The Statement of Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam
607 — ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim mentioned it, saying: ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Sulami in Kufa narrated to us: Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam said:
“If a man were to swear, saying, ‘By Allah, I will not speak today,’ then recited the Quran, whether outside the prayer or during it, he would not have broken his oath. This is because people’s oaths concern their dealings with one another, whereas the Quran is the speech of Allah: it does not fall under any category of human speech, nor does it intermingle with it. Had it resembled human speech in any respect, then reciting the Quran would invalidate the prayer, since anyone who deliberately speaks during his prayer invalidates it—unless the one swearing intended the Quran and included it in his oath; in that case, he is bound by his intention and conviction.”