Is it better to recite supplications and remembrances aloud or quietly? What is the standard for reciting aloud in this regard, and what is the difference between mental recitation and quiet recitation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : My Shaykh, is it obligatory to recite aloud so that one hears oneself or one’s companion in supplication, seeking refuge, or purification? For example, if one sees a sick man…
The Shaykh : Yes, sick?
The questioner : He saw a sick man.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He saw a sick man and sought refuge using the well-known formula for seeking refuge…
Al-Halabi : Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe from what He has afflicted you with, and has preferred me over many of those…
The Shaykh : He does not hear it.
The questioner : Or if one says the seeking refuge from the accursed Shaytan upon entering the house, after the supplication for entering, or in the case of purification, these customary matters that we know, is it obligatory to recite them aloud, my master?
The Shaykh : He hears only himself.
The questioner : He hears himself?
The Shaykh : Yes. Except in a situation where he is in the position of a teacher; if he is in the position of a teacher and wants to teach others, then he raises his voice. But if that is not the case, the original rule for all remembrances and recitations is to recite them quietly, not aloud.
The questioner : Not aloud, my master?
The Shaykh : Yes. Especially if reciting aloud sometimes causes annoyance to his Muslim brother, such as a sick person who is afflicted. You hear him say, “Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe from what He has afflicted you with.” This causes annoyance…
The questioner : Without a doubt.
The Shaykh : So here, quiet recitation becomes more emphasized.
The questioner : Is it possible here, my Shaykh, to do it in one’s mind, or does he have to hear himself? Is it possible to mean that he speaks it in his heart?
The Shaykh : Hearing oneself is quiet recitation.
The questioner : Hearing oneself is quiet recitation?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : And likewise in purification, my master, is it necessary to raise his voice?
The Shaykh : No, no. Keep it all quiet.
The questioner : With his voice.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Another questioner : The intended meaning… of hearing oneself and quiet recitation is that you actually hear yourself, not just in your heart.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Not in your heart. In the heart, my master, for example, I recite it in a way that I do not hear it with my ears.
The Shaykh : No. You must move your tongue.
The questioner : That is the intended meaning…
The Shaykh : There is a difference between mental recitation and verbal recitation. Mental recitation engages your mind; you imagine in yourself that you are reciting “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” This is not recitation. If a person prayed and recited al-Fatihah mentally, his prayer would not be valid, because it is not linguistically called recitation. Recitation requires moving the lips. This is the difference between mental recitation and verbal recitation. Verbal recitation is divided into two types: quiet and loud. As we said earlier, all remembrances are quiet, except for what we have excluded, and there are other exceptions that we are not currently discussing. Quiet recitation requires moving the tongue, but it is not necessary that you hear yourself or hear your neighbor. No. But you move your tongue so that you are able to pronounce the known Arabic letters, but quietly. Then you hear yourself; this is a matter that varies from person to person. Some person’s hearing is sensitive and very precise, and some other person has a dull hearing. This person with dull hearing, if he wants to hear himself, will be heard by those far from him, and he calls it hearing himself. No. The important thing is that he moves his tongue to himself, and it is not necessary that he hears himself, let alone that others hear him. As for others, it is clear. As for himself, it has the proportion I mentioned earlier.
The questioner : My master, may Allah reward you with good, but there is a small point I want to ask about.
The Shaykh : Please.
The questioner : My Shaykh, is it obligatory to recite aloud so that one hears oneself or one’s companion in supplication, seeking refuge, or purification? For example, if one sees a sick man…
The Shaykh : Yes, sick?
The questioner : He saw a sick man.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He saw a sick man and sought refuge using the well-known formula for seeking refuge…
Al-Halabi : Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe from what He has afflicted you with, and has preferred me over many of those…
The Shaykh : He does not hear it.
The questioner : Or if one says the seeking refuge from the accursed Shaytan upon entering the house, after the supplication for entering, or in the case of purification, these customary matters that we know, is it obligatory to recite them aloud, my master?
The Shaykh : He hears only himself.
The questioner : He hears himself?
The Shaykh : Yes. Except in a situation where he is in the position of a teacher; if he is in the position of a teacher and wants to teach others, then he raises his voice. But if that is not the case, the original rule for all remembrances and recitations is to recite them quietly, not aloud.
The questioner : Not aloud, my master?
The Shaykh : Yes. Especially if reciting aloud sometimes causes annoyance to his Muslim brother, such as a sick person who is afflicted. You hear him say, “Praise be to Allah who has kept me safe from what He has afflicted you with.” This causes annoyance…
The questioner : Without a doubt.
The Shaykh : So here, quiet recitation becomes more emphasized.
The questioner : Is it possible here, my Shaykh, to do it in one’s mind, or does he have to hear himself? Is it possible to mean that he speaks it in his heart?
The Shaykh : Hearing oneself is quiet recitation.
The questioner : Hearing oneself is quiet recitation?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : And likewise in purification, my master, is it necessary to raise his voice?
The Shaykh : No, no. Keep it all quiet.
The questioner : With his voice.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Another questioner : The intended meaning… of hearing oneself and quiet recitation is that you actually hear yourself, not just in your heart.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Not in your heart. In the heart, my master, for example, I recite it in a way that I do not hear it with my ears.
The Shaykh : No. You must move your tongue.
The questioner : That is the intended meaning…
The Shaykh : There is a difference between mental recitation and verbal recitation. Mental recitation engages your mind; you imagine in yourself that you are reciting “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” This is not recitation. If a person prayed and recited al-Fatihah mentally, his prayer would not be valid, because it is not linguistically called recitation. Recitation requires moving the lips. This is the difference between mental recitation and verbal recitation. Verbal recitation is divided into two types: quiet and loud. As we said earlier, all remembrances are quiet, except for what we have excluded, and there are other exceptions that we are not currently discussing. Quiet recitation requires moving the tongue, but it is not necessary that you hear yourself or hear your neighbor. No. But you move your tongue so that you are able to pronounce the known Arabic letters, but quietly. Then you hear yourself; this is a matter that varies from person to person. Some person’s hearing is sensitive and very precise, and some other person has a dull hearing. This person with dull hearing, if he wants to hear himself, will be heard by those far from him, and he calls it hearing himself. No. The important thing is that he moves his tongue to himself, and it is not necessary that he hears himself, let alone that others hear him. As for others, it is clear. As for himself, it has the proportion I mentioned earlier.
The questioner : My master, may Allah reward you with good, but there is a small point I want to ask about.
The Shaykh : Please.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.