Moreover, what invalidates both this interpretation and the preceding one is that the person pronouncing the takbīr should reflect upon it and grasp its meaning. His heart should therefore be occupied with the meaning of the takbīr, not distracted from it by consciously calling the intention to mind. Furthermore, intention is a condition of worship, and conditions precede acts of worship and remain legally effective until their completion, as is the case with ritual purity. And Allah knows best.

He was asked:

Does the “intention” required when beginning acts of worship, such as prayer and other observances, need to be spoken aloud—for example, by saying, “I intend to fast” or “I intend to pray”? Is this obligatory or not?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. The intention for ritual purification—whether through ablution, ritual bathing, or dry ablution—and for prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, expiations, and other acts of worship does not need to be spoken, by agreement of the imams of Islam. Rather, they agree that the intention resides in the heart, not on the tongue. Thus, if someone mistakenly says something contrary to what he intends in his heart, what counts is his intention, not his words. No one has reported any disagreement on this, except that one of the later scholars of al-Shāfiʿī’s school—may Allah have mercy on him—derived a contrary opinion, but the leading scholars of his school judged him mistaken.

His mistake arose because al-Shāfiʿī said:

“Prayer necessarily requires a spoken utterance