The Ruling on Reciting Du'a' Slowly and Lengthening It
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner says: Is it part of the Sunnah to recite du'a' slowly and lengthen it? And what is the Sunnah in this regard?
The Shaykh:
The one who recites with measured articulation is the Qur'an, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Muzzammil 73:4]. As for supplication, it is not recited with measured articulation; rather, one calls upon his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, in an ordinary voice. One calls upon his Lord in an ordinary voice, whether raised or kept secret between him and Allah. The more secret the supplication is between the servant and his Lord, the better it is. However, if one is an imam who recites the qunut in the witr prayer and the people behind him are listening, he raises his voice. But if he is praying alone, he does not raise his voice in supplication; he keeps it secret between him and Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Yes.
The questioner:
The one who follows us is 'Umar.
The Shaykh:
Regarding lengthening, the imam does not lengthen the prayer for the ma'mum. No, not even in the recitation of the Qur'an does he lengthen it, for it becomes burdensome for the people and the weak. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
So the imam takes into account the conditions of the ma'mum. This is regarding the recitation of the Qur'an, so how much more so regarding the recitation of supplication? He shortens the supplication and does not burden the ma'mum. And it has become apparent now in Ramadan that some imams hasten through the tarawih prayers with an astonishing speed, finishing them in a quarter of an hour or ten minutes. As for the qunut, he makes it half an hour or close to an hour. This is contrary to the Sunnah. Yes.
The questioner says: Is it part of the Sunnah to recite du'a' slowly and lengthen it? And what is the Sunnah in this regard?
The Shaykh:
The one who recites with measured articulation is the Qur'an, as Allah the Exalted said:
and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation.
وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًاThe questioner:
The one who follows us is 'Umar.
The Shaykh:
Regarding lengthening, the imam does not lengthen the prayer for the ma'mum. No, not even in the recitation of the Qur'an does he lengthen it, for it becomes burdensome for the people and the weak. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever leads the people in prayer, let him shorten it, for among them are the old, the sick, and those in need. And if he prays for himself, let him lengthen it as much as he wishes.
ايكم اما الناس فليخفف فان فيهم الكبير والمريض وذا الحاجة. فاذا صلى لنفسه فليطول ما شاء.So the imam takes into account the conditions of the ma'mum. This is regarding the recitation of the Qur'an, so how much more so regarding the recitation of supplication? He shortens the supplication and does not burden the ma'mum. And it has become apparent now in Ramadan that some imams hasten through the tarawih prayers with an astonishing speed, finishing them in a quarter of an hour or ten minutes. As for the qunut, he makes it half an hour or close to an hour. This is contrary to the Sunnah. Yes.
Source
75-لقاءات مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 11- — archive.org (43:57)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.