❖ Question: What is the Ruling on Uttering the Intention (Niyyah) Verbally for Salah?
Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri
Niyyah (intention) is an act of the heart.
Verbalizing the niyyah for salah is a bid‘ah (innovation).
“Some ḥuffāẓ have stated that it is not authentically reported—neither through a ṣaḥīḥ nor a ḍaʿīf chain—that the Prophet ﷺ ever said at the beginning of prayer: ‘I intend to pray such-and-such.’ Nor is it proven from any companion or tābiʿī. What is proven is that when the Prophet ﷺ stood for prayer, he would begin with ‘Allāhu Akbar’. Therefore, verbal niyyah is an innovation.”
Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 1/266–267
“There is consensus among scholars that if one makes intention in the heart without uttering it verbally, his prayer is valid. This is documented in various sources, including al-Khāniyyah.”
Al-Baḥr al-Rā’iq: 1/292
“It is established by mutawātir narrations and the consensus of the Ummah that the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions would start their prayer with ‘Allāhu Akbar’, and no verbal utterance of the niyyah—whether silently or aloud—before the takbīr is reported from them. Neither did the Prophet ﷺ ever do this, nor did he command it. Had such a practice existed, it would have been widely transmitted due to the presence of many reasons for it to be narrated. Since it was not reported at all, this confirms that such verbal niyyah has no value.”
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 22/236–237
“Niyyah is the firm intention to perform an act, and its place is the heart—not the tongue. That is why no authentic report exists showing the Prophet ﷺ or his Companions verbalizing the niyyah before any act of worship. Those invented phrases before wudū’ and ṣalāh are from the traps of Shayṭān, who uses them to confuse people. A person affected by this may keep repeating the words and subject himself to difficulty, while these phrases are not even part of the ṣalāh.”
The one who stands to pray has already made niyyah by that very act. No one does a deliberate act without intention. Therefore, there is no need to verbalize it. In fact, if one doubts whether he has made niyyah, this is a sign of waswasah and possibly even insanity.”
Ighāthat al-Lahfān: 1/136–137
“The Prophet ﷺ never said before prayer: ‘I intend to pray four rakʿāt for Allah facing the Qiblah, as imām or follower, etc.’ These phrases are ten innovations in total. Not a single one of them has been reported—authentically or otherwise—from the Prophet ﷺ, nor from any Companion, nor from the four Imāms.”
If anyone can prove even one word of this from a Companion, we will accept it—but there is no such evidence. True Sunnah is what the Companions reported from the Messenger ﷺ.”
Zād al-Maʿād: 1/194
“Those of our scholars who considered verbalizing the niyyah as sunnah, did not mean Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, but a practice introduced by some later scholars due to changes in time and increased worldly distractions.”
Mirqāt al-Falāḥ Sharḥ Nūr al-Īḍāḥ, p. 84
“Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī made a strange claim that because the Prophet ﷺ uttered a phrase during ḥajj, we can analogically apply that to all acts of worship. But no narration exists wherein the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘I intend to perform ḥajj’, rather he said, ‘O Allah, I intend...’ — and that is a duʿā’, not a declaration of niyyah.”
There is no authentic report of the Prophet ﷺ or the Companions saying anything before the takbīr in prayer. Imām Abū Dāwūd said: I asked Imām al-Bukhārī, ‘Do you say anything before the takbīr?’ He replied: No.”
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ Sharḥ Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ: 1/42
Three scenarios regarding niyyah:
① Only intention in the heart — this is unanimously valid, and is the practice of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions.
② Only verbal intention without any inner resolve — unanimously invalid.
③ Combination of both — some late scholars called it mustaḥabb (recommended), but that does not mean it is from the Sunnah. It was only termed mustaḥabb due to its role in aiding focus and matching inner and outer speech.
ʿUmdat al-Riʿāyah fī Ḥall Sharḥ al-Wiqāyah: 1/139
✔ Niyyah is a condition of the heart.
Verbal niyyah is an innovation, unsupported by the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, or any authentic narration.
The Sunnah is to begin salah directly with “Allāhu Akbar”, having made the intention in the heart.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri❖ The Answer:
Niyyah (intention) is an act of the heart.
Verbalizing the niyyah for salah is a bid‘ah (innovation).
✦ Scholarly Analysis:
❖ 1. Imām Ibn al-Humām رحمه الله (d. 861 AH):
“Some ḥuffāẓ have stated that it is not authentically reported—neither through a ṣaḥīḥ nor a ḍaʿīf chain—that the Prophet ﷺ ever said at the beginning of prayer: ‘I intend to pray such-and-such.’ Nor is it proven from any companion or tābiʿī. What is proven is that when the Prophet ﷺ stood for prayer, he would begin with ‘Allāhu Akbar’. Therefore, verbal niyyah is an innovation.”
Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 1/266–267❖ 2. Imām Ibn Nujaym رحمه الله (d. 970 AH):
“There is consensus among scholars that if one makes intention in the heart without uttering it verbally, his prayer is valid. This is documented in various sources, including al-Khāniyyah.”
Al-Baḥr al-Rā’iq: 1/292❖ 3. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (d. 728 AH):
“It is established by mutawātir narrations and the consensus of the Ummah that the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions would start their prayer with ‘Allāhu Akbar’, and no verbal utterance of the niyyah—whether silently or aloud—before the takbīr is reported from them. Neither did the Prophet ﷺ ever do this, nor did he command it. Had such a practice existed, it would have been widely transmitted due to the presence of many reasons for it to be narrated. Since it was not reported at all, this confirms that such verbal niyyah has no value.”
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 22/236–237❖ 4. Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله (d. 751 AH):
“Niyyah is the firm intention to perform an act, and its place is the heart—not the tongue. That is why no authentic report exists showing the Prophet ﷺ or his Companions verbalizing the niyyah before any act of worship. Those invented phrases before wudū’ and ṣalāh are from the traps of Shayṭān, who uses them to confuse people. A person affected by this may keep repeating the words and subject himself to difficulty, while these phrases are not even part of the ṣalāh.”
The one who stands to pray has already made niyyah by that very act. No one does a deliberate act without intention. Therefore, there is no need to verbalize it. In fact, if one doubts whether he has made niyyah, this is a sign of waswasah and possibly even insanity.”
Ighāthat al-Lahfān: 1/136–137❖ 5. Also in Zād al-Maʿād, Ibn al-Qayyim says:
“The Prophet ﷺ never said before prayer: ‘I intend to pray four rakʿāt for Allah facing the Qiblah, as imām or follower, etc.’ These phrases are ten innovations in total. Not a single one of them has been reported—authentically or otherwise—from the Prophet ﷺ, nor from any Companion, nor from the four Imāms.”
If anyone can prove even one word of this from a Companion, we will accept it—but there is no such evidence. True Sunnah is what the Companions reported from the Messenger ﷺ.”
Zād al-Maʿād: 1/194❖ 6. ʿAllāmah Sharnblālī رحمه الله (d. 1069 AH):
“Those of our scholars who considered verbalizing the niyyah as sunnah, did not mean Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, but a practice introduced by some later scholars due to changes in time and increased worldly distractions.”
Mirqāt al-Falāḥ Sharḥ Nūr al-Īḍāḥ, p. 84❖ 7. Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله (d. 1014 AH):
“Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī made a strange claim that because the Prophet ﷺ uttered a phrase during ḥajj, we can analogically apply that to all acts of worship. But no narration exists wherein the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘I intend to perform ḥajj’, rather he said, ‘O Allah, I intend...’ — and that is a duʿā’, not a declaration of niyyah.”
There is no authentic report of the Prophet ﷺ or the Companions saying anything before the takbīr in prayer. Imām Abū Dāwūd said: I asked Imām al-Bukhārī, ‘Do you say anything before the takbīr?’ He replied: No.”
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ Sharḥ Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ: 1/42❖ 8. ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Ḥayy Lakhnawī رحمه الله (d. 1304 AH):
Three scenarios regarding niyyah:
① Only intention in the heart — this is unanimously valid, and is the practice of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions.
② Only verbal intention without any inner resolve — unanimously invalid.
③ Combination of both — some late scholars called it mustaḥabb (recommended), but that does not mean it is from the Sunnah. It was only termed mustaḥabb due to its role in aiding focus and matching inner and outer speech.
ʿUmdat al-Riʿāyah fī Ḥall Sharḥ al-Wiqāyah: 1/139❖ Summary:
| Practice | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Intention in the heart |  Obligatory and sufficient |
| Uttering niyyah with the tongue | Innovation (bidʿah), no basis in Sunnah |
| Combination of both | ☑ Considered mustaḥabb by later scholars for aiding focus, not by the Prophet ﷺ or his Companions |
Final Verdict:
✔ Niyyah is a condition of the heart.
Verbal niyyah is an innovation, unsupported by the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, or any authentic narration. The Sunnah is to begin salah directly with “Allāhu Akbar”, having made the intention in the heart.وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
