Is it permissible to recite the Holy Quran in the dark?

Recitation is permissible in a dark place, and it may even be better if it is further from ostentation and closer to contemplating the meanings. This is evidenced by Allah's exhortation to perform night vigil and recite the Quran therein, as He says: "Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and springs, receiving what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were, before that, doers of good. They used to sleep but little of the night, and in the hours before dawn, they would ask for forgiveness." Al-Qurtubi mentioned that this verse demonstrates the superiority of night prayer over day prayer, and that abundant night prayer with recitation therein brings greater reward and recompense. Darkness in itself entails neither praise nor blame.