some scholars have even said: “If Allah were to charge us with an act without an intention, that would be imposing what is beyond one’s capacity.” (1) If one were told, “Pray, but do not intend to pray; perform ablution, but do not intend ablution,” he would be unable to do so. There is no act without an intention. Hence Shaykh al-Islam said: “Intention follows knowledge: whoever knows what he wishes to do has thereby intended it, for it is impossible to do it without an intention.” (2) And he spoke the truth. This is indicated by the Prophet’s statement: “Actions are only by intentions.” (3) That is, there is no act without an intention.

“It is not stipulated, with respect to an obligatory prayer, performing it on time, making it up, a voluntary prayer, or repeating it, that one intend these as such; rather, he forms the intention along with the opening takbir, ………”

His statement, “It is not stipulated, with respect to an obligatory prayer, performing it on time, making it up, a voluntary prayer, or repeating it, that one intend these as such,” means that it is not a condition, for an obligatory prayer, to intend that it is obligatory; nor is it a condition to intend that it is being performed on time, made up, voluntary, or repeated. It is sufficient to specify the particular prayer.

For example, if one intends the noon prayer, it is not necessary for him to intend that it is obligatory, because intending the noon prayer inherently includes the intention that it is obligatory, since the noon prayer is obligatory. This is why he said, “It is not stipulated, with respect to an obligatory prayer, that one intend it to be obligatory.” Likewise, it is not necessary to intend that it is being performed on time. Performing a prayer on time means performing it within its prescribed time; whenever one prays within the time, it is considered performed on time.

Nor is it necessary to intend that one is making it up. Making up a prayer means performing it after its time legislatively prescribed—for example, if someone slept through the noon prayer until the time for the afternoon prayer began, and then prayed the noon prayer, this is making it up, because it was performed after its time.