Reciting and listening to Qur'an
30-12-2003 | IslamWeb
Question:
I can't read Arabic very well so I listen to the Holy Qur'an from a tape and I look at the words so I can see how its written down. Also my Husband reads and I listen to him read and look at what he is reading. Do I get blessings as much as if I were reading the Holy Qur'an myself? And if I listen to all the Qur'an on the tapes does it count for me as if it was completing the Qur'an?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we ask Allaah to make you steadfast on the truth and grant you a great reward.
There is no doubt that what you are doing, i.e. listening to the Quran, is a good act and you will be rewarded for it. Listening to the Quran is a confirmed Sunnah of the Prophet . Ibn Mas'ood 
narrated that the Prophet asked him: "Recite (of the Quran) for me." I replied: "Shall I recite it to you although it had been revealed to you?" He said: "I like to hear it from others." So, I recited Chapter An-Nisaa' [Quran 4] and when I reached the saying of Allaah (which means): {So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you, [O Muhammad ], against these [people] as a witness?} [Quran 4:41] Then he said: "Stop!"; and behold, his eyes were overflowing with tears." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Salaf (righteous predecessors) used to say: "The Mercy of Allaah comes no faster than to the one who listens to the Quran." Allaah Says (what means): {So when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.} [Quran 7:204].
It might be that the meaning is that the Mercy of Allaah is certain for whoever does so.
However, this listening does not suffice from the recitation of the Quran since the recitation means the movement of the tongue with the pronunciation of the words. Therefore, the reward of the one who recites the Quran by himself is not similar to the reward of the one who listens to it from others.
Therefore, we advise you to repeat the verses with the reciter to get the reward of recitation, also it will help you gain proficiency in reciting the Quran. In the beginning you may face some difficulties but practice makes perfect. You may also make use of a trustworthy translation of the Quran in helping you understand its meaning.
On the other hand, the Prophet gave good news to those who recite the Quran. He said: "The one who recites the Quran while he is proficient in its recitation will be with the honorable and obedient scribes (angels), and the one who recites the Quran while it is difficult for him to recite will have a double reward." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Also, we advise you to learn the Arabic language since it is the language of the Quran and Sunnah which are the foundation and principles of Islam.
Allaah Knows best.