Changing One's Intention "Niyyah" during Worship

Abstract

This research aims to highlight the importance of intention (niyah) in worship, as it is a crucial condition for the validity of worship. A Muslim must intend to perform a specific worship before starting it. If worship has different types, such as prayer (obligatory or voluntary), a person must intend the specific type he/she intends to perform. This is because the intention is the spirit of the action.

The research also aims to clarify the time of the intention and the rulings on changing or switching intention during worship, which may lead to the invalidation of the worship.

The researcher used the comparative method to compare the different Islamic schools (Zaidi, Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali) as well as used the inductive theoretical method followed by the descriptive analytical method to study the topic in a comparative jurisprudential study.

The researcher defined the key important terms mentioned in the research, and explained the importance of intention (Niyyah) in performing acts of worship and its influence on the acceptance of the deed before Allah Almighty, and that it is what distinguishes various acts of worship from one another.

The researcher also clarified that one of the reasons for choosing the topic is the lack of knowledge among many people regarding the rulings on transforming or changing the intention during the performance of acts of worship and its effect on the validity or invalidity of the worship.

The research reached several conclusions, including:

1. Intention distinguishes worship from habits and differentiates types of worship from each other.


2. In his/ her act of worship, a person directs his/her intention (Niyyah) towards Allah the Almighty. If he/she deliberately changes his/her intention and shifts to another act of worship, his/her original worship becomes invalid due to the lack of a valid intention, as the validation of the worship is dependent on its proper intention. Therefore, it is not permissible for him/ her to shift to another act of worship, and the existence or non-existence of this worship would be the same, as he/she did not intend it in the beginning.

The research also provided several recommendations, including:

• Emphasizing the significance of intention in sermons and lectures, as it is a key factor in the validity of worship and the favor of Allah.


• Conducting similar studies on the topic of polytheism in intention during worship.