The Prescribed and Prohibited Cases in Changing the Intention
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What is the ruling on changing the intention in prayer?
Changing the intention in prayer is either: From a specific prayer to a specific prayer.
Or from a general prayer to a specific prayer.
These two are not valid.
And if it is from a specific prayer to a general prayer, there is no harm.
An example of moving from a specific prayer to a specific prayer: If one intends to move from the Sunnah of Dhuha to the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr that he wants to make up, and he begins by saying the takbir with the intention of praying the two rak'ahs of Dhuha, then he remembers that he did not pray the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, so he changes it to the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, then this is not valid here; because the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr is two rak'ahs that one must intend from the beginning of the prayer.
Likewise: A man enters the prayer of 'Asr, and during the prayer he remembers that he did not pray the midday prayer, so he intends it for the midday prayer. This is also not valid; because the specific prayer must be intended from the very beginning.
And as for moving from a general prayer to a specific prayer, for example: If a person is praying a general prayer—voluntary prayers—then he remembers that he did not pray the dawn prayer or did not pray the Sunnah of Fajr, so he changes this intention to the dawn prayer or to the Sunnah of Fajr, then this is also not valid.
As for moving from a specific prayer to a general prayer,For example: If one begins the prayer intending it to be the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, then he forgets, and during the prayer it becomes clear that he has already prayed it, then here he changes from the first intention to the intention of prayer only.
Or for example: If a person begins an obligatory prayer alone, then a congregation arrives, and he wants to change the obligatory prayer to a voluntary prayer so that he can limit it to two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer, then this is permissible; because he changed from a specific prayer to a general prayer.
This is the rule: From a specific prayer to a specific prayer is not valid, from a general prayer to a specific prayer is not valid, and from a specific prayer to a general prayer is valid.
Changing the intention in prayer is either: From a specific prayer to a specific prayer.
Or from a general prayer to a specific prayer.
These two are not valid.
And if it is from a specific prayer to a general prayer, there is no harm.
An example of moving from a specific prayer to a specific prayer: If one intends to move from the Sunnah of Dhuha to the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr that he wants to make up, and he begins by saying the takbir with the intention of praying the two rak'ahs of Dhuha, then he remembers that he did not pray the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, so he changes it to the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, then this is not valid here; because the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr is two rak'ahs that one must intend from the beginning of the prayer.
Likewise: A man enters the prayer of 'Asr, and during the prayer he remembers that he did not pray the midday prayer, so he intends it for the midday prayer. This is also not valid; because the specific prayer must be intended from the very beginning.
And as for moving from a general prayer to a specific prayer, for example: If a person is praying a general prayer—voluntary prayers—then he remembers that he did not pray the dawn prayer or did not pray the Sunnah of Fajr, so he changes this intention to the dawn prayer or to the Sunnah of Fajr, then this is also not valid.
As for moving from a specific prayer to a general prayer,For example: If one begins the prayer intending it to be the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr, then he forgets, and during the prayer it becomes clear that he has already prayed it, then here he changes from the first intention to the intention of prayer only.
Or for example: If a person begins an obligatory prayer alone, then a congregation arrives, and he wants to change the obligatory prayer to a voluntary prayer so that he can limit it to two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer, then this is permissible; because he changed from a specific prayer to a general prayer.
This is the rule: From a specific prayer to a specific prayer is not valid, from a general prayer to a specific prayer is not valid, and from a specific prayer to a general prayer is valid.