[Based on the] (13) apparent meaning of his saying, peace be upon him: "There is no fast for one who does not resolve to fast from the night" (14). Also, because he did not intend it at the start of the act of worship, nor near it, so it is not valid, just as if he had intended from the night to fast the day after tomorrow.

Section: The intention is required for every day. This is the opinion of Abu Hanifah, al-Shafi'i, and Ibn al-Mundhir. It is narrated from Ahmad that a single intention suffices for the entire month if he intended to fast all of it. This is the school of Malik and Ishaq, because he intended during a time whose nature is suitable for the intention of fasting, so it is permissible, just as if he intended every day during its night. Our position is that this is an obligatory fast, so it is necessary to intend every day during its night, like making up a missed fast (qada'). Furthermore, these days are acts of worship where some do not become invalid due to the invalidation of others, and they are interrupted by things that contradict them, so they resemble making up a missed fast; thus they differ from the first day. By analogy to Ramadan, if one vows to fast a specific month, the same ruling we mentioned regarding Ramadan is derived.

Section: The meaning of intention is resolve, which is the heart's belief in doing an action and its determination to do so without hesitation. So, whenever it crosses his mind in the night that tomorrow is of Ramadan and that he is fasting on it, he has made the intention. If he doubts whether it is of Ramadan and has no basis to build upon, such as if it is the night of the thirtieth of Sha'ban and neither clouds nor dust hindered the sighting of the new moon, so he resolved to fast tomorrow as part of Ramadan, the intention is not valid, and that day's fasting will not suffice him. This is because intention is a resolve that follows knowledge, and what one does not know, has no evidence for its existence, and is not confident in his belief about, one cannot validly resolve to do. This is the opinion of Hammad, Rabi'ah, Malik, Ibn Abi Layla, al-Hasan ibn Salih, and Ibn al-Mundhir. Al-Thawri and al-Awza'i said: It is valid if he intended it from the night; because he intended the fast from the night, so it is valid like the second day. From al-Shafi'i, there are two opinions like these. Our position is that he did not