Is it permissible to supplicate with the heart and soul without uttering the words with the tongue, and will a person be held accountable for that? Is purity and ablution required when supplicating? Is it possible to supplicate when going to sleep with eyes closed? And how can a person supplicate for himself?
Pronouncing supplications (du'a) and remembrance (dhikr) with the tongue is better than merely intending the meaning with the heart, though silent dhikr and supplication solely with the heart are permissible, and the one who performs them will be rewarded; as Allah Almighty said in the Hadith Qudsi: "If he remembers Me to himself, I remember him to Myself."
There is no harm in closing one's eyes during supplication, as long as you are supplicating to Allah with your tongue and your heart is present, since opening the eyes is not a condition for supplication.
The most important thing you can do when supplicating for yourself is to be sincere to Allah Almighty in your supplication, and to supplicate with a present heart, certain of a response, and to choose comprehensive words from the Quran and Sunnah.
Purity (taharah) is not a condition for supplication or remembrance, but the more complete the state of the servant, such as being in a state of purity and facing the Qiblah, the more hopeful their supplication is for acceptance.
There is no separate accountability exclusively for women, but a woman is held accountable for matters for which a man is not held accountable, such as not wearing the hijab, just as a man is held accountable for matters for which women are not held accountable, such as not spending on his family despite being able to.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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