Making the fasting intention whilst praying

23-7-2012 | IslamWeb

Question:

A man stood up to pray the ‘Ishaa’ shortly before the break of dawn in Ramadhaan. Then he remembered that he did not make his intention to fast. The time was so limited that if he broke the prayer to make his intention to fast, the fixed time of the prayer would expire by the break of dawn. On the other hand, if he completed the prayer first, the time for making the intention of fasting would expire. Should he invalidate one of them or is it enough for him to make the intention of fasting with his heart during the prayer?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Expressing the intention verbally in acts of worship is not permissible; rather, it is an innovation in religion. The place of intention is the heart. Consequently, when one intends in the heart to fast the next day of Ramadan, his intention has been made, even if this took place during the prayer. A Muslim during the prayer should not occupy himself with something other than it.

Allaah Knows best.