In his response to the question in point, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
If you are new to Islam and you haven’t memorized anything yet, you may pray while reading from a book or written paper. But you should discontinue this practice as soon as you have learned the basic minimum elements required for fard (obligatory) Prayer.
The basic minimum required reading in salah consists of Surat al-Fatihah and some short surahs, such as the three last surahs of the Qur’an, in addition to what is listed below:
1. Subhana rabbiya al-`azeem (glory be to my Lord, the Great) three times in ruku` (while bowing)
2. Sami`a Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him) while rising from ruku`
3. Rabbana laka al-hamdu (Our Lord, all praise is Yours) after rising from ruku`
4. Subhana rabbiya al-a`la (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) while in sujud (prostration)
5. At-tahhiyyat or tashahhud while sitting after two rak`ahs or in the final rak`ah before salam, (which one can read from a book)
If you find yourself unable to say these except by looking in a book, you can do so until such time that you are able to recite them from memory. It is important for us to know that Allah does not burden us with tasks which are beyond our abilities.
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