Answer
Wa`alykum As-Salamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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:
Covering the awrah (private parts) when reading the Quran is not obligatory. But a Muslim should always be in a state of purity and modesty when listening or reading the Quran.
Answering your question, Dr. Marawan Shahin, Professor of Hadith and its Sciences, Faculty of Usul Ad-Din (Islamic Theology), Al-Azhar University, states:
The Glorious Quran entails great rewards. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever reads one letter of the Book of Allah, will have one hasanah (reward) for doing so, and every hasanah will be multiplied by ten. 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)
Though it’s not a condition to cover the awrah while reading the Quran, it’s far better and recommended to read the Quran while one is in the best form of dignity and modesty. This is because the Quran is the Words of Allah, Most High.
Therefore, covering the awrah while reading the Quran is recommended, thought not obligatory.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.