Is The Intention For Prayer Obligatory Or Sunnah?

Is it sufficient to make intention (niyyah) for a prayer only by heart? Is it necessary to make the intention by specifying as fardh or sunnah?

Niyyah (Intention) is one of the conditions of the prayer. It is an act of the heart and it means that the person decides something and knows what s/he will do and why s/he will do it. The significant point in prayer is the intention in the heart. Although it is mustahab (desirable) to utter it with tongue, prayer will be valid even though it is not uttered (Marghinani, al-Hidayah, I, 297). A person who performs a fardh or wajib prayer needs to identify which prayer s/he is starting. But for the sunnah prayers (rawatib), it is not compulsory to identify the sunnah of which prayer is being performed (Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-falah, 83).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWAS