:wasalamex
Reciting the Qur'an is a very special and unique act of worship. For every letter one recites, he receives 10 rewards. So while it is fine to look at the words and contemplate, it is also important to read them (i.e. by pronouncing them on one's tongue) so as not to miss out on the great rewards and blessings. See below for further information. I think there was a thread about this before as well, which may have further explanation.
Q. Some people pick up the Mus-haf and look at it without moving their lips. Can this be called reading Qur’aan? Or is it essential to pronounce the words audibly in order to earn the reward for reading Qur’aan? Will a person be rewarded for looking at the Mus-haf? Please advise us, may Allaah reward you with good.
A. Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing to prevent a person looking at the Qur’aan without reciting it, in order to ponder its meanings and understand it. But he is not considered to be “reading” Qur’aan when he does that, and he does not earn the reward for reading it unless he pronounces (the words of) the Qur’aan, even if those around him do not hear him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Read the Qur’aan, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection to intercede for its companions.” (Narrated by Muslim).
What he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant by its companions is those who act upon it, as stated in other ahaadeeth. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever reads one letter of the Qur’aan will have one hasanah, and the hasanah will be rewarded tenfold.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and al-Daarimi with a saheeh isnaad). And one cannot be counted as reading Qur’aan unless once actually pronounces it.
And Allaah is the source of strength.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 8, p. 363
There are also other hadeeth which link rewards associated with the Qur'an to an oral recitation. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Moreover, reciting the Qur'an in the manner taught to us by the Prophet :saws: will help in contemplation and understanding:
Concerning Allah's statement,
﴿وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلاً﴾
(And Rattil the Qur'an Tartil.) meaning, recite it slowly, for that will help in understanding the Qur'an and contemplating it. This is how the Prophet used to recite.
`A'ishah said, "He (the Prophet) used to recite the chapter slowly, so much so that it would be longer than chapters that were actually longer than it.'' In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded from Anas that he was asked about the recitation of the Messenger of Allah , so he replied, "He used to elongate the letters.'' Then he (Anas) recited,(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.) (1:1) and he elongated "In the Name of Allah,'' and he elongated "The Most Gracious,'' and he elongated "The Most Merciful.''
Ibn Jurayj reported from Ibn Abi Mulaykah, who narrated from Umm Salamah that she was asked about the recitation of the Messenger of Allah , so she said, "He used to pause in his recitation, verse by verse. (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is Allah's, the Lord of all that exists. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense.) (1:1-4) This was recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi.
We have already mentioned the Hadiths which prove the recommendation of slow rhythmic recitation and beautification of the voice while reciting at the beginning of this Tafsir. For example, the Hadith which states,
«زَيِّنُوا الْقُرْآنَ بِأَصْوَاتِكُم»
(Beautify the Qur'an with your voices.) and the Hadith,
«لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَتَغَنَّ بِالْقُرْآن»
(He is not of us who does not chant nicely with the recitation of the Qur'an.) and the Hadith,
«لَقَدْ أُوتِيَ هَذَا مِزْمَارًا مِنْ مَزَامِيرِ آلِ دَاوُد»
(Verily, he has been given this windpipe from the windpipes of the family of Dawud.) Referring to Abu Musa. Abu Musa replied, "If I knew that you had been listening to my recitation, I would have truly beautified it for you.''
It has been narrated from Ibn Mas`ud that he said, "Do not scatter the (recitation of) Qur'an out like the scattering of sand, and do not rush through it like the hasty recitation of poetry. Stop at its amazing parts and make your heart move with it. None of you should let his concern be to reach the end of the chapter.'' This has been recorded by Al-Baghawi.
Al-Bukhari recorded from Abi Wa'il that he said, "A man came to Ibn Mas`ud and said, `I read the Mufassal chapters (from Qaf to An-Nas) last night in one unit of prayer.' Ibn Mas`ud said, `This is rushing like the haste of reciting poetry. the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense.) (1:1-4) This was recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi.
Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir - The Way of reciting the Qur'an
And Allaah :swt: knows best.