[Q 722] Mistaken Intention in Prayer

Question

Zaid needed to pray Asr but mistakenly he made the intention of 3 Rakah Magrib and said the Takbeer-e-Tahreema

After that he realized he made the wrong intention, exited the Salah and prayed 4 Rakah of Asr

Does Zaid need to do anything else?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

If the intention in the heart was for the Asr prayer, but the tongue mistakenly uttered Maghrib, then in this situation, it was not permissible to break the prayer. If it was broken, one should repent from this and not do so in the future, because in this case, it will be considered the Asr prayer, as niyyah (intention) refers to the resolve of the heart.

However, if the intention in the heart was actually for Maghrib, then in this situation, the Asr prayer would not have been performed. In this case, one can break the prayer and then pray Asr, or whichever prayer one intended to pray.

It is stated in Radd al-Muhtar:

“‌والمعتبر ‌فيها ‌عمل ‌القلب اللازم للإرادة فلا عبرة للذكر باللسان إن خالف القلب لأنه كلام لا نية إلا إذا عجز عن إحضاره لهموم أصابته فيكفيه اللسان مجتبى.”

(Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salat, Bab Shurut al-Salat, Matlab fi Satr al-Awrah, vol. 1, p. 415)

Answered by: Tabaruk Madani (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 20th September 2026