Meaning of ‘forming the intention in the heart’
18-10-2017 | IslamWeb
Question:
What is the meaning of forming the intention in the heart? Is it silently thinking in one's mind before starting that deed that "I will do this deed for the sake of Allah to gain reward"? Example: Before reading Islamic books, should I silently think "I will gain knowledge for the sake of Allah to gain reward"? Is making this type of intention worship like other good deeds, or is it only a precondition that has no reward? I want a specific answer, so do not refer me to other fatwas, please. Take your time to answer.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The intention is required in two senses:
The first is what is required from every Muslim in every deed which he does, which is doing the deed sincerely for the sake of Allah alone and avoiding showing off or desiring any reward of this worldly life and its enjoyment. This requires alertness and attentiveness so that the person avoids showing off and achieves the sincerity which he is ordered to achieve. Forming the intention in this sense is that the person does the deed for the sole purpose of getting closer to Allah; this is easy for whoever is alert and is not overcome by heedlessness.
As regards intention in the second sense – which is the one scholars of Fiqh speak about – it is that a person holds the intention for doing the act of worship that he wishes to do in his heart, so he intends ablution if he wants to perform ablution, and he intends the prayer if he wants to perform the prayer, and so forth. Also, if that act of worship is a specific obligation or a specific supererogatory act, then he intends it in particular. So he intends to pray the Thuhr prayer, or the Dhuha prayer, or the Witr prayer; or he intends to fast to fulfil a vow, or as expiation, or to make up for a missed fast, etc. He should do this with all acts of worship.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Ash-Sharh Al-Mumti’:
“The intention is a condition in all acts of worship, and speaking about intention is of two aspects:
The first aspect: in regard to designating an act so that it can be distinguished from another; so by the prayer one intends that it is a prayer and that it is Thuhr prayer for example, and by Hajj, he intends that it is Hajj, and by fasting, he intends that it is fasting; this is what the scholars of Fiqh speak about.
The second aspect: it is to intend whom you are doing the deed for (i.e. to whom the deed is intended; the intention of devoting the deed to Allah) and not to specify the act of worship you are about to do; this is sincerity, and its opposite is Shirk (polytheism). Those who discuss this are the scholars who speak about conduct in the Chapters on Tawheed (pure monotheism) and matters related to it. This aspect is more important than the first because it is the core of Islam and the essence of religion. This is what a person should be concerned about.”
Forming the intention is an easy matter and does not require great effort or silence; it is just a matter of firm belief. The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads:
“The scholars agreed that it is necessary to have a firm intention (without hesitation; a person should exactly know what he is doing the action for) because it is a condition for the performance of acts of worship, as the Prophet said, ‘Verily, actions are judged according to the intentions behind them.’ The intention is the decisive and absolute will, and not a general will. Anything that contradicts decisiveness undermines intention, such as hesitation or basing the action on a condition.”
The sincere intention is in itself an act of worship for which the person is rewarded. Al-Bayhaqi said in Shu‘ab Al-Eemaan, “The intention of a believer is better than his deed, because the intention is free from corruption, while the deed is not free from it... It was said: Having the intention to do a deed (without doing it) can be an act of obedience, as the Prophet said, ‘He who intended to do good but did not do it, one good deed is recorded for him.’”
Allah knows best.