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What intention should the Imam make when leading Salah?

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Salam. I have started praying Salah. Unfortunately, I pray Salah at home because the Masjid is quite far from my house. Me and my dad have been praying Salah in Jama`at rather than individually so I wanted to know what Niyyat does the one leading the Salah (Imam) make, Can you please advise. JazakAllah. May Allah bless you and reward you for your efforts. Ameen

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

We are very pleased to hear that you began performing salaah at home with congregation. With a little more courage, Insha’Allah you will be able to perform salaah in the Masjid. Ameen.

If one of you (your father or yourself ) is an Imam, make niyyah (intention) of being the Imam[1]; and the muqtadi (follower) must make niyyah of following the Imam.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hanif Yusuf Patel

Student Darul Iftaa
UK

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net

References
[1] فإن كان منفردا أو إماما فإن كان يصلي التطوع ينوي أصل الصلاة وإن كان يصلي الفرض ينبغي أن ينوي فرض الوقت أو ظهر الوقت ولا يكفيه نية مطلق الصلاة لأن الفرائض من الصلوات مشروعة في الوقت فلا بد من التعيين

[Tuhfat al-Fuqaha, 1: 125]

[Al-Ashbah wa an-Naza`ir ma`a Sharh Hamawi, 1: 72 – 73, Idarah al-Qur`an wa al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah, Karachi]

ولا يحتاج إلى نية الإمامة؛ لأن الأداء لا يختلف عليه إلا في حق النساء، فإنه لا يصير إماماً لهن إلا بالنية: وإن كان مقتدياً لا تكفيه نية الفرض والتعيين حتى ينوي الاقتداء؛ لأن الأداء مقتدياً يخالف الأداء منفرداً،

[Al-Muhit al-Burhani, 1: 404]

و الخامس النية بالاجماع و هي الارادة لا مطلق العلم و المعتبر فيها عمل القلب اللازم للارادة

[Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar ma`a Radd al-Muhtar, 1: 414-5, H. M. Saeed Company]

و التلفظ بها مستحب هو المختار

[Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar ma`a Radd al-Muhtar, 1: 417, H. M. Saeed Company]

 

This answer was collected from AskOurImam.com, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Hanif Yusuf Patel. He graduated from Jamiatul Ilm Wal Huda, Blackburn, U.K, with a distinction in Alimiyyah degree. He thereafter travelled to Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah Durban, South Africa, to train as a Mufti under the tutelage of Mufti Ebrahim Desai and Mufti Husain Kadodia.

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