Short answer
Both are rewarded, but they are not the same. Reading with your own tongue earns the reward of recitation for every letter; listening attentively brings mercy and its own reward. In the Hanafi school, those present must listen in silence when the Quran is recited aloud, as in salah.
Reciting yourself is the higher deed and earns the per letter reward of tilawah. Listening with attention is rewarded; when the imam recites aloud the followers must listen silently and not recite, and outside salah listening is a duty on those present, which is why it should not be recited aloud where people are busy.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The follower recites al-Fatiha behind the imam even in loud prayers; outside salah, listening to recitation is recommended rather than required.
Explanation
Allah says: when the Quran is recited, listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy (7:204). Listening is worship in its own right. The Prophet ﷺ once asked Ibn Mas'ud to recite to him. When Ibn Mas'ud asked how he could recite to the one it was revealed to, he said he loved to hear it from someone else.
Reading yourself adds something listening cannot: the reward for each letter you pronounce (see reading in English only for the hadith). So the best routine combines both: listen on the commute or while resting, and read at least a page a day with your own tongue. The Quran tracker helps you keep count.
Listening only counts when you are listening. A recitation playing while everyone talks over it is a different matter: see playing the Quran in the background. Whether a recording obliges a prostration at the ayat of sajdah is answered in how to do sajdah tilawat.
For live recitation at any hour, try Quran Radio.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'raaf 7:204
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥ وَأَنصِتُوا۟ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿٢٠٤﴾
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.
Commands attentive listening and ties it to receiving mercy.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5049
Sahih... إني أحب أن أسمعه من غيري ...
"I love to hear it from someone other than myself."
Shows that listening to the Quran is a loved act of worship, even for the one who knows it best.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of prayer. The follower does not recite behind the imam but listens.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, discussion of listening to recitation outside the prayer. Listening is required of those present, and reciting aloud where people are busy puts the blame on the reciter.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.