What’s the ruling on Holding the Quran during Tarawih prayers?
You’re allowed to read from the Quran in Tarawih prayers, and in other supererogatory prayers, if you start doing so at the beginning of the prayer. However, it’s frowned upon to pick up the Quran for reading during the prayer due to the excessive movement it involves. Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, a respected figure, noted that the most devout among us would read from the Quran during Ramadan. He mentioned that Dhuwan, who was a servant of Aisha (one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives), would lead her in prayer using the Quran during Ramadan. Imam Malik, another revered figure, stated it’s okay for an Imam to lead people in prayer with the Quran during Ramadan and in voluntary prayers (as cited in Al-Mudawwana: 1/194).
This does not apply to obligatory prayers, where reading from the Quran is discouraged, whether done at the beginning or during the prayer. The leniency in voluntary prayers about movements does not extend to obligatory ones.
References include Al-Mudawwana: 1/194, Sharh Jami’ al-Ummahat: 2/391, Al-Tawdih: 1/572, Al-Sharh al-Kabir: 1/496, Sharh al-Zarqani: 1/1/286, Sharh al-Kharshi: 2/11, and Al-Fiqh al-Maliki wa Adillatuh: 1/261.