An Niyyah (Intention)

The place of the niyyah is the heart and not the tongue in all forms of ‘ibaadah !

This is the firm resolve of the heart to perform wudoo in obedience to the order of Allaah ta’ala and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

Ibn Taimiyyah (rahimahullaah) said (Majmoo’at-ur-Rasaa-il il-Kubraa 1/243):

“The place of the niyyah is the heart and not the tongue in all forms of ‘ibaadah – and that is agreed upon by all the Muslim scholars – Purification, Prayer, Zakaat, Sawm, Hajj, ‘Itq (freeing of slaves), Jihaad, etc. If he were to express with his tongue other than that which he intended in his heart – then what he intended is counted, not what he said. If he voiced the intention with his tongue and the intention was not in his heart, that will not count – by total agreement of all the scholars of Islaam – so the niyyah is the firm intention and resolve itself.”

As Rasoolullah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) himself explained in the hadeeth narrated by ‘Umar (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) in the Sahihain

Verily the actions are by intention and there is for everyone only what he intended…

[Fath-ul-Baaree, 1/9, and Muslim, 6/48]

Details: Niyah (Intention)