Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Prayer remains valid if recitation mistakes are unintentional and due to inability or ignorance. Deliberate errors that change meaning, however, invalidate Prayer.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Do Unintentional Mistakes Invalidate Salah?
I truly empathize with the situation your dad is facing. Please remind him that Allah is Merciful, and as He says in the Quran: “Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity.” (Al-Baqarah 2:286)
As long as your dad is doing his best to learn and perform the prayer, he is excused and his prayer remains valid.
In Islam, unintentional errors in the recitation of the Quran during prayer do not invalidate the prayer, as long as there is no intention to make a mistake. Scholars across all four major schools of thought—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali—agree that errors resulting from ignorance or inability are excused, provided there is no deliberate intention to alter the meaning. However, deliberate mistakes that change the meaning of the words would invalidate the prayer.
Those who may have speech difficulties or limited knowledge of Quranic recitation are only required to pray to the best of their ability. This is supported by Quranic guidance emphasizing that worship should be sincere and easy. As Allah says: “There is no blame upon those who strive to do what they are capable of.” (At-Tawbah 9:91)
The key here is genuine effort and the intention to sincerely worship Allah.
Practical Tips for Improving Quran Recitation
I would also suggest that your dad try listening to recordings of Qari Minshawi, who has instructional recordings that could help him learn Surat Al-Fatihah and other short Surahs. He can follow along and practice with these recordings. With determination and trust in Allah, he should be able to improve his recitation. It should not be too difficult if he puts in the effort and remains committed.
May Allah make it easy for him and grant him success in his efforts.
Look into these fatwas for greater detail:
- Is Prayer Valid behind Imam Who Cannot Read Quran?
- Imam’s Mistakes in Recitation: How to Correct Him?
- Reading Arabic Transliteration in Prayer: Allowed for Reverts?
- Is Your Prayer Accepted If Your Arabic Is Not Perfect?
Almighty Allah knows best.