What is the ruling on one who intends the obligatory prayer of 'Asr while it is actually Zuhr? Likewise, if he intends the obligatory prayer of the time?
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The questioner : A good Shaykh. In the time of Zuhr, he intended it to be 'Asr because he was forgetful and thought it was the time of 'Asr. He intended that this prayer was 'Asr, and then he remembered it was Zuhr?
The Shaykh : Yes. What do you say about this? This also happens frequently. For example, a person takes a nap before Zuhr, and when he wakes up, it is his habit that the nap is after Zuhr, so he prays with the intention of 'Asr while it is actually Zuhr. What do you say about this? His prayer is not valid, yes, because he did not specify it, as he only had in mind that it was 'Asr. Now, if he intended the obligatory prayer of the time, this is an important issue. This also happens frequently. A person, for example, enters the prayer of Zuhr and finds people praying, and he lines up in that row without realizing in his mind that it is Zuhr, or Fajr, or 'Asr, or Maghrib, or 'Isha'; he only realizes that it is the obligatory prayer of the time. What do you say about him? The school of thought (madhhab) says it does not suffice for him, because he must specify that it is Zuhr, or 'Asr, or Maghrib, or 'Isha, or Fajr. However, some of our scholars, namely Ibn Shaqilla, says that if he intends the obligatory prayer of the time, it suffices. And this is the only way people can manage to act, because the specific identification of the prayer often escapes a person, but he intends in his heart that it is the obligatory prayer of the time. If we burdened people by saying, "If you did not intend Zuhr specifically, you must repeat the prayer," many people would be confused by this, and perhaps they would have to repeat it.
The Shaykh : Yes. What do you say about this? This also happens frequently. For example, a person takes a nap before Zuhr, and when he wakes up, it is his habit that the nap is after Zuhr, so he prays with the intention of 'Asr while it is actually Zuhr. What do you say about this? His prayer is not valid, yes, because he did not specify it, as he only had in mind that it was 'Asr. Now, if he intended the obligatory prayer of the time, this is an important issue. This also happens frequently. A person, for example, enters the prayer of Zuhr and finds people praying, and he lines up in that row without realizing in his mind that it is Zuhr, or Fajr, or 'Asr, or Maghrib, or 'Isha'; he only realizes that it is the obligatory prayer of the time. What do you say about him? The school of thought (madhhab) says it does not suffice for him, because he must specify that it is Zuhr, or 'Asr, or Maghrib, or 'Isha, or Fajr. However, some of our scholars, namely Ibn Shaqilla, says that if he intends the obligatory prayer of the time, it suffices. And this is the only way people can manage to act, because the specific identification of the prayer often escapes a person, but he intends in his heart that it is the obligatory prayer of the time. If we burdened people by saying, "If you did not intend Zuhr specifically, you must repeat the prayer," many people would be confused by this, and perhaps they would have to repeat it.