ʿIshāʾ?” —“Not at all; I intended nothing but Fajr.”
There is therefore no need for me to say, “I intend Fajr.” Admittedly, explicitly intending Fajr is more complete, but sometimes the specification slips the mind; in that case, the time itself identifies the prayer. Hence an obligatory prayer can be designated in two ways:
- By naming the prayer in one’s heart—for example, intending Zuhr. This is straightforward.
- By its time: so long as you are praying within the appointed time, that prayer is the one being performed.
The second method applies only to a prayer offered within its time. If a person has missed prayers—for instance, he slept an entire day and missed Zuhr, ʿAsr, and Maghrib—then when he makes them up he must specify each one by name, for there is no time indicator for them.
As for specified voluntary prayers—such as Witr, the two rakʿahs of Duha, and the regular sunnahs that accompany the five obligatory prayers—these too must be designated by name, but in the heart, not on the tongue. Thus, if you intend to pray Witr, pronounce the opening takbīr, yet do not form the intention of Witr until partway through the prayer, the prayer is invalid, because Witr is a particular voluntary act, and specified voluntary prayers must be identified from the outset.
If, while praying, a person wishes to shift from one intention to another, is this