Discussion of the takbir and clarification of the innovation of verbalizing the intention before it, as practiced by many people.

The Shaykh : It is not hidden from any of us that the first thing with which a believer opens the prayer is the takbir of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His glorification by saying: Allahu Akbar. However, this takbir—regrettably—has been preceded by many people with an innovation that has no basis in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely the verbalization of the intention. Many people, before saying the takbir of ihram, say: "I intend to pray for Allah (the Exalted) four rak'ahs of the obligatory 'Asr prayer, for example, following this imam, or alone, or as an imam," and so on, which we hear in many countries and regions. This verbalization of the intention has no basis in the Sunnah. I say "verbalization of the intention" so that none of you misunderstands, or so that a question does not come to us after this statement that the intention is obligatory for every act of worship. We say: Yes, the intention is necessary for every act of worship, even for wudu' and ritual purity. But the issue is not the intention itself, but rather its verbalization. There is a difference between verbalizing the intention and the intention itself. The intention for prayer is necessary, and its place is the heart, as you all know. As for verbalizing it in the manner you have heard, this has no basis in the Sunnah. Therefore, the duty of the Muslim is to open his prayer by saying: Allahu Akbar, and nothing else.
Among the interesting things mentioned by some of the Hanbali scholars is Abu al-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him), who states in one of his books that the example of one who verbalizes the intention is like a guest who came to a man's house. The man stood up to greet him, and as he was rising to greet him and fulfill his duty, he said: "I intend to stand up to greet you and fulfill your rights and what is required of you!" Ibn al-Jawzi said: Everyone knows when they see the host stand up to greet that guest why he stood up. And the Lord of the worlds (Blessed and Exalted is He) knows better than them, without doubt. So likewise, when a person stands and stands before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to pray, his Lord knows what he is praying: whether it is obligatory or voluntary, whether it is Zuhr or 'Asr...