How important is tajweed in Salah?

[sand imp]

In the beginning I learned how to pray with transliteration, then few years ago learned Arabic alphabet, some words, pronunciation. Recently started learning tajweed (it's going very slow) and it's hard to keep in mind the rules, especially when it comes to how long must vowels be (in particular mad tawilah). I'm relatively confident with Al-Fatiha, but not with pronunciation nuances in other parts. Especially hard during workday, because it's just noisy chaos (working with kids + have to pray quickly).
Sometimes I try to repeat the word during Salah because I'm not sure in it.
Is Salah accepted if pronunciation isn't very accurate? Are there things that 100% has to be correct and other things that aren't so obligatory?

[blazing gazelle]

There’s a Hadith along the lines of “There is great reward for he who reads Quran fluently, and for he who struggles, there is twice the reward”

I wouldn’t let it weigh on you too much, but you should work to improve your tajweed as you don’t want to mispronounce a word and change the meaning of the word of Allah. It’s not an easy process, but everyone should work towards it

[timid relic]

Intent is rewarded justly.

[queen bluff]

Your question's already been answered, but the meaning can change if you dont pronounce certain words correctly with the appropriate vowels. One example i was given is the word "La" like in La ilaha illal La. If you hold it for one count and you're supposed to hold it for four counts, then it could change the meaning completely. When the "La" is held for four counts, it means "There is certainly no" or like "Without a doubt, there is no". When the La is just held for one count (where it sounds like there is no alif there at all), then it means "There is". So it would change the meaning from "there is no doubt that there is no God but Allah" to "there is a god but Allah" nauzubillah. Having said that, you're still in the process of learning so as long as you are making the effort to try and get better then the reward of it is with you inshaAllah. It does take some time, so dont be discouraged. If you do make mistakes, just do your best to correct them as you go along. I just wanted to preach the importance of tajweed to you and anyone else reading it. The Quran was delivered with tajweed, so learning how to recite it properly is definitely really important and may Allah make it easy on anyone who tries to recite it properly and allow us to benefit from it in this world and our Akhirah.

[timid relic]

Thread hijacking:
لّvs ل؟؟؟
Only reason I'm asking is because the L sound is consonant adjacent and making it longer by a count is just doubling it right? I am also studying, but vzhynk appears further along

[queen bluff]

Its basically ل vs لا, but the لا has would have an additional thing on it where you'd be required to stretch it for 4 counts. I cant remember what its called. If the لا didnt have that, then you'd stretch it for 2 counts cause of the alif. I tried finding an image that illustrated what i was talking about. Look at the لا in the beginning, where in addition to the fatha thats there, there's another character thats also there. From what i was taught, in those cases you would stretch it for four counts. But i'm also learning myself, so if there's a mistake then let me know and may Allah forgive me for it

Also another thing, i'm hoping that this doesnt confuse anyone in regards to reciting. As said by many people on here, i strongly encourage people to seek out help from an Imam or any person of exceptional religious knowledge at the masjid. I feel like when i was learning (and i still am learning to this day aH), it was kind of difficult to keep track of all the exceptions and rules, so its easy for things to get confusing and feel overwhelming, especially if you've never interacted with arabic before. Admittedly since i was raised with the arabic alphabet at an early age, it was easier for me to learn, but even then i found myself getting confused as to when i should apply the rules i learned or if there was an exception that i needed to be aware of. Another thing that helped me was listening to reciters, specifically Sheikh Husary. His recitation is fairly slow and people have mentioned to me that he gives every letter its due, so hearing him alhamdullilah allowed me to realize what letters and vowels i need to elongate and when i dont need to do that. Above all, as long as you keep trying, Allah swt will reward you for your sincere efforts.

[timid relic]

All I can do is cry now because of the difficulty curve

[sand imp]

Ohhh I didn't know about La, JazakuLlahu Khairan
Btw, do words with vowels 2 counts and 4 counts have different meaning? Like Laa and Laaaa?
And how long the count should be? Like 1 count = 1 second?

[timid relic]

I want to make a sheep joke:
باّ vs بَاّ

[queen bluff]

Wa iyyakum and it depends. The example i listed about لvs لا(the four count one) was one example. As you advance in tajweed, from what i remember being taught, there were some rules used that acted to help beautify the recitation, which we should all try our best to do anyway. I think Allah says at least that He wants us to try and recite the Quran beautifully, if i'm remembering properly. And for the counts, how i keep track of it is just use my hands and quite literally count out 2 for two counts or count out 4 for 4 counts or count out 6 for 6 counts. You get the idea. Some of the Quran teachers i worked with would literally be counting with their hands each time they approached a word that required them to elongate the sound.

Also @timid relic no worries bro, it gets easier as you continue doing it. One of my friends who has been speaking arabic for his entire life told me how some of the best reciters dont even speak Arabic at all. It just takes practice and time. For me, even when i was struggling, just knowing that i could potentially be getting more reward as I struggle, helped motivate me to continue forwards. My recitation is definitely not where i want it to be but alhamdullilah that motivation did help me to continue going.

[livid timber]

On the flip side of your question- My understanding is that lack of tajweed does not invalidate your salah. Allah knows best.

[sand imp]

Ooo ok then, it's a relief

[livid timber]

It’s great to be concerned and careful (because it’s important to you). Rest assured Allah knows your intentions and efforts. Allah is All Merciful and Islam is a way of life which gives you happiness and contentment, not worry and anxiety! Put your best foot forward and keep learning at your own pace!