Short answer
No, not for the recitation and words of salah. In the Hanafi school you must move your tongue and lips and pronounce the words, at least loud enough that you could hear yourself. Reading only in your mind does not count. Du'a outside salah may be made silently in the heart.
The recitation, takbir and other spoken parts of salah are only fulfilled by actual speech: the relied view is that the minimum is pronouncing the letters so that you could hear yourself if there were no noise. Recitation only in the mind does not fulfil the fard of recitation, so the prayer is invalid if no Quran was actually recited.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Moving the tongue and pronouncing the letters is enough, even if you cannot hear yourself; thinking the words without moving the tongue is still not enough.
Explanation
Reciting the Quran is a fard (obligatory) part of salah, and reciting is an act of the tongue. That is why all four schools agree that reading the words only in your mind, without moving your tongue, is not recitation. A prayer where you "said" al-Fatihah only in your head is missing its recitation.
In the Hanafi school the quiet (silent) prayers like Dhuhr and Asr are not truly silent. "Quiet" means pronouncing every letter with your lips and tongue at a level that you yourself could hear, while the person beside you does not. This applies to the takbir, al-Fatihah, the surah, the tasbihat in ruku and sujud, the tashahhud and the salam.
- Behind an imam: in the Hanafi school the follower does not recite al-Fatihah or a surah at all, so there is nothing to say aloud there. You still say the takbirs, tasbihat and tashahhud quietly.
- Someone who cannot speak: a mute person is excused and prays with the actions and intention.
- At work or in public: you do not need to be loud; a whisper you can hear yourself is enough.
- Du'a and dhikr outside salah: remembering Allah in the heart is rewarded, though saying it with the tongue is better.
If you have been praying only in your head, start pronouncing the words now. For past prayers, speak to a local scholar about how many to repeat. Our guide on how to pray lists what is said in each position.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:110
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ ۖ أَيًّۭا مَّا تَدْعُوا۟ فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَٱبْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًۭا ﴿١١٠﴾
Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.
Recitation in prayer is an audible act, neither shouted nor reduced to nothing.
Quran, Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:20
۞ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَىِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُۥ وَثُلُثَهُۥ وَطَآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَكَ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرْضَىٰ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ ۚ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًۭا ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍۢ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًۭا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًۭا ۚ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۢ ﴿٢٠﴾
Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you. And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day. He has known that you [Muslims] will not be able to do it and has turned to you in forgiveness, so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an. He has known that there will be among you those who are ill and others traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah and others fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite what is easy from it and establish prayer and give zakah and loan Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. It is better and greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Recitation is commanded, and it is an act of the tongue.
Sahih al-Bukhari 757
Sahih... ثم اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآن ...
"Then recite what is easy for you of the Quran."
The Prophet ﷺ taught recitation as a required part of the prayer.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Chapter on the description of prayer, the discussion of loud and quiet recitation. The minimum of quiet recitation is that you hear yourself, and this applies to everything tied to speech.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on recitation. Reports the views of al-Hindwani and al-Karkhi on the minimum of quiet recitation.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.