The Utterance of Intention, the Basmala, and Qunut in the Fajr Prayer

The questioner:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The last one says: I entered the mosque and prayed what was written for me, and when I finished the prayer, one of the brothers met me and said to me, "Your prayer is invalid." He said to me, "As far as I know, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not utter the intention, nor the Basmala, nor did he make qunut in the Fajr prayer." So I said to my brother, may Allah guide you, "Imam al-Shafi'i utters the intention and the Basmala and argues with them." And likewise, if he responds to him, meaning he argues with Imam al-Shafi'i.

The Shaykh:
In any case, the prayer with the utterance of the intention is not invalid; it is a valid prayer, but the utterance of the intention is not prescribed.

The questioner:
Okay.

The Shaykh:
Rather, it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). The place of the intention is the heart. It is not established from al-Shafi'i or from any other of the imams that they uttered the intention. As the scholars mentioned, neither al-Shafi'i, nor Malik, nor Ahmad, nor Abu Hanifa, nor any other of the imams uttered the intention. Nor did the Companions, nor the leader of the believers, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), utter the intention. Rather, when he intended to pray, he said "Allahu Akbar" and began with the takbir. As for the saying of some people, "I intend to pray for Allah four rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer as an imam or as a ma'mum," all of this has no basis. All of this is bid'ah. The questioner should be aware, and so should the cautious ones. The utterance of the intention is among the innovations that people have introduced. The place of the intention is the heart. It is not recorded from a single imam among the Companions, nor from the Tabi'un, nor from the four imams that they uttered the intention. Then, the utterance of the intention, if a scholar utters it, is not a proof for the scholar. The words of a scholar are presented to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). If the words of the scholar agree with the words of Allah and the words of His Messenger, then it is accepted; otherwise, it is not. Allah says, Exalted is He: And He said, Exalted is He: "And whatever you have taken from them of anything, then preserve it for Allah." So whatever people have introduced is returned to the Book and the Sunnah. What agrees with it is accepted, and what contradicts it is rejected. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for the Basmala, it is a sunnah (recommended practice). It is a sunnah to say it when one recites al-Fatihah or recites a surah, even in prayer. One says "Bismillah" in the obligatory and the voluntary prayers, but it is better to say it quietly, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. This is what is best.
As for qunut, qunut is a sunnah (recommended practice) in the witr prayer and in the prayers during calamities. So we do it in the Fajr prayer and others during calamities, if a calamity befalls us from an enemy. We do it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would make du'a' against the enemy and for the Muslims at specific times. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) left it. So when an enemy befalls the Muslims, they make du'a' in their prayers for one or two months for the victory of the believers and the destruction of the disbelievers, then they stop; it is not permanent. As for the witr prayer, it is better. You should know this. But some scholars said it is recommended in the Fajr prayer always, but that is a weak opinion. The prayer does not recommend it except during calamities. Because what is established from Sa'd ibn Talq al-Ashja'i, he said: I asked my father, and my father was a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I said: "O my father, did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) make qunut in the Fajr prayer?" His father said: "O my son, you are a latecomer." And he said: "I followed the Messenger of Allah, then Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then 'Ali. Did any of them make qunut in the Fajr prayer?" Abu Talq said: "O my son, you are a latecomer." Meaning, the persistence of it was not established. As for qunut for calamities and new needs, such as wars, where the Muslims make du'a' and the disbelievers are cursed, this was the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) at certain times, and then he (peace and blessings be upon him) left it. Yes.