Taken from: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
Intention (niyyah) is the resolve of the heart; the tongue has no connection to it.
What is the Shari‘ah ruling regarding uttering the words of intention verbally?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِکُلِّ امْرِءٍ مَا نَوَی»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Badʾ al-Waḥy, Bāb Kayfa Kāna Badʾ al-Waḥy ilā Rasūlillāh, ḥadīth: 1; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Imārah, Bāb Innama al-Aʿmāl bi-Niyyah, ḥadīth: 1907)
Translation:
"Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended."
✿ The intention is solely related to the heart; verbalizing it is not necessary.
✿ For example: When you rise to perform wudu, this itself is the intention.
✿ Any intelligent and conscious person, free from coercion, naturally acts with intention.
✿ This is why some scholars have stated:
If Allah ﷻ had obligated us to perform any act without intention, it would have been taklīf mā lā yuṭāq (a burden beyond human capacity).
✿ Neither the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nor the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) were reported to have verbalized the intention.
✿ Those who verbalize it do so either:
✿ We say that this view is incorrect, because:
① If verbalizing the intention were required by Shari‘ah,
② The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would have certainly conveyed it to the Ummah through his words or actions.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Question:
Intention (niyyah) is the resolve of the heart; the tongue has no connection to it.
What is the Shari‘ah ruling regarding uttering the words of intention verbally?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِکُلِّ امْرِءٍ مَا نَوَی»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Badʾ al-Waḥy, Bāb Kayfa Kāna Badʾ al-Waḥy ilā Rasūlillāh, ḥadīth: 1; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Imārah, Bāb Innama al-Aʿmāl bi-Niyyah, ḥadīth: 1907)
Translation:
"Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended."
The Real Place of Intention
✿ The intention is solely related to the heart; verbalizing it is not necessary.
✿ For example: When you rise to perform wudu, this itself is the intention.
✿ Any intelligent and conscious person, free from coercion, naturally acts with intention.
✿ This is why some scholars have stated:
If Allah ﷻ had obligated us to perform any act without intention, it would have been taklīf mā lā yuṭāq (a burden beyond human capacity).
The Practical Example of the Prophet ﷺ and His Companions
✿ Neither the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nor the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) were reported to have verbalized the intention.
✿ Those who verbalize it do so either:
- Out of ignorance, or
- In imitation of scholars who suggested verbalizing the intention to synchronize the heart and the tongue.
The Shari‘ah Position on Verbalizing Intention
✿ We say that this view is incorrect, because:
① If verbalizing the intention were required by Shari‘ah,
② The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would have certainly conveyed it to the Ummah through his words or actions.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
