Intention and du’aa’ during prayer

Question

Praise be to Allah.

The intention is a condition of prayer, which is essential
for the prayer to be valid. The shar’i definition of the intention is:
“Deciding to do an act of worship in order to draw closer to Allaah.” This
definition includes two meanings:

1 – The intention to do the action. This distinguishes acts
of worship from other actions, and distinguishes acts of worship from one
another. So one has the intention that these movements are the prescribed
prayer, and decides whether it is fard (obligatory) or naafil.

2 – The intention with regard to whom it is done for. This
means that by doing this action one is seeking the pleasure of Allaah and
nothing else.

The site of this intention is the heart. By simply deciding
in his heart to do this action, a person has made his intention. Hence it is
not prescribed to speak the intention out loud when one wants to do the
action. Rather speaking the intention out loud is a kind of innovation that
was not narrated in the Book of Allaah or in the Sunnah of His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor was it narrated from any of
his Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them all). See al-Sharh
al-Mumti’, 2/283. For more information please see question no.
13337.

With regard to what a
person should think about during the prayer, he should focus on the
greatness of his Lord before Whom he is honoured to stand. So he should
stand before Him properly, with humility and veneration. He should think
about what it is prescribed for him to say in every part of the prayer. When
he is standing he should ponder the meaning of what he is reciting from the
Qur’aan. When bowing he should think about the meaning of the dhikr he is
reciting, and the same when prostrating and in other parts of the prayer. He
should also strive in all parts of the prayer to recite the dhikrs and
du’aa’s that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). With regard to du’aa’ in the sense of asking Allaah for
what one needs of the good things in this world and in the Hereafter, the
time to do that is when prostrating, after reciting the prescribed dhikr,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I have been forbidden to recite Qur’aan when bowing and prostrating. As for
rukoo’ (bowing), glorify your Lord therein, and as for sujood (prostration),
strive in du’aa’, for then it is more likely that your Lord will answer
you.” (Narrated by Muslim, 738).

With regard to what is mentioned in the question, that it is
narrated in some ahaadeeth that we have to call upon Allaah throughout the
prayer, none of the reputable scholars has mentioned this or referred to it.
Perhaps you have understood from the definition of some scholars that salaah
(prayer) means du’aa’ (supplication), and this is the meaning that you
mentioned.

Or perhaps you have heard some scholars saying that salaah is
all du’aa’. By this they were referring to the second category of du’aa’,
for some of the scholars divided du’aa’ into two categories:

1 – Du’aa’ in the sense of asking, which means asking Allaah
for one’s needs; and 2 – du’aa’ in the sense of worship, which means
worshipping Allaah in the ways that He has prescribed, by means of various
acts of worship such as prayer, fasting and zakaah. What this means is that
these acts of worship include asking from Allaah, is if one is saying, “O
Allaah accept this from me” or “Reward me for this act of worship by
granting me forgiveness, admission to Paradise and salvation from Hell,”
etc. All of prayer is considered to be du’aa’ in this sense.

Hence our advice to all Muslims is to adhere to the Sunnah of
the greatest of Messengers (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
throughout the prayer, following his command: “pray as you have seen me
praying.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631). They should ponder the meanings of
what they recite from the Qur’aan, and the dhikrs they recite, so that they
may fulfil the greater purpose of prayer which is, as Allaah explained:

“and perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah). Verily,
As-Salaah (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshaa’ (i.e. great sins of every
kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief,
polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45 – interpretation of the meaning]

You will find an abbreviated description of the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Question no.
13340. We ask Allaah to guide us all… Ameen.