Excerpt from Shaykh Zubair ‘Alī Za’ī رحمه الله’s book “Hadiyyat al-Muslimīn – Important Issues of Salah along with Complete Salah of the Prophet ﷺ”
Hadith No. ①
«عن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه: سمعت صلى الله عليه وسلم عليه يقول: إنما الأعمال بالنيات .. إلخ»
‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Actions are judged only by intentions…”
Agreed upon – [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2/1, Ḥadīth 1 (wording from al-Bukhārī), Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 140/2, Ḥadīth 1907]
① This Hadith clearly proves that intention (niyyah) is obligatory in acts such as wuḍū’, ghusl from janābah, and ṣalāh. The fuqahā’ have consensus on this, except Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله, who held that niyyah in wuḍū’ and ghusl from janābah is sunnah, not obligatory.
This Ḥanafī fatwā is rejected because it contradicts the above Hadith and other Shar‘ī evidences.
② Definition of Niyyah:
Niyyah means the resolve and intention of the heart. Pronouncing the intention verbally is not established in any Hadith.
Note: It is reported that Imām al-Shāfi‘ī رحمه الله, before entering ṣalāh, would say: «بسم الله موجهاً لبيت الله مؤدباً لفرض الله (عز وجل) الله أكبر» – [Al-Mu‘jam by Ibn al-Muqri, p. 121, Ḥadīth 336, with an authentic chain].
However, it is clear that such verbal niyyah is not reported from the other three Imāms (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Aḥmad), hence avoiding it is more appropriate.
Verbal niyyah is baseless — it is astonishing that the heart’s intention, which is obligatory, has been downgraded to sunnah, while the verbal niyyah, which has no basis, has been elevated to a “must-do” level, practiced with the emphasis of an obligation.
③ Three Conditions for Any Act to Be Accepted by Allah:
1. The belief (‘aqīdah) of the doer must be in accordance with the Qur’ān, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn.
2. The action and method must conform to the Qur’ān and Sunnah.
3. The act must be done solely for the sake of Allah’s pleasure.
Obligation of Intention
Hadith No. ①
«عن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه: سمعت صلى الله عليه وسلم عليه يقول: إنما الأعمال بالنيات .. إلخ»
‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Actions are judged only by intentions…”
Agreed upon – [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2/1, Ḥadīth 1 (wording from al-Bukhārī), Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 140/2, Ḥadīth 1907]
Points of Benefit
① This Hadith clearly proves that intention (niyyah) is obligatory in acts such as wuḍū’, ghusl from janābah, and ṣalāh. The fuqahā’ have consensus on this, except Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله, who held that niyyah in wuḍū’ and ghusl from janābah is sunnah, not obligatory.
This Ḥanafī fatwā is rejected because it contradicts the above Hadith and other Shar‘ī evidences.
② Definition of Niyyah:
Niyyah means the resolve and intention of the heart. Pronouncing the intention verbally is not established in any Hadith.
- Imām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said: “Niyyah means the intention and resolve of the heart. The place of intention is the heart, not the tongue.” [Al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā, Vol. 1, p. 1] — and this is the consensus of people of understanding.
- Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said: Verbal niyyah is neither established from the Prophet ﷺ, nor from any Companion, nor from any Tābi‘ī, nor from any of the four Imāms. [Zād al-Ma‘ād, p. 201]
Note: It is reported that Imām al-Shāfi‘ī رحمه الله, before entering ṣalāh, would say: «بسم الله موجهاً لبيت الله مؤدباً لفرض الله (عز وجل) الله أكبر» – [Al-Mu‘jam by Ibn al-Muqri, p. 121, Ḥadīth 336, with an authentic chain].
However, it is clear that such verbal niyyah is not reported from the other three Imāms (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Aḥmad), hence avoiding it is more appropriate.
Verbal niyyah is baseless — it is astonishing that the heart’s intention, which is obligatory, has been downgraded to sunnah, while the verbal niyyah, which has no basis, has been elevated to a “must-do” level, practiced with the emphasis of an obligation.
③ Three Conditions for Any Act to Be Accepted by Allah:
1. The belief (‘aqīdah) of the doer must be in accordance with the Qur’ān, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn.
2. The action and method must conform to the Qur’ān and Sunnah.
3. The act must be done solely for the sake of Allah’s pleasure.
