Question Summary:
Encouraging children to read the Quran in English or Arabic?

Question Detail:

 
I send my 7-year-old daughter to Madrassa to learn Qur'an. Alhamdullilah both of us can read Qur'an in Arabic and have memorized some surahs. I suggested the same thing to my brother for his daughter he said It's not necessary to go throught all that to learn Islam and It could be overwhelming for a seven year old. I told him that reading Qur'an in Arabic hold more virtue and more reward than just reading it in own language (English). He said that statement is completly not true, that Allah (SWT) will not reward one person more than the other based on just reading the holy Qur'an in Arabic, that It wouldn't be fair. We would get the same reward whether one is reading in Arabic or english, and noone goes to Jahannam if the person cannot read or say Duas in Arabic. This is really confusing me and my faith, I don't wanna get discouraged and take my daughter off Madrassa. Is what my brother said true? please elaborate with factual proof.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother/Sister in Islam,
Your understanding of the importance of reading the Quran in Arabic is correct. Admitting your daughter in madrasah is also noteworthy. It is unfortunate that your brother does not understand the importance of either one. Rather, it seems he hasn’t understood what is The Quran. Allah Ta‘ālā says,
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا (يوسف:٢)
Verily We have revealed it as an Arabic Quran (Yusuf: 2) 
Both the Arabic words and their meanings together are Quran.[1] Disregarding one is tantamount to denying a portion of the Quran. To such an extent, if a person reads the translation of the Quran in Salah, his Salah will be invalid according to the vast majority of scholars.[2]
It is an accepted practice in every Muslim community from the time of the Sahabah until today, that recitation of the Quran is the preliminary step to Islamic knowledge. Children from a young age are taught to recite the Quran by learning short surahs and verses orally from parents/family members. At the next stage, they learn Arabic letters and their pronunciation. Gradually the child moves forward in his/her quest for learning the proper recitation of the Word of Allah, The Quran.
It is the parents’ responsibility to schedule the child’s day in a manner which will facilitate for the child to learn the Quran without “overwhelming” him/her. If the madrasah arrangement is unfeasible, then a private tutor should be hired. Nabi salla Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said, “Instruct your children to perform Salah form the age of seven.[3]” This obviously means that they ought to know some Quran before the age of seven. Or at the very least, to learn from the age of seven.
May Allah accept you and your children for the service of Deen.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hisham Dawood
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.