An issue that really needs to be focused on is that of our intention (niyyah). This is a condition that must be fulfilled in all of our acts of worship, especially here when talking about fasting in the month of Ramadan. There are a few things that I wanted to point out, that we all need to be aware of and implement in order to have made our intentions correctly.
Our intention must include:
- Certainty – We can not be unsure about what we are intending to do. It has to be a firm decision.
- Specified Action – We need to include in our intention exactly what type of fast we are doing. Ex: Fasting Ramadan, A Waajib fast, A Recommended Fast, Mondays and Thursdays, etc.
- If it is an obligatory fast, we must make sure to make our intention to fast before the time of the fajr prayer. We can not go into the day of one of our obligatory fasts and then decide during it to fast. (This is only allowable in our non obligatory fasts.)
