What is the ruling on combining intentions in acts of worship, such as a man intending with his fast both making up Ramadan and fasting on Monday?

The Shaykh : One may have more than one intention, but the intention that is valid can only be one. One may be an obligation and the other a voluntary act. However, combining two obligatory intentions is not permissible, because an obligation does not suffice for another obligation. It is a well-known authentic Sunnah from his saying (peace be upon him) regarding the Lord of the Worlds: , he intended but did not act, . So now we have the six days of Shawwal, and their virtue is known to you. Likewise, we have Thursday which has virtue, and Monday which has a specific virtue. So when a person intends to fast the six days of Shawwal, he chooses Monday and Thursday from the whole month because of the virtue in them. In that case, he is combining two intentions, but what is written for him? He is written the reward of one of the intentions, based on the principle of multiplication mentioned in the hadith just now, , plus one intention without multiplication. Why? Because there is no action for it. So we say the best is to give each intention its own action, such as fasting the six days on their own, and fasting Monday and Thursday as is his custom on their own. This is undoubtedly better and more excellent. But here we say we have three scenarios, or we have three people. For example, I am making up what I owe from Ramadan, so I fast on one day with the intention of Ramadan. A second person fasts with the intention of Ramadan plus one day of Shawwal. A third person fasts Ramadan with the intention of Shawwal and intends Monday or Thursday. These are three scenarios. Undoubtedly, the highest is the last one, because he combined three intentions in one act of worship, but it is one action. Then the next best is the second one, who intended an obligation and a voluntary act. And finally, the one who only has fasting Ramadan. So if actions are by intentions, then whoever is able to combine two intentions with the previous condition—not two obligations, but an obligation and a voluntary act, or a voluntary act and a voluntary act—this branches out into other issues, and perhaps we will be asked about them soon... A man is in a state of major ritual impurity on Friday. Does one ghusl suffice, the ghusl for major ritual impurity and the ghusl for Friday? I say the answer branches out on the opinion of this person or his knowledge regarding the ghusl for Friday. If he considers it a recommended practice, then it is permissible for him to combine the ghusl for major ritual impurity with the ghusl for Friday, and he is written two rewards: a multiplied reward and a single reward, and the multiplied one. As for the one who considers the ghusl for Friday obligatory, as is the explicit meaning of the hadith without... naturally, in that case, it is not permissible for him except to perform two ghusls, because the ghusl for Friday is obligatory, just as the ghusl for major ritual impurity is more obligatory. With this detail, we say what we have mentioned...

The questioner : ... when mentioning the hadith, "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then six days of Shawwal," meaning the authors mentioned that Ramadan is like ten months, a good deed is ten times its like, and six in sixty, two months. So this is an affirmation of the Sunnah of fasting, and the situation is that the reward of the intention is not the reward of the action, and the reward of the intention is one good deed.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.

The questioner : As for what was not multiplied ten times.

The Shaykh : This... regarding your question, we say he is written the reward of the intention. So now, one who has no making up of Ramadan and did not fast six days of Shawwal, what is written for him? Nothing. Good. One who has no making up of Ramadan but intends to fast six days of Shawwal, he is written for it, because this is his action.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : It is not a problem that this is not written for him. No, we are saying he is not written for it except the reward of the intention.