Reward for Reading the Quran in Another Language: Meditation vs. Recitation

Reward for Reading the Quran in Another Language: Meditation vs. Recitation

Are we still rewarded when we read the translation of the Quran in a language other than the one in which it was revealed?

First, scholars highlight two types of worship related to the Quran:

First, we will see that meditating on the meaning of the Quran, which is called "At-Tadabbur" (التَّدَبُّر), involves a reward regardless of the language in which we read it. Then, we will see in the second part that recitation implies a reward specifically linked to the Arabic language.

1) Meditation (At-Tadabbur)

Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا

"Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?" (Surah Muhammad, 47:24)

Thus, Allah ﷻ encourages believers in this verse to reflect and meditate on the meanings of the Quran so that the believer understands what his Lord wants from him. This is an act of worship of the heart.

We therefore encourage believers, when they read the Quran in their language, to seek to earn this reward, which is linked to meditating on the verses of their Creator. However, this worship differs from that linked to the recitation of the Quran, as we will see in the second part.

2) Recitation

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter." (At-Tirmidhi)

Therefore, when a person reads the Quran in their language (French, English, Spanish, Turkish, Malaysian, etc.), they cannot claim this specific reward [the reward for recitation]. Because, as the Prophet ﷺ said, it is inextricably linked to the pronunciation of Arabic letters.

Conclusion

As a Muslim is ambitious by nature, we encourage everyone not to settle for the reward linked to meditating on the meanings of the Quran, but to learn and "unlock" the Arabic language, which should not be a quest in itself but a tool for understanding the religion. Finally, we recommend reading our section on Quranic vocabulary.

We conclude by saying that if there is any good in this article, it is from Allah ﷻ, while if there is any evil or mistake, it is from ourselves. May Allah guide us all to the straight path.