Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
952. A person should offer prayers with the intention of Qurbat, that
is, complying with the orders of the Almighty Allah. It is not, however,
necessary that he should make the niyyat pass through his mind, or should, for
example, utter: "I am offering four Rak'ats of Zuhr prayers Qurbatan ila-llah."
953. If a person stands for Zuhr prayers or for Asr prayers, with
niyyat to offer four Raka'ts without specifying whether it is Zuhr or Asr
prayers, his prayers are void. Similarly, if he wants to offer a Qadha Zuhr
prayers at the time of Zuhr, he should specify whether he is offering the Zuhr
prayers of the day, or the Qadha.
954. A person should be conscious and aware of his niyyat, from the
beginning of the prayers till its end. Hence, if, during the prayers he becomes
so lost that he is unable to say what he is doing, if asked, his prayer is void.
955. A person should offer prayers to carry out the orders of the
Almighty Allah only. So, if a person prays to show off to the people, his
prayers is void. It will be void even if he couples the intention of showing
off, with the performance for the pleasure of Allah.
956. If a person offers a Wajib or Mustahab part of prayers for the
sake of any one other than Allah, his prayers are void, if that intention
affects the whole Namaz, or redressing it is not possible without invalidating
the namaz. Similarly, if, for the purpose of showing off, one prays at a special
place, like&127; the mosque, or at a special time, like the prime time, or
in a special manner, like joining Namaz-e-Jamaat, his prayers will also be void.