An Important Issue Regarding the Intention to Specify the Prayer

Question : And on this basis, if a person goes to the mosque to pray the midday prayer, and he enters with the people without it occurring to him whether it is the midday, afternoon, sunset, or night prayer, but he enters with the understanding that this prayer is the obligatory prayer of the time that has now arrived, is his prayer valid?

Answer : The majority of scholars hold that it is not valid. This is because specification is necessary; one must intend that it is the midday prayer, and in the afternoon that it is the afternoon prayer, in the sunset that it is the sunset prayer, in the night that it is the night prayer, and in the dawn that it is the dawn prayer. Specification is necessary. However, some scholars say that it is sufficient to intend the obligatory prayer of the time; it is sufficient to intend the obligatory prayer of the time. You are not unaware of the ease this offers to people, because a person may forget to specify, especially if he arrives and the imam is bowing. He finds himself hurrying for the sake of that bowing and forgets to specify that this is the midday, afternoon, sunset, night, or dawn prayer. This opinion was actually stated by some Hanbali jurists, and it has a share of consideration and offers leniency to the Muslims.
And you know that intention has a great effect in validating the deed, completing the deed, and invalidating the deed; its validation, invalidation, completion, and deficiency are greatly influenced by it. How many people pray, one next to the other, and the difference between them is like the distance between the sky and the earth, and that is according to the intention. How many students of knowledge seek knowledge on the same tape and in front of the same teacher, and the difference between them is like the distance between the sky and the earth, considering the intention. Indeed, we find two people prostrating, one of them an associate of partners with Allah (mushrik) and a disbeliever, and the other a believer who is sincere. The first prostrates to the sun, the moon, or his close friend of Allah (wali), and this one prostrates to Allah. So look at how intention has this great effect. Deeds are by intentions, and every person will have what he intended.