The Reward Of Overview
Understanding the reward of matters for every student, and our courses at Quran House cover it in depth.
The reward of learning Tajweed is mentioned across many hadiths, and students who join a guided Tajweed course at Quran House often describe deep spiritual benefit.
Muslim narrated in his Sahih, Hadith 798: On the authority of Aisha, she said the messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be on him, said: “The one who excels in reading the Quran is with the holy, righteous honored angels. And the one who reads the Quran and stutters in it and it is difficult for him, he gets two rewards.”
This hadith is one of the great ahadith that explain the tremendous reward found in reciting the Quran, regardless of the status of the reciter. Whoever reads the Quran, in any capacity, is a winner.
If a person’s recitation is perfect and beautiful, Allah will grant him great rewards, and his status will be with the holy angels. However, for the one who stutters while reading the Quran and finds it difficult, he still receives two rewards: a reward for reading the Quran, since each letter carries ten rewards that Allah multiplies further, and a reward for trying his best and struggling through the difficulty.
If a person keeps reciting the Quran consistently while trying to improve his recitation and learn tajweed, he will soon reach the status of being with the holy angels, which is the greater of the two rewards described in this hadith.
For learners who want to go further, take a look at our online tajweed course duration.
Our self studying tajweed can be a good complement for anyone following this path.
For learners who want to go further, take a look at our obligation of reading with tajweed.
If this is an area you’d like to explore in more depth, check out our izhar halqi.
Sessions like these are often led by our tutor Ahmed El-Sohegy.
Why this hadith matters so much to new learners
For many people beginning their Quran journey, the fear of mispronouncing words or reading slowly can feel discouraging, sometimes discouraging enough to delay starting altogether. This hadith directly addresses that fear. It tells us plainly that struggle itself is rewarded, not punished, and that the process of learning carries its own dignity in the eyes of Allah. A beginner stumbling through a verse is not falling short of some invisible standard; he is actively earning reward through effort, exactly as described by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
This reframing matters because it removes a major psychological barrier to starting. Many adults in particular avoid learning the Quran because they feel embarrassed about their current level, worried that mistakes reflect poorly on their faith or character. Understanding this hadith properly should have the opposite effect, turning early mistakes into a source of hope rather than shame.
Many students pair this with our learning tajweed online to round out their learning.
For learners who want to go further, take a look at our izhar mutlaq.
What tajweed actually adds to recitation
Tajweed refers to the set of rules governing how each letter of the Quran should be pronounced, including its articulation point, its duration, and how it interacts with surrounding letters. Learning tajweed is not simply about sounding more polished. It is about preserving the Quran exactly as it was revealed and recited by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companions, passed down through an unbroken chain of transmission across fourteen centuries.
Reciting without proper tajweed can, in some cases, actually change the meaning of a word, since Arabic relies heavily on precise vowel sounds and letter distinctions that do not always have obvious equivalents in other languages. This is part of why tajweed carries such significance in Islamic scholarship, beyond simply making recitation sound more beautiful.
If this is an area you’d like to explore in more depth, check out our five forts memorizing quran.
Other hadiths on the reward of reciting the Quran
- The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a good deed, and that good deed is multiplied by ten, meaning a single letter can carry the reward of ten good deeds.
- He also said that the best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it to others, highlighting both personal recitation and the act of passing knowledge on as sources of reward.
- Another hadith describes the Quran as an intercessor for its companion on the Day of Judgment, meaning consistent engagement with the Quran in this life brings benefit in the next.
For learners who want to go further, take a look at our stopping and starting while reading quran.
Building consistency as a beginner
Given how clearly this hadith rewards effort over perfection, beginners should focus first on consistency rather than speed. Reading a small portion daily, even a single page or a few verses, builds a habit that compounds significantly over months and years. Trying to master every tajweed rule before starting to recite regularly often backfires, since it delays the very practice needed to internalize those rules in the first place.
A more sustainable approach involves reciting daily while gradually layering in tajweed corrections from a qualified teacher, rather than waiting until recitation feels flawless before beginning at all.
Practical steps to grow in recitation and tajweed
- Set a small, realistic daily reading goal rather than an ambitious one that is easy to abandon after a few days.
- Work with a qualified teacher who can correct mistakes in real time rather than relying solely on self-study.
- Record your recitation occasionally and compare it to a trusted reciter to track genuine progress over time.
- Review previously learned tajweed rules regularly, since new rules tend to stick better when reinforced alongside older ones.
- Remind yourself of this hadith whenever frustration creeps in, since struggle itself is described as rewarded rather than shameful.
Frequently asked questions
Does this hadith mean tajweed is not important?
No. The hadith affirms that both skilled and struggling reciters are rewarded, but it does not diminish the value of learning tajweed. Rather, it encourages beginners to keep going despite difficulty, with the understanding that mastering tajweed remains a worthy and rewarded goal.
How long does it typically take to reach fluent, tajweed correct recitation?
This varies significantly based on prior familiarity with Arabic, consistency of practice, and quality of instruction, but many students notice steady, meaningful improvement within several months of regular, guided practice.
Is it better to memorize first or focus on tajweed first?
Most scholars and teachers recommend building a foundation in correct pronunciation and basic tajweed rules before heavy memorization, since memorizing mistakes early on can make them harder to correct later.
Can adults who start late in life still reach a high level of recitation?
Yes. Age is not a barrier to sincere effort, and this hadith itself emphasizes reward for the struggle involved in learning, regardless of when a person begins.
The angels and the meaning of proximity in this hadith
The phrase describing skilled reciters as being with the “honored, righteous” angels carries deep meaning within Islamic tradition. Angels are described throughout the Quran and hadith literature as pure, obedient beings devoted entirely to worship and service of Allah. To be described as accompanying them is to be placed in extraordinarily high company, reflecting the elevated status granted to those who master recitation.
This is not a minor compliment. It represents one of the highest descriptions of reward available to an ordinary worshipper in this life, achievable through something as accessible as consistent, careful recitation.
Balancing ambition with patience
It is natural for a sincere student to want to reach the highest described reward quickly, but this hadith itself models patience by rewarding the process, not only the outcome. A student who commits to daily recitation, seeks correction from a qualified teacher, and remains consistent over years will typically see steady improvement, even if some plateaus occur along the way.
Treating recitation as a lifelong relationship with the Quran, rather than a short term project with a fixed finish line, tends to produce both stronger skill and a deeper, more lasting connection to the text.
Growing in recitation and tajweed with guided support
Structured, one on one guidance often makes the difference between recitation that improves quickly and recitation that stalls out from repeated, uncorrected habits. At Quran House, our instructors are trained at Al-Azhar and work with students of every level, from complete beginners still learning the Arabic alphabet to more advanced students refining their tajweed toward ijazah. If you would like extra support along the way, take a look at our affordable online Quran academy, our online Quran academy for sisters, or our online Quran academy for adults.
Common obstacles that keep beginners from starting
Several recurring obstacles tend to hold new students back from beginning their Quran journey, and recognizing them can help a person move past hesitation more quickly. One common obstacle is perfectionism, the belief that recitation should already sound polished before it is worth practicing in front of a teacher or fellow student. Another is comparing one’s own pace to that of someone who grew up speaking Arabic natively, an unfair comparison that overlooks years of unconscious exposure that a native speaker already had before ever opening a mushaf formally.
A third obstacle is simply not knowing where to start, particularly for adults who feel they missed the ideal window for learning as a child. None of these obstacles are permanent barriers. Each one softens considerably once a student begins working with a patient teacher who structures lessons around their actual starting point rather than an idealized one.
How memorization and recitation reinforce each other
While this hadith speaks specifically about recitation, many students eventually move toward memorization as their confidence grows, and the two skills reinforce one another in practice. Reciting a passage correctly, with attention to tajweed, tends to make memorization more accurate, since the sounds being committed to memory are the correct ones from the start. Conversely, memorized passages become opportunities for repeated recitation practice, allowing tajweed rules to be reinforced every time a memorized surah is recited in prayer or elsewhere.
Students who treat recitation and memorization as connected, rather than entirely separate goals, often find that progress in one area quietly accelerates progress in the other, since both draw on the same underlying familiarity with the text and its correct pronunciation.
A brief look at the history of tajweed as a science
Tajweed as a formal science developed gradually in the early centuries of Islam, as scholars worked to codify and preserve the exact oral tradition of Quranic recitation passed down from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Before tajweed rules were written down systematically, correct recitation was transmitted purely through direct, personal instruction, teacher to student, generation after generation.
This chain of transmission remains central to how tajweed is taught even today, which is part of why learning directly from a qualified teacher is still considered the most reliable path, rather than relying solely on written rules or recordings.
Understanding this historical context adds depth to the practice of learning tajweed, framing it not simply as a technical skill but as participation in an unbroken chain of transmission stretching back fourteen centuries.
Understanding the ten-fold multiplication of reward
Another well known hadith explains that reciting a single letter of the Quran brings a good deed, and that good deed is multiplied by ten, meaning a single word made up of several letters can carry the reward of dozens of good deeds within a single moment of recitation. This detail helps explain why the reward described for excellent recitation is so significant, since even a short daily reading session accumulates an enormous, cumulative reward over the course of weeks, months, and years.
Reflecting on this multiplication effect can also serve as practical motivation during moments when a student feels their reading pace is too slow to matter. Even a handful of verses read slowly and carefully, letter by letter, represents a substantial number of individually rewarded actions, regardless of how quickly or fluently the passage is recited.
Why teacher-led correction speeds up the journey toward this reward
While self-study has real value, working with a qualified teacher tends to accelerate the path toward the excellent recitation described in this hadith considerably. A teacher can catch small, repeated pronunciation errors that a student might never notice on their own, since self-assessment of one’s own speech is notoriously unreliable, particularly for sounds a student has never been trained to hear accurately. Regular, structured correction closes this gap far faster than independent practice alone.
This is part of why so many serious students of the Quran, even those who already read fluently in their native language, still choose to study under a teacher rather than relying solely on apps, books, or recordings. The combination of guided correction and consistent personal practice tends to produce the most reliable, lasting improvement in both pronunciation and tajweed application.
Final thoughts
This hadith offers a rare kind of encouragement, one that rewards sincere effort just as generously as polished skill. Whether recitation flows easily or requires real struggle, both paths lead toward reward, and both are described in terms of genuine honor.
Understanding this should remove much of the hesitation new students feel and replace it with steady motivation to keep reciting, keep learning tajweed, and keep building a lasting relationship with the Quran, one verse at a time. Every session spent reading, correcting mistakes, and trying again is itself an act recognized and rewarded, long before fluency is ever reached.
Final Thoughts
The reward of learning Tajweed extends beyond correct pronunciation, it shapes a lasting connection to the Quran. For the original Arabic text, see Quran.com.
Quick FAQ
Is the reward of learning Tajweed mentioned in hadith? Yes, several hadiths describe the reward of learning Tajweed and reciting correctly.
In short, the reward of learning Tajweed is both spiritual and practical: the reward of learning Tajweed shows in clearer recitation and greater confidence during prayer.
More on the Reward of Learning Tajweed
Scholars often stress the reward of learning Tajweed because it protects the meaning of the Quran during recitation. Parents also seek the reward of learning Tajweed for their children, starting early with guided practice. Ultimately, the reward of learning Tajweed grows with consistency, patience, and sincere intention.
To sum up, the reward of learning Tajweed is real and lasting, and the reward of learning Tajweed is something every student of the Quran can attain with dedication.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, the reward of is an important topic, and learning more about the reward of helps every sincere student. For the original text, see Quran.com.
