The ruling on verbalizing the intention before beginning the prayer
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Question:
His other question; the question of the listener (M. Y. H. A. R. B) says: When I pray, I say: "I intend to pray the obligatory prayer, such as Fajr," then I say Allahu Akbar, and then I make the supplication that is said after the opening takbir, which is the opening supplication. I heard from your program, Nur 'ala al-Dirb, that it is not permissible to say: "I intend to pray such and such an obligatory prayer." So I do not know whether what I heard is correct, or whether it was a mishearing on my part.
We ask you to answer us again, and may Allah guide you.
Answer:
Yes, my brother, the place of the intention is the heart, and it is not permissible to say: "I intend to pray such and such as an imam or as a follower, such and such an obligatory prayer, the four rak'ahs of Zuhr, or three rak'ahs like Maghrib, or two rak'ahs like Fajr." No, one intends with his heart and that is sufficient, and there is no need to say: "I intend to pray such and such." There is no need to say in tawaf: "I intend to perform tawaf such and such," nor in sa'y, nor in wudu': "I intend to perform wudu' such and such." All of this has no basis. The place of the intention is the heart. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 1.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor his Companions, nor the early imams of Islam used to verbalize the intention. Rather, when one of them stood up, he would say: Allahu Akbar, upon entering the prayer, and he would not say: "I intend to pray such and such." So verbalizing this is a religious innovation; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1718b And this is not something commanded by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so it is rejected; and because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1718a Meaning: so it is rejected; and because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 867a.
So you must, my brother, intend with your heart when you stand up for prayer. The intention in your heart that you stood up for prayer, whether Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha', Fajr, Jumu'ah, the 'Id prayer, or the voluntary prayers, the Duha prayer or the rawatib, all of it is sufficient with what is in your heart. And what you know from your standing up for this or your coming for this is sufficient. It is not permissible for you to verbalize the intention in prayer. And so it is in fasting, and so it is in wudu', and so it is in ghusl, and so it is in tawaf and sa'y. The intention is in the heart, and there is no need to verbalize it. Rather, that is from the newly invented matters. Yes.
The presenter: He also says: Regarding the sunnah, if I say: "I intend to pray the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, for Allah the Exalted," is it an error, or is it like what you said?
The Shaykh: It is like what you heard; this is a religious innovation. You intend with your heart that you are praying the prayer that Allah and His Messenger prescribed. You intend with your heart that you are praying the prayer as Allah prescribed, and as it came from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not permissible for you to say: "I intend to pray such and such," because this is a religious innovation. It was not transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from the Companions, and the best is to follow them and proceed upon their methodology.
The presenter: Thank you, may Allah reward you.
His other question; the question of the listener (M. Y. H. A. R. B) says: When I pray, I say: "I intend to pray the obligatory prayer, such as Fajr," then I say Allahu Akbar, and then I make the supplication that is said after the opening takbir, which is the opening supplication. I heard from your program, Nur 'ala al-Dirb, that it is not permissible to say: "I intend to pray such and such an obligatory prayer." So I do not know whether what I heard is correct, or whether it was a mishearing on my part.
We ask you to answer us again, and may Allah guide you.
Answer:
Yes, my brother, the place of the intention is the heart, and it is not permissible to say: "I intend to pray such and such as an imam or as a follower, such and such an obligatory prayer, the four rak'ahs of Zuhr, or three rak'ahs like Maghrib, or two rak'ahs like Fajr." No, one intends with his heart and that is sufficient, and there is no need to say: "I intend to pray such and such." There is no need to say in tawaf: "I intend to perform tawaf such and such," nor in sa'y, nor in wudu': "I intend to perform wudu' such and such." All of this has no basis. The place of the intention is the heart. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوىThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor his Companions, nor the early imams of Islam used to verbalize the intention. Rather, when one of them stood up, he would say: Allahu Akbar, upon entering the prayer, and he would not say: "I intend to pray such and such." So verbalizing this is a religious innovation; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملًا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردAnd the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error.
وشر الأمور محدثاتها، وكل بدعة ضلالةSo you must, my brother, intend with your heart when you stand up for prayer. The intention in your heart that you stood up for prayer, whether Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha', Fajr, Jumu'ah, the 'Id prayer, or the voluntary prayers, the Duha prayer or the rawatib, all of it is sufficient with what is in your heart. And what you know from your standing up for this or your coming for this is sufficient. It is not permissible for you to verbalize the intention in prayer. And so it is in fasting, and so it is in wudu', and so it is in ghusl, and so it is in tawaf and sa'y. The intention is in the heart, and there is no need to verbalize it. Rather, that is from the newly invented matters. Yes.
The presenter: He also says: Regarding the sunnah, if I say: "I intend to pray the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, for Allah the Exalted," is it an error, or is it like what you said?
The Shaykh: It is like what you heard; this is a religious innovation. You intend with your heart that you are praying the prayer that Allah and His Messenger prescribed. You intend with your heart that you are praying the prayer as Allah prescribed, and as it came from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not permissible for you to say: "I intend to pray such and such," because this is a religious innovation. It was not transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from the Companions, and the best is to follow them and proceed upon their methodology.
The presenter: Thank you, may Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.