—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Actions are judged only by intentions.” (1) That is, no deed exists without an intention. Some scholars even said: If Allah were to impose upon us an act without intention, that would be imposing what is beyond one’s capacity. That is, if Allah were to say to us, “Perform ablution without an intention,” or, “Pray without an intention,” or, “Fast without an intention,” or, “Perform Hajj without an intention,” this would be imposing what is beyond one’s capacity. For who is able to carry out a voluntary act without intending it?

From this, we realize that the misgivings experienced by some people, when one says, “I did not make an intention,” are an illusion with no reality. How could it be true that he did not intend it when he actually did it?

It is related of Ibn Aqil—one of the theologians and jurists—that a man came to him and said, “Shaykh, I bathe in the Tigris River, then come out and find that I have not become purified.” Ibn Aqil replied, “Do not pray.” The man asked, “How so?” He said, “Yes, for the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: ‘The pen has been lifted from three … from the insane person until he regains consciousness.’ (2) You go to the Tigris, immerse yourself in it, bathe from major ritual impurity, then come out and think that you have not become purified—this is insanity.” The man then desisted from this.

If it is asked: What is intention?

The answer is that intentions differ. Hence the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person shall have only what he intended.” This explanation makes clear that the two statements in the hadith do not have the same meaning.

His statement, “Specifying the intention is obligatory,” indicates by this wording that the intention