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Is it permissible to combine the intention of a voluntary or a make-up fast with the intention of fasting for healing from illnesses?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A Muslim must dedicate acts of worship solely to Allah. Scholars differ on the permissibility of combining the intention of worship with the intention of a permissible matter, holding two views:

The majority permits this, as long as the permissible purpose does not contradict the act of worship.

However, others hold that such a combination invalidates the act of worship, because the intention must be purely for Allah the Almighty.

Examples of this include: performing ablution (wudu) with the intention of removing impurity and cooling oneself; performing prayer (salat) with the intention of prayer and avoiding a creditor; and fasting with the intention of drawing closer to Allah and seeking healing.

The Hanbalis and many Malikis permit this, as long as the intention is not forbidden or disliked, but such a combination might diminish the reward.

It is preferable to purify the intention solely for Allah the Almighty to avoid scholarly disagreement, but combining intentions does not harm according to the majority.

Whoever fasts correctly, Allah accepts their fast, and they attain its benefits, including health benefits.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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