concerning someone who remembers a missed prayer but does not know whether it was from Saturday or Sunday that Mālik’s followers differed. One view is that he offers it once, intending it for the day on which he missed it; another is that he offers it once for Saturday and once for Sunday.
Scholars have differed over whether the intention must coincide with the opening takbīr to be valid, or whether this is not a condition of its validity and it suffices for the intention to precede the opening takbīr by a short interval. Ibn Abī Zayd said in his Epistle: “Entering prayer with the intention of performing the obligatory prayer is obligatory.” This was also the position adopted by ‘Abd al-Wahhāb in his commentary on the Epistle. The sounder view is that the intention may precede the opening takbīr by a short interval, as with ablution and ritual bathing according to our school, and fasting according to all scholars. For the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “There is no valid fast for one who does not form the intention to fast during the night.” There is no basis for the distinction some make here between ablution and ritual bathing on the one hand and prayer on the other, on the grounds that scholars differ over whether intention is a condition for the validity of ablution and ritual bathing.
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Intention in the heart suffices without verbal expression, according to Mālik and all his followers.
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As for ritual purification, the evidence that it is obligatory and a condition for the validity of prayer is Allah’s saying, Mighty and Majestic:
“O you who believe, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your arms up to the elbows.” [al-Mā’idah: 6]
And the remainder of the verse. Also, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Allah does not accept prayer without purification, nor charity from misappropriated wealth.” This is established in the religion of the Muslim community and by the consensus of the Muslims, so there is no need to cite the scriptural texts concerning it.
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As for knowing the prayer time, the evidence that this is a necessary condition for the validity of prayer is the consensus