Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, used to lead her in prayer during Ramadan while reading from the mushaf. This was narrated by Malik, Abd al-Razzaq, and others, and al-Bukhari cited it in suspended form in his Sahih.

In an obligatory prayer, a phone should not be made a habit and should be avoided without need, because repeated looking, touching, and scrolling may distract the worshipper and diminish humility. Someone facing a particular need should ask a trusted scholar about the specific circumstances.