Making Duʿā in English or Your Own Language in Ṣalāh

Question: What is the ruling on making duʿā in English, or in one’s own language, during ṣalāh?

Summary: It is permissible to make personal duʿā in English or any other language in sujūd. In voluntary (nafl) prayers it is encouraged. In the obligatory (farḍ) prayers, it is better to keep to Arabic out of caution. The fixed words of the prayer, such as al-Fātiḥah, the takbīr, and the tashahhud, remain in Arabic.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this state).” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)¹

He ﷺ also said, “while prostrating yourselves be earnest in supplication, for it is fitting that your supplications should be answered.”² The command to make duʿā in sujūd is general, and the Prophet ﷺ did not tie it to any language. A believer who does not speak Arabic stands in that same closeness to his Lord. How can we deprive him of asking Allāh ﷻ for what is in his heart, in the words his heart knows?

Shaykh Muḥammad al-Mukhtār al-Shinqīṭī was asked whether the one praying may make duʿā in his own language in sujūd. He said that it is permissible “because the texts are general in the legislation of duʿā,” and that the condition of Arabic applies only to the fixed words of the prayer, such as the tashahhud and the takbīrāt. He concluded, “The correct view among the scholars is that the one praying may make duʿā in his own language and tongue.”³ Imām Mālik (rḥ) was asked about a non-Arab who makes duʿā in his own language in his ṣalāh, and he answered with the āyah, “Allāh does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.”⁴

Allāh ﷻ understands every language. Ibn Taymiyyah (rḥ) said:

“Duʿā is permissible in Arabic and in other than Arabic. Allāh, glorified is He, knows the intent of the one who calls upon Him and what he means, even if he does not set his tongue right, for He knows the clamor of voices in their different languages, with their different needs.” (Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā)⁵

In the same answer, he explains that “the origin of duʿā is from the heart, and the tongue follows the heart,” and he quotes one of the salaf: “When grammatical precision comes, khushūʿ leaves.”⁶ If straining for correct Arabic grammar can take away khushūʿ (humble presence of heart), then forcing a person to make all of his duʿā in a language he does not understand takes away far more. His duʿā becomes sounds without meaning. This goes against the spirit of Islam, which came for Arab and non-Arab alike.

The sunnah gives the voluntary prayer more ease than the obligatory prayer. Ibn ʿUmar (rḍa) said that “Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to offer the optional prayer on the back of his Mount facing any direction and also used to pray the witr on it but never offered the compulsory prayer on it.”⁷

Therefore, a Muslim is encouraged to make duʿā in English or his own language in the sujūd of his nafl prayers, such as the sunnah prayers, tahajjud, and witr. In the farḍ prayers, it is better to keep his duʿā in sujūd in Arabic out of caution, using short duʿās from the Qur’ān and sunnah such as “Rabbighfir lī” (My Lord, forgive me).

And Allāh ﷻ knows best.