Reference: at-Tibyaan li-Aadaab Hamalatil-Qur.aan – p100
al-Imaam an-Nawawee رحمه الله said:
Reading the Qur.aan from the Mus.haf (the physical book) is better than reciting it from memory, because looking at the Mus.haf is itself an act of worship – so the recitation and the act of looking are [both] combined..
