Kuwait bans imams from reading Quran from phones during obligatory prayers

Kuwait’s Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs have prohibited imams in Kuwait from reciting Quranic verses by reading from their phones or paper copies of the Quran during obligatory prayers.

The ministry called on Thursday for imams to memorise the verses of the Islamic holy book well before performing them during optional Ramadan Taraweeh prayers and recite the Quran from memory as much as possible, Al Rai newspaper reported.

The announcement came during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and can choose to pray Ramadan ‘Taraweeh’ prayers, or night ‘Tahajjud’ prayers in addition to the five obligatory prayers per day.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Mosques Affairs, Salah Al-Shilahi, called on imams across the country to make every effort to fulfil the message of the mosque and correctly perform their role.

He also stressed that imams should read the Quran appropriately and not transgress from provisions of intonation by overly raising their voice or stretching words.

Many Muslims hold the belief that it is disliked for leader of an obligatory prayer to read from the Quran without having memorised it, however deem that if there is a need, it is permissible to consult ther text.

As Ramadan continues, a seemingly never-ending political crisis is harming Kuwait's economy, affecting basic services and causing mounting public concern.

Despite its large oil reserves, hospitals and educational services are in decay as squabbling paralyses Kuwait's parliament.