[Q]: Is it permissible to recite the Qurʾān whilst lying down in bed? Otherwise, what is the correct interpretation of the noble āyah:

الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ

“Those who remember Allāh (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides…”
(Āl-ʿImrān, 3:191)

[A]: There is nothing wrong with reciting the Qurʾān whilst lying down, whether on a bed or the ground. If one is reciting from memory, he may do so in whatever state he may be: standing, sitting or lying down, regardless of his state of wuḍūʾ. However, if one is reciting from the muṣḥaf, it is impermissible for anyone in a state of minor impurity to touch the muṣḥaf until he performs wuḍūʾ.

In summary, reciting the Qurʾān is permissible regardless of one’s physical state so long as he is not in a state of janābah [sexual impurity]. If one is in a state of janābah, it is not permissible for him to recite the Qurʾān until he performs the ghusl (ritual bath). Likewise, it is impermissible for any woman experiencing either menstruation or postpartum bleeding to recite the Qurʾān, except in cases of necessity; for example, if she fears forgetting memorised portions of it.¹

Source: Silsilat al-Muntaqá min Fatāwá Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān: al-Qurʾān al-Karīm: 8.
Translated by: Omar ibn Bilal