Should I Pronounce the Final Vowels of Arabic Words in Supplications?

Answered by Ustadh Shuaib Ally

Question: Assalamwalaikum,

In the Quran, there are signs of stopping or continuing on a certain verse and the reader has a choice of either pausing or continuing reading. Does this also apply for the duas which we read?
For example like the dua after leaving the toilet is “ghufranaka”, can it also be said as “ghufranak”?

Answer: Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray this finds you well.

Stopping on a Word that Ends in a Vowel

The most common convention for finishing a sentence is to not pronounce the last vowel of the final word in a sentence, but to stop on it. Ghufranaka is therefore pronounced Ghufranak; Subhanallahu as Subhanallah.

Continuing on a Word that Ends in a Vowel

If you are not stopping at the end of the word or sentence, but rather joining it to the following sentence, you would pronounce the final vowel. Wallahu Akbaru, Wa la hawla wa la quwwata…would therefore be pronounced with the final vowel in Akbaru.

This is a general convention in Arabic, and isn’t restricted to the Qur’an or supplications. More specific examples can be found in books of grammar under the section of Waqf (stopping).

Source: Sharh Ibn ‘Aqil

Shuaib Ally