✍ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Islam, being a religion of mercy and ease, provides flexible rulings for individuals with genuine incapacity, including those who are unable to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah or any portion of the Qur’an due to illness, recent conversion, or lack of learning opportunity.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught a man how to perform prayer and said:
**"If you know any portion of the Qur’an, then recite it. If not, then say:
الحمد لله، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله (Alḥamdu lillāh, Allāhu Akbar, Lā ilāha illallāh), and then go into Rukūʿ."
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī: 247; al-Mishkāt: 804; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1/321; Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 803; Abū Dāwūd: 858; Nasā’ī: 2/193; Tirmidhī: 302; Aḥmad: 4/340; Dārimī: 1/305; Ḥākim: 1/242; Bayhaqī: 2/102]
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
"I do not know anything from the Qur’an. Teach me something that will suffice me."
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
**"Say:
سُبْحَانَ الله، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّه، وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله، وَالله أَكْبَر، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِالله
(Subḥānallāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu Akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh).”
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 742; Abū Dāwūd: 832; Nasā’ī: 2/143; Aḥmad: 4/353; Ḥumaydī: 717; ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 2747; Ibn Khuzaymah: 544; Dāraquṭnī: 1/314; Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 2/224]
This allowance is not permanent. Scholars have clarified:
If a person is able to learn even these basic phrases, then they are also capable of learning Sūrat al-Fātiḥah over time.
Thus, the correct interpretation of this ruling is that the allowance was given due to immediate necessity, such as the arrival of prayer time before the person could learn any Qur’anic verses.
✔ Once the individual completes that prayer, learning Sūrat al-Fātiḥah becomes mandatory for future prayers.
[See: Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/49]
① If capable, it is obligatory to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in every rakʿah.
② If truly incapable, then one should say Subḥānallāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu Akbar, etc., based on one’s ability.
③ This substitute is temporary, and the person must learn the Fātiḥah as soon as possible.
④ This concession reflects the flexibility of Shariʿah for the elderly, new Muslims, and the unlettered — without neglecting the obligation of learning.
❀ What Should a Person Do if Unable to Recite al-Fātiḥah or Any Part of the Qur’an?
Islam, being a religion of mercy and ease, provides flexible rulings for individuals with genuine incapacity, including those who are unable to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah or any portion of the Qur’an due to illness, recent conversion, or lack of learning opportunity.
① Hadith of Rifāʿah ibn Rāfiʿ رضي الله عنه
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught a man how to perform prayer and said:
**"If you know any portion of the Qur’an, then recite it. If not, then say:
الحمد لله، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله (Alḥamdu lillāh, Allāhu Akbar, Lā ilāha illallāh), and then go into Rukūʿ."
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī: 247; al-Mishkāt: 804; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1/321; Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 803; Abū Dāwūd: 858; Nasā’ī: 2/193; Tirmidhī: 302; Aḥmad: 4/340; Dārimī: 1/305; Ḥākim: 1/242; Bayhaqī: 2/102]② Hadith of ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Awfā رضي الله عنه
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
"I do not know anything from the Qur’an. Teach me something that will suffice me."
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
**"Say:
سُبْحَانَ الله، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّه، وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله، وَالله أَكْبَر، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِالله
(Subḥānallāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu Akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh).”
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 742; Abū Dāwūd: 832; Nasā’ī: 2/143; Aḥmad: 4/353; Ḥumaydī: 717; ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 2747; Ibn Khuzaymah: 544; Dāraquṭnī: 1/314; Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 2/224]
Important Clarification: Temporary Ruling Only
This allowance is not permanent. Scholars have clarified:
If a person is able to learn even these basic phrases, then they are also capable of learning Sūrat al-Fātiḥah over time.
Thus, the correct interpretation of this ruling is that the allowance was given due to immediate necessity, such as the arrival of prayer time before the person could learn any Qur’anic verses.
✔ Once the individual completes that prayer, learning Sūrat al-Fātiḥah becomes mandatory for future prayers.
[See: Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/49]❖ Summary of Rulings:
① If capable, it is obligatory to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in every rakʿah.
② If truly incapable, then one should say Subḥānallāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu Akbar, etc., based on one’s ability.
③ This substitute is temporary, and the person must learn the Fātiḥah as soon as possible.
④ This concession reflects the flexibility of Shariʿah for the elderly, new Muslims, and the unlettered — without neglecting the obligation of learning.
