Reciting “Inni wajjahtu” at the Beginning of the Prayer

Question

Is it permissible to recite, without any restriction, at the beginning of the prayer: [ar]إِنِّى وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِىَ لِلَّذِى فَطَرَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ[/ar] “I have turned my face towards the One Who created the heavens and the earth, as a hanif, and I am not of the polytheists” (Surah al-An‘am, 6:79) — or is there some distinction between the fard, the sunna and the nafl prayers?

Answer

After the takbir al-tahrima (the opening takbir) one should recite only “Subhanaka Allahumma…” (the thana’), and not recite “Inni wajjahtu…” — neither in the fard, nor in the sunna and nafl. Before the niyya (intention) there is no objection to it; but after the niyya one should not recite it before the takbir al-tahrima either. This is what is derived from al-Bahr al-Ra’iq, p.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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