With regard to the adhkaar which are spoken on the tongue, such as reciting Qur’aan, saying tasbeeh (Subhaan Allaah – glory be to Allaah), tahmeed (al-hamdu Lillaah – praise be to Allaah) and tahleel (Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah – there is no god but Allaah), and the dhikrs to be recited in the morning and evening, when going to sleep, when entering the washroom, and so on, it is essential to move the tongue, and a person is not regarded as having said them if he does not move his tongue.
Ibn Rushd narrated in al-Bayaan wa’l-Tahseel (1/490) that Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a person who recites when praying, but no one can hear him, not even himself, and he does not move his tongue. He said: “This is not recitation, rather recitation is that in which the tongue moves.” End quote.
Al-Kasaani said in Badaa’i’ al-Sanaa’i’ (4/118)
Recitation can only be done by moving the tongue to say the sounds. Do you not see that if a worshipper who is able to recite does not move his tongue, his prayer is not acceptable? Similarly he swears that he does not recite a soorah from the Qur’aan but he looks at it and understands it but he does not move his tongue, then he is not breaking his oath. End quote. i.e. because he has not recited it, rather he has only looked at it.
This is also indicated by the fact that the scholars said it is not allowed for a person who is junub to recite Qur’aan with his tongue, but they said it is permissible for him to look at the Mus-haf and recite Qur’aan in his heart, without moving his tongue. This indicates that there is a difference between the two things, and that not moving the tongue is not counted as reading or reciting.
See al-Majmoo’, 1/187-189
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is it obligatory to move the tongue when reciting Qur’aan in prayer or is it sufficient to say it in one's heart?
He replied:
Recitation must be done with the tongue. If a person recites it in his heart when he is praying, that is not sufficient. The same applies to all other adhkaar; it is not sufficient to recite them in one's heart, rather it is essential to move one's tongue and lips, because they are words to be spoken, and that can only be achieved by moving the tongue and the lips. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/156
And Allaah knows best.
