Sharh al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الأربعين النووية) — Page 16

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

تَأَسِّياً بِالنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَهَذِهِ عِبَادَةٌ.

Following the Prophet, peace be upon him, is an act of worship.

تَمْيِيزُ الْعِبَادَاتِ بَعْضِهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ مِثَالُهُ: رَجُلٌ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ يَنْوِي بِذَلِكَ التَّطَوُّعَ، وَآخَرُ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ يَنْوِي بِذَلِكَ الْفَرِيضَةَ فَالْعَمَلَانِ تَمَيَّزَا بِالنِّيَّةِ، هَذَا نَفْلٌ وَهَذَا وَاجِبٌ، وَعَلَى هَذَا فَقِسْ.

To distinguish acts of worship, consider this: one man prays two rak'ahs as a voluntary act, while another prays two rak'ahs as an obligatory one. The two actions are distinguished solely by intention; one is supererogatory and the other is mandatory. You may apply this logic to other cases.

إِذَا الْمَقْصُودُ بِالنِّيَّةِ: تَمْيِيزُ الْعِبَادَاتِ بَعْضِهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ كَالنَّفْلِ مَعَ الْفَرِيضَةِ، أَوْ تَمْيِيزُ الْعِبَادَاتِ مِنَ الْعَادَاتِ.

The purpose of intention, therefore, is to distinguish acts of worship from one another—such as voluntary prayers from obligatory ones—or to distinguish acts of worship from mundane habits.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ النِّيَّةَ مَحَلُّهَا الْقَلْبُ، وَلَا يُنْطَقُ بِهَا إِطْلَاقاً، لِأَنَّكَ تَتَعَبَّدُ لِمَنْ يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلِيمٌ بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِ عِبَادِهِ،

Understand that the seat of intention is the heart. It should never be spoken aloud, for you are worshipping the One who knows the furtive glance and what the hearts conceal. Allah the Exalted is fully aware of what lies within the hearts of His servants.

وَلَسْتَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقُومَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ مَنْ لَا يَعْلَمُ حَتَّى تَقُولَ أَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا أَنْوِي لِيَعْلَمَ بِهِ، إِنَّمَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقِفَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُكَ وَيَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكَ وَمَاضِيَكَ، وَحَاضِرَكَ.

You do not stand before someone who is ignorant, requiring you to announce your intentions so he might understand them. Rather, you stand before the One who knows the whispers of your soul, your movements, your past, and your present.

وَلِهَذَا لَمْ يَرِدْ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَلَا عَنْ أَصْحَابِهِ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَتَلَفَّظُونَ بِالنِّيَّةِ وَلِهَذَا فَالنُّطْقُ بِهَا سِرّاً أَوْ جَهْراً بِدْعَةٌ يُنْهَى عَنْهَا، خِلَافاً لِمَنْ قَالَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: إِنَّهُ يَنْطِقُ بِهَا جَهْراً، وَبَعْضُهُمْ قَالَ: يَنْطِقُ بِهَا سِرّاً، وَعَلَلُوا ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنْ يُطَابِقَ الْقَلْبُ اللِّسَانَ.

For this reason, it was never reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, or his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, verbalized their intentions. Pronouncing them, whether silently or aloud, is an innovation that must be avoided. This contradicts the scholars who argue for verbalizing it—some claiming it should be done aloud, others silently—justifying it by saying the tongue should match the heart.

يَا سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، أَيْنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ هَذَا؟ لَوْ كَانَ هَذَا مِنْ شَرْعِ الرَّسُولِ، لَفَعَلَهُ هُوَ وَبَيَّنَهُ لِلنَّاسِ.

Glory be to Allah! Where is the Messenger of Allah in all of this? If this were part of his law, he would have practiced it himself and explained it to the people.

وَيُذْكَرُ أَنَّ عَامِّيّاً مِنْ أَهْلِ نَجْدٍ كَانَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ صَلَاةَ الظُّهْرِ وَإِلَى جَانِبِهِ رَجُلٌ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِلَّا الْجَهْرَ بِالنِّيَّةِ، وَلَمَّا أُقِيمَتْ صَلَاةُ الظُّهْرِ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَنْطِقُ بِالنِّيَّةِ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ صَلَاةَ الظُّهْرِ، أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى خَلْفَ إِمَامِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ.

It is said that a layman from Najd was in the Sacred Mosque, intending to pray the noon prayer. Beside him stood a man who knew only the practice of speaking the intention aloud. When the call to prayer was made, the man began to say, 'O Allah, I intend to pray the noon prayer, four rak'ahs for Allah the Exalted, behind the Imam of the Sacred Mosque,' and just as he was about to begin the opening takbir...

Vocabulary · المفردات (25 verbs · 53 nouns)

• شَرَحَ — to explain
• صَلَّى — to pray
• نَوَى — to intend
• تَمَيَّزَ — to be distinguished
• قَاسَ — to draw an analogy
• عَلِمَ — to know
• نَطَقَ — to speak
• تَعَبَّدَ — to worship
• أَخْفَى — to hide
• أَرَادَ — to want
• قَامَ — to stand
• تَكَلَّمَ — to speak
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• وَسْوَسَ — to whisper
• وَرَدَ — to arrive
• تَلَفَّظَ — to pronounce
• نَهَى — to forbid
• عَلَّلَ — to justify
• طَابَقَ — to match
• فَعَلَ — to do
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• عَرَفَ — to know
• أَقَامَ — to establish
• كَبَّرَ — to say Allahu Akbar
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• أَرْبَعُونَ — forty
• تَأَسٍّ — following
• نَبِيٌّ — prophet
• عِبَادَةٌ — worship
• تَمْيِيزٌ — distinction
• بَعْضٌ — part
• مِثَالٌ — an example
• رَجُلٌ — man
• رَكْعَةٌ — rak'ah
• تَطَوُّعٌ — voluntary act
• فَرِيضَةٌ — obligation
• عَمَلٌ — work
• نِيَّةٌ — intention
• نَفْلٌ — supererogatory act
• وَاجِبٌ — duty
• مَقْصُودٌ — intended
• عَادَةٌ — habit
• مَحَلٌّ — place
• قَلْبٌ — heart
• إِطْلَاقٌ — absolute
• خَائِنَةٌ — treachery
• عَيْنٌ — eye
• صَدْرٌ — chest
• عَلِيمٌ — all-knowing
• عَبْدٌ — servant
• يَدٌ — hand
• نَفْسٌ — self
• مُتَقَلَّبٌ — movement
• مَاضٍ — past
• حَاضِرٌ — present
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• أَصْحَابٌ — companions
• رِضْوَانٌ — pleasure
• نُطْقٌ — speech
• سِرٌّ — secret
• جَهْرٌ — publicity
• بِدْعَةٌ — innovation
• خِلَافٌ — disagreement
• أَهْلٌ — people
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• أَجْلٌ — sake
• لِسَانٌ — tongue
• سُبْحَانٌ — glory
• شَرْعٌ — law
• نَاسٌ — people
• عَامِّيٌّ — layman
• مَسْجِدٌ — mosque
• حَرَامٌ — sacred
• صَلَاةٌ — prayer
• ظُهْرٌ — noon
• جَانِبٌ — side
• إِمَامٌ — imam