Fatwa ID: 06532
Answered by: Mufti Syed Johir Miah
Question:
If I was to go into the masjid with the intention of the particular Salah, for instance, Zhhar, do I need to pause before I start and make an intention or can I just go to the saff (or stand on the musallah if praying alone) and say takbeer without making any verbal intention?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Intentions play an integral part in ibadah.
Sayyiduna Umar ( رضى الله عنه ) narrated: “I heard Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying,
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوْ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ “
“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.”1
Intention for Salah is one of the prerequisites and therefore one has to make intention prior to the commencement of Salah. 2
The intention is generated from the heart, hence, there is no need to say the intention loudly.3
In the aforementioned case, as long as you have made your intention for the Salah, you can start Salah when you reach the line, whether you make the intention as you are standing in the line or as you are walking towards the line.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Mufti Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Sahih Bukhari, Hadith Number 1, 6/1, Dar Tuqin Najah, 1422 H.
2 ٩ – والنية.
Nurul Idah, Sharrumbulalee, 28/1, Al-Maktabatul Asriyyah, 2005.
3 (والمعتبر فيها عمل القلب اللازم للارادة) فلا عبرة للذكر باللسان إن خالف القلب لانه كلام لا نية، إلا إذا عجز عن إحضاره لهموم أصابته فيكيفيه اللسان.
مجتبى (وهو) أي عمل القلب (أن يعلم) عند الارادة (بداهة) بلا تأمل (أي صلاة يصلي) فلو لم يعلم إلا بتأمل لم يجز (والتلفظ) عند الارادة (بها مستحب) هو المختار، وتكون بلفظ الماضي ولو فارسيا لانه الاغلب في الانشاءات، وتصح بالحال.
Durrul Mukhtar, Haskafi, 59/1, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1423 H.
