Is it permissible to recite the glorifications (Subhan Allah, Al-hamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar) instead of Al-Fatiha in the last two rak'ahs of prayer?
The prayer is not valid without reciting Al-Fatihah in all rak'ahs, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book," and his saying: "Whoever performs a prayer and does not recite the Mother of the Qur'an in it, then it is incomplete." The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite Al-Fatihah and another surah in the first two rak'ahs, and would only recite Al-Fatihah in the last two rak'ahs, and sometimes he would recite more than that, especially in the Dhuhr prayer. Whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah in the third and fourth rak'ahs must be taught that their action is wrong and that it is obligatory for them to recite it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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