Is it a condition for supplication and remembrance to be answered and accepted that one moves the tongue or vocalizes, or is it sufficient to supplicate and reflect with the heart?
For dhikr (remembrance of God) and du'a (supplication), it is essential to move the tongue. The majority of scholars agree on the necessity for the speaker to hear their own voice, while others hold that merely moving the tongue and articulating the letters without sound is sufficient. The jurists explained this by stating that speech is not complete without moving the tongue, and that mere contemplation is not considered speech or supplication, as stated in the Almighty's words: ﴿Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret. Indeed, He does not like aggressors.﴾ [Al-A'raf/55], and His saying: ﴿And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and fear without loud words in the mornings and evenings, and do not be among the heedless.﴾ [Al-A'raf/205], and His saying: ﴿And do not recite [your prayer] too loudly or too quietly, but seek a way between that.﴾ [Al-Isra/110]. The Quranic texts indicate that du'a is made through speech and calling, and there is no mention that du'a can be made solely by the heart without the tongue.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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