The Shaykh’s explanation of the innovation of verbalizing the intention in worship.

The Shaykh : You remind me with this question of the need to point out something. When I am about to perform wudu or ghusl, there is no need for me to say, “I intend to remove the minor state of ritual impurity” or “I intend to remove the major state of ritual impurity.” This is idle talk; idle talk means it is invalid and not permissible for a person to speak it. Likewise, when we are about to stand to pray the funeral prayer or to pray the midday prayer, it is a mistake to say with our tongues before we say the takbir: “I intend to pray the funeral prayer for this deceased person,” or “I intend to pray four rak’ahs of the obligatory midday prayer for Allah the Exalted.” All of this should not be verbalized by a person. Why? Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And where is the place of the intention? Its place is the heart. When a person turns toward the qiblah, what is he turning for? He is turning for the prayer. And when he stands under the tap, the place of wudu, and opens the faucet, he does not know what he is going to do. So to whom is he translating his statement, “I intend to perform wudu, I intend to remove the minor state of ritual impurity, I intend to remove the major state of ritual impurity, I intend to pray the obligatory midday or afternoon prayer”? To whom is he saying it? The Lord of the Worlds knows what is in the breasts; He knows the secret and what is even more hidden. Therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim when he performs one of these acts of worship to verbalize it. A fortiori, when he is about to wash the deceased or to perform ghusl for him, he should not say, “I intend to remove the major or minor state of ritual impurity from this deceased person,” because our Lord knows what is in the secret, what is in the heart, and what is in the intention. Therefore, after we finish washing the deceased, according to the Sunnah, we shroud him in three shrouds, three pieces, and we wrap him in them.

The questioner : It is not possible for the deceased’s family to bring three shrouds.

The Shaykh : He is not able to afford even one.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.