Baraka in reciting Quran only for those who understand

Reciting the Quran has reward for all, those who understand Arabic and those who don't.

format_quote Originally Posted by anonymous

I was listening to a lecture about how there is a hadeeth that talks about there being baraka for every letter read in the Quran but that is only for those who understand Arabic. Anyone who prays without understanding what they're saying it is considered as more of a ritual since we are only going through the motions rather than understanding what we are doing or saying. This is a pretty big challenge for those of us that are trying to learn how to read Arabic, understand Arabic, while at the same time memorize the Quran. Personally this is a slow process for me because naturally I'm slow to pick up on new things but I'm making progress with being able to read Arabic at least, even if I don't understand what I'm reading. I'm learning to memorize the smaller surah and even when I read the translations, sometimes I forget their meaning.

Is that basically all there is to that hadeeth or does it have a deeper meaning than that?

Assalam O Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala has created us with different abilities. Some of us are born with some disabilities to learn while others are born in a good physical and mental health. Some of us are born in Muslim families but others are born in non-Muslim families. Some of us know Arabic very well and they can understand Quran very easily while others even struggle to read Quran in Arabic. Some can memorize the Quran in 6 months while others can't even memorize a page in 6 months. The point I am trying to make is that we all have different abilities and different challenges. Allah knows very well what we are capable of and He will not judge us for things which are not in our control or which are not within our ability to learn. Our only competition is with our own self. All we need to do is make a sincere effort and dua. Allah will make things easy, inshallah.
There are few hadiths I want to quote to encourage myself and others not to give up reading Quran even if it may take an hour to read one ayat of Quran just because Arabic is not our mother tongue and it is hard to pronounce Arabic words in the beginning. I still remember when I read Surah Al Fatiha first time, it took me hour to read it with proper tajweed. Hadith below encouraged me and I did not give up. Today Alhamdulillah, I can read one complete Juzz in 20 minutes.

" He who finds it hard (to recite the Qur'an) will have a double reward."
وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ، بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ الدَّسْتَوَائِيِّ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ ‏ "‏ وَالَّذِي يَقْرَأُ وَهُوَ يَشْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ لَهُ أَجْرَانِ ‏"‏ ‏.

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Reference: Sahih Muslim 798 b
In-book reference: Book 6, Hadith 291
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 4, Hadith 1746
http://sunnah.com/muslim/6/291
Another hadith which was very motivating for me is the following:

Narrated `Aisha:
The Prophet (ﷺ) never fasted in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban. He used to say, "Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds)." The most beloved prayer to the Prophet (ﷺ) was the one that was done regularly (throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) offered a prayer he used to offer it regularly .
حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ حَدَّثَتْهُ قَالَتْ، لَمْ يَكُنِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَصُومُ شَهْرًا أَكْثَرَ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ شَعْبَانَ كُلَّهُ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ خُذُوا مِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَمَلُّ حَتَّى تَمَلُّوا، وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلاَةِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَا دُووِمَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ قَلَّتْ ‏"‏ وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلاَةً دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهَا‏.‏

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 1970
In-book reference: Book 30, Hadith 77
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 3, Book 31, Hadith 191
http://sunnah.com/bukhari/30/77
So my advice is that stay consistent and do what you can do easily. Start with may be reading and understanding three verses of Quran. Below are few hadiths on the reward of making an tempt to read/understand verses of Quran.

It was narrated that Abu Dharr said:
"The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O Abu Dharr! For you to come out in the morning and learn one Verse from the Book of Allah is better for you than praying one hundred Rak'ah, and for you to come out and learn a matter of knowledge, whether it is acted upon or not, is better for you than praying one thousand Rak'ah.'"
حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ غَالِبٍ الْعَبَّادَانِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ الْبَحْرَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ لأَنْ تَغْدُوَ فَتَعَلَّمَ آيَةً مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ مِائَةَ رَكْعَةٍ وَلأَنْ تَغْدُوَ فَتَعَلَّمَ بَابًا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ عُمِلَ بِهِ أَوْ لَمْ يُعْمَلْ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ أَلْفَ رَكْعَةٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Grade: Da'if (Darussalam)
English reference: Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 219
Arabic reference: Book 1, Hadith 224
http://sunnah.com/urn/1252180

'Uqbah b. 'Amir al-Juhani said:

When we were in the Suffah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked: Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthan or Al-'Aqiq and bring two large humped and fat she-camels without being guilty of sin and severing ties of relationship ? They (the people) said: Messenger of Allah, we would all like that. He said: If any one of you goes out in the morning to the mosque and learns two verses of the Book of Allah, the Exalted, it is better for him than two she-camels, and three verses are better for him than three she-camels, and so on than their numbers in camels.

حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْمَهْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُلَىِّ بْنِ رَبَاحٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ فِي الصُّفَّةِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَيُّكُمْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَغْدُوَ إِلَى بُطْحَانَ أَوِ الْعَقِيقِ فَيَأْخُذَ نَاقَتَيْنِ كَوْمَاوَيْنِ زَهْرَاوَيْنِ بِغَيْرِ إِثْمٍ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلاَ قَطْعِ رَحِمٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا كُلُّنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَلأَنْ يَغْدُوَ أَحَدُكُمْ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَيَتَعَلَّمَ آيَتَيْنِ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ نَاقَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ ثَلاَثٌ فَثَلاَثٌ مِثْلُ أَعْدَادِهِنَّ مِنَ الإِبِلِ ‏"

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‏Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 1456
In-book reference: Book 8, Hadith 41
English translation: Book 8, Hadith 1451

http://sunnah.com/abudawud/8/41
May Allah make us all able to keep a strong connection with Quran and Sunnah. Ameen!
And May Allah help us all to overcome our personal challenges in life. Ameen!

Ma'a Salama