The Ruling on Verbalizing the Intention and Making a Condition in I'tikaf

Question:
He consumed a fast-breaker between the dawn and his intention. It is permissible to intend a fast from the day as long as the person has not eaten or drunk after the dawn, because the statement of the intention is broader than the statement of breaking the fast. May Allah reward you with good. The gift of i'tikaf.

Answer:
It is permissible to verbalize it. How is the condition made in i'tikaf for one who wants to condition that he will visit the scholars in their homes? Does he verbalize the condition or what? May Allah reward you with good. The intention is a condition in all acts of worship, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: whether it is in the worship of i'tikaf or in anything else. However, the intention is to be kept in the heart, and it is not permissible to verbalize it; because verbalizing the intention has not been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from the recognized scholars, not in prayer, not in i'tikaf, not in fasting, nor in anything else, except what was reported regarding the ihram in Hajj or 'Umrah, where one specifies what type it is, saying "for the 'Umrah" or "for the Hajj." Likewise, when slaughtering the sacrificial animal, whether it is an 'aqiqah, a sacrifice, or a hady, one says, for example, "O Allah, this is an 'aqiqah," or "this is a hady," or "this is a sacrifice." There is no harm in verbalizing this in these two places only, because evidence has come for it in these two places only. As for anything other than these, verbalizing the intention is not done because no evidence for that has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And because the place of the intention is the heart; it is a work of the heart, not a work of the tongue. Also, Allah the Exalted knows what you intended even if you did not verbalize it, so there is no need to verbalize it in this. Allah the Exalted said: So verbalizing the intention is considered a bid'ah (religious innovation) except in the places where it was reported as we mentioned. A person should not say, "I intend to pray," "I intend to fast," "I intend to do i'tikaf," "I intend to do tawaf." All of this is not permissible.