The Ruling on Verbalizing the Intention When Beginning the Prayer
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Question:
Our Yemeni brother asks and says: We heard that the place of the intention for prayer is the heart and that it is not valid to verbalize it. The question is: When I stand facing the qiblah, do I speak the intention in my heart and then say the takbir of ihram? Or is the wudu I performed, my standing, and my facing the qiblah considered a translation of the intention for prayer, such that I am not required to speak it in my heart, but rather I say the takbir directly? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, that is sufficient for you, as long as you stood up for the prayer you know, whether it is Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, or otherwise. It is sufficient, and there is no need to speak it at the time of ihram. You came for it, sat for it, waited for it, and stood up when you heard the iqamah. You intended the prayer that was called for, and this is sufficient, and this is the intention. There is no need for anything beyond that.
As for what some people do of verbalizing it by saying, "I intend to pray such and such, as an imam or as a ma'mum, or such and such," this has no basis. Rather, it is a bid'ah (religious innovation) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not verbalize the intention, and likewise his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not verbalize the intention, and likewise the Tabi'un and their followers, including the four Imams and others, did not know of this. Therefore, what is prescribed for the believer is to suffice with the heart, to suffice with the heart. So by his coming to the prayer, sitting and waiting for the prayer, and standing up for the prayer when it was called for, all of this is considered an intention. Therefore, there is no need after that to speak it with his heart, nor to verbalize it with his tongue.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Our Yemeni brother asks and says: We heard that the place of the intention for prayer is the heart and that it is not valid to verbalize it. The question is: When I stand facing the qiblah, do I speak the intention in my heart and then say the takbir of ihram? Or is the wudu I performed, my standing, and my facing the qiblah considered a translation of the intention for prayer, such that I am not required to speak it in my heart, but rather I say the takbir directly? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, that is sufficient for you, as long as you stood up for the prayer you know, whether it is Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, or otherwise. It is sufficient, and there is no need to speak it at the time of ihram. You came for it, sat for it, waited for it, and stood up when you heard the iqamah. You intended the prayer that was called for, and this is sufficient, and this is the intention. There is no need for anything beyond that.
As for what some people do of verbalizing it by saying, "I intend to pray such and such, as an imam or as a ma'mum, or such and such," this has no basis. Rather, it is a bid'ah (religious innovation) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not verbalize the intention, and likewise his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not verbalize the intention, and likewise the Tabi'un and their followers, including the four Imams and others, did not know of this. Therefore, what is prescribed for the believer is to suffice with the heart, to suffice with the heart. So by his coming to the prayer, sitting and waiting for the prayer, and standing up for the prayer when it was called for, all of this is considered an intention. Therefore, there is no need after that to speak it with his heart, nor to verbalize it with his tongue.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.