The Utterance of Intention During Ablution

The questioner:
Your Eminence the Shaykh, may Allah reward you, I am a young, unmarried, and religious man, praise be to Allah. However, when I go to perform wudu for prayer, I hesitate to utter the name of Allah during the wudu, and I speak the intention in my heart. For example, I say to myself, "I will perform wudu for such-and-such prayer." But recently, it has become... I don't know, I mean, it is intended that you...

The Shaykh:
You do not need to speak the intention, my son. Your heart is sufficient. As long as you have the intention for wudu, that is enough. But if you say, "I intend to perform wudu" or "I intend to pray," that is a bid'ah (religious innovation) with no basis. The intention in the heart is sufficient. Actions are by intentions, and the intention is in the heart. Uttering it is a bid'ah. So there is no need; do not harm yourself. As for the tasbih with the tongue, you say "Bismillah" when performing wudu. You say "Bismillah" and then perform wudu, meaning you start with wudu, sniffing, and so on, or when washing your hands three times, you say "Bismillah." As for the intention in wudu, there is no need for it. The heart is sufficient. The heart is sufficient for the intention of wudu, the intention of prayer, the intention of fasting, and the intention of Hajj. Yes.

The questioner:
And it causes distress.

The Shaykh:
The Shaykh, but it is said in Hajj, "I intend such-and-such." Yes.