Assalamu alaykum. I converted to Islam and taught myself to read the letters of the Qur'aan. I try and listen to tapes and do my best. Few people are willing to help with pronunciation and recitation. Many people say that if you do not pronounce correctly, then you are making mistakes and doing something bad. I have no way to get help other than the limited support I am getting. So should I leave recitation of the Qur'aan since I am making mistakes even when trying my best? Or should I still struggle with what I am able to do even though I cannot pronounce perfectly and I may never be able to get any sort of ijazah even by trying my best? Please advise me, as I get a lot of criticism that it's wrong to recite if I am not perfect.

Al-Hamdulilaah, may Allah be praised for guiding you to the truth of Islam. As for the difficulties that you are facing, let me first state that no one recites the Quran properly without learning and practice.

Second, Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. If you are reciting the best you can—for example, you may have embraced Islam at a later age when it is difficult to learn to pronounce a new language — Allah will not punish you for that, Allah willing. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that describes that if a person is having difficulty in reading the Quran and yet persists to try to read the Quran, he will receive two rewards. Furthermore, if you are doing your best and you have kindly asked for assistance but those who are capable of helping you are refusing to help you, then they are the ones who are sinning.

I advise you to continue to read the Quran, always look for means of improving your reciting, continue to look for the best teachers or sources that can help you recite and then put your trust in Allah that He will never punish you if you are sincere to Him, exert yourself properly and then still fall short of the mark. “O Allah, do not hold us to account if we make a mistake or forget.”