Is there any objection to the imam reciting al-Fatiha or the chapter following it during prayer, then pausing to translate what he recited, continuing from where he left off, and then repeating the previously translated verse in Turkish along with the rest of the chapter, and so on? The inquirer seeks clarification of the Islamic ruling on this matter.

It is established in the Hanafi school of jurisprudence that if a person recites the Quran in Persian during praying while able to recite it in Arabic, his prayer remains valid according to the opinion of Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), and this is likewise the opinion we choose for fatwa. In contrast, this is considered impermissible according to his two students, Abu Yusuf and Mohammed.

If, however, a person is unable to recite the Quran in Arabic or is not proficient in the Arabic language, then it is permissible to recite the chapters in Persian according to Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf and Mohammed. It is likewise permissible, according to them, for a person to recite a portion of the Quran in Arabic that suffices for the validity of prayer, and to recite along with it another portion in Persian.

All of the above applies to the recitation itself. However, if a person recites the Quran in Arabic and then translates or explains it in Persian during the prayer, the prayer is considered invalid because such explanation is considered speech; it is neither Quran nor dhikr (making remembrance of Allah).

And Allah Almighty knows best.