What is the ruling on the communal recitation of the Quran in unison and without applying the rules of Tajwid?
Some scholars disliked reading the Qur’an in congregation if everyone read at the same time, due to the possibility of error. As for abandoning tajweed, if it does not lead to a clear error (laḥn jalī) that changes the meaning or grammar, then there is no sin. This is because tajweed rules, such as madd (lengthening) and ghunnah (nasalization), are desirable (mustaḥabb) and not religiously obligatory (wājib sharʿan) such that one who abandons them would be punished. And minor error (laḥn khafī) is not an individual obligation (farḍ ʿayn). Malik was asked about reciting the Qur’an quickly (al-haddh), and he replied: "Some people find it easier to recite quickly, and if they recite slowly (rattala) they err. And some people are not good at reciting quickly. People vary in this according to what they find easy, and that is broad." Al-Shafi'i said: "The minimum of tartīl (recitation with deliberation) is to avoid haste in reciting the Qur'an to the point of clarity. And the more one adds to the minimum of clarity in recitation, the more beloved it is to me, as long as the addition does not reach the point of excessive prolongation (tamṭīṭan)." Zakariyya al-Ansari explained the statement "whoever does not apply tajweed to the Qur’an is sinful" to mean "that he recites it in a way that distorts the meaning or the grammar, then he is sinful."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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