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What is the ruling on the prayer and supplication of one who does not move their lips and tongue during them, and is their prayer considered invalid and their supplication unanswered?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Reciting Al-Fatiha, the opening takbir (Allahu Akbar), the final tashahhud, and the taslim are verbal pillars of prayer, and they are not valid unless the tongue and lips are moved. Similarly, du'a (supplication) requires the movement of the tongue and lips. The Sunnah for du'a is to offer it silently and in a low voice, unless there is a reason for it to be said aloud, as Allah Almighty says: (Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret. Indeed, He does not like transgressors) [Al-A'raf: 55], and He says: (When he called upon his Lord a private supplication) [Maryam: 3]. This applies to all forms of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), as Allah Almighty says: (And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without the loudness in words in the mornings and evenings and be not of those who are heedless) [Al-A'raf: 205].

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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