Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.
If the hāʾ is pronounced softly, then it is considered to have been pronounced and is not treated as an omission. As for actually omitting it, the ruling distinguishes between ordinary speech and obligatory remembrances: omission may be excused in ordinary speech when it is simply a habitual feature of the speaker’s pronunciation and does not involve disrespect, although pronouncing the Name completely is preferable. However, it is not considered sufficient in obligatory remembrance.
As for the salām at the end of the prayer, the prayer is valid according to the majority of scholars by saying “السلام عليكم”, even if the hāʾ is omitted from “ورحمة الله”.
The hāʾ may be present in pronunciation but very light, particularly when stopping at the end of a sentence, such as in “ورحمة الله”. This differs from omitting it completely.
Whoever pronounces the hāʾ softly is considered to have pronounced it. The fact that its sound is not prominent does not mean that it has been omitted. The fatwa notes that this appears to be the case with many people who speak in colloquial dialects.
It also cites Ibn Qudāmah’s discussion indicating that softening or failing to fully articulate a pronunciation, as long as it does not alter the meaning, does not necessitate repeating the prayer, because pronunciation varies among people. See: Al-Mughnī (2/154).
Therefore, distinguishing between the two cases is important before making a ruling about pronunciation:
Was the hāʾ pronounced lightly, or was it not pronounced at all?
If the hāʾ is omitted while addressing people in ordinary speech, such as saying:
“الحمد لله”
“إن شاء الله”
or “لا والله”,
the ruling depends on the manner of use and the speaker’s intention.
If the omission is done as a form of disrespect toward the Name of Allah or belittlement of it, then it is impermissible, because it constitutes deliberate distortion that contradicts glorifying Allah, Exalted is He.
However, if it occurs as a habitual feature of speech, without conveying disrespect or deliberate distortion, and people of that dialect do not consider it objectionable, then the apparent ruling of the fatwa is that it is permissible, although it is preferable to pronounce the Name of Allah completely.
Al-Fayyūmī stated, in the context of caring for the pronunciation of the Name of Allah:
“The Name of Allah, Exalted is He, is too exalted to be pronounced except in the most beautiful manner.”
See: Al-Miṣbāḥ al-Munīr (1/19).
Al-Ṭaḥṭāwī also stated, while discussing the pronunciation of the testimony of faith:
“It is appropriate to make the hāʾ of the Divine Name clear.”
See his commentary on Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 9.
The fatwa states that omitting the hāʾ is not sufficient in obligatory remembrance. Examples include:
Al-Ṭaḥṭāwī transmitted a difference of opinion concerning the validity of the opening takbīr, the permissibility of slaughtering an animal, and the establishment of an oath when some letters of the Name of Allah are omitted. He nevertheless emphasized that they should not be omitted as a precaution. See his commentary on Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 223.
The fatwa also quotes Al-Labadī as stating that failing to clearly pronounce the hāʾ in the Divine Name during the adhān affects its validity. See: Ḥāshiyat Nayl al-Maʾārib (1/47).
This ruling concerns actual omission. As for the hāʾ being present in pronunciation but merely faint, the distinction between that and actual omission has already been explained.
The jurists differed over whether an oath is established when someone says “والله” while omitting the hāʾ.
Some held that the oath is not established because the expression, after omission, is no longer the complete Name of Allah.
Others considered it possible for the oath to count if the speaker intended to swear an oath but omitted the hāʾ merely as a form of phonetic shortening.
In Al-Fawākih al-Dawānī, an exception was also mentioned for someone who omits it due to inability. The fatwa explains this as referring to someone whose habitual speech makes it difficult for him to pronounce it correctly. See: Al-Fawākih al-Dawānī (1/630), and Ḥāshiyat al-Shibrāmlisī ʿalā Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj (8/178).
Thus, the issue of oaths requires further detail, and all forms of omission cannot be treated identically without considering the speaker’s intention and ability to pronounce the letter.
According to the majority of scholars, the minimum sufficient form of the salām is:
“السلام عليكم”
Therefore, the prayer is valid if the worshipper says this expression, even if the hāʾ is omitted from the additional phrase:
“ورحمة الله”
The Kuwaiti Fiqh Encyclopedia states that according to the Shāfiʿīs and Hanbalīs, the minimum sufficient wording is “السلام عليكم”, while the complete wording is “السلام عليكم ورحمة الله.” It also mentions that according to the Hanafīs, the sufficient wording is “السلام”, while the complete formula is Sunnah. See: Al-Mawsūʿah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaytiyyah (11/315).
Accordingly, failing to clearly pronounce the hāʾ in this additional phrase does not require ruling the prayer invalid, especially when the hāʾ is actually pronounced softly.
A softly pronounced hāʾ is considered pronounced and is not treated as an omitted hāʾ.
Omitting it in ordinary speech is subject to the details mentioned above, while the fatwa considers it insufficient in obligatory remembrances. As for the salām at the end of the prayer, the prayer is valid according to the majority by saying “السلام عليكم.”
Nevertheless, one should strive to pronounce the Name of Allah fully, without undue difficulty or exaggeration.
And Allah knows best.