The Opinion on Pre-dawn Intention and Intention Specification for Fasting Ramadan

Abstract

As the blessed month of Ramadan approaches—a month of the Qur'an and the most virtuous of all months—it becomes increasingly important to address the jurisprudential Opinions related to fasting. Fasting, being the second pillar of Islam, requires certain conditions to be fulfilled for it to be valid and accepted by Allah Almighty. This raises key questions: What are the conditions that a responsible Muslim must observe when fasting Ramadan, especially those that may be unknown to some? Is there a distinction between the fasting of Ramadan and voluntary fasting? And what do scholars mean by the terms "intention specification" and "pre-dawn intention"? This research seeks to address and clarify these issues. The researcher adopted both descriptive and comparative methodologies, starting with defining the key terms in the title, explaining the difference between pre-dawn intention and intention specification, and comparing the views of jurists on these matters across the four major Islamic schools of thought. The study also explores the reasons behind differing opinions, where applicable, and provides the evidences supporting each view. Finally, the research concludes with a preferred opinion (tarjeeh) and highlights some jurisprudential principles related to the topic.
The study reached several key findings: Intention is the resolve to perform an act of worship, and it may either precede the act or coincide with it. Intention is a prerequisite for the validity of fasting. One of the wisdoms behind its requirement is to distinguish acts of worship from habitual actions. Furthermore, specifying the intention for fasting Ramadan and making it during the night before the Fajr (dawn) prayer is obligatory, according to the preponderant opinion of scholars. Additionally, there are jurisprudential principles tied to the concept of intention, such as: "No reward is granted without intention."