Is waking up to have the predawn meal considered a valid intention for fasting?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Waking up to have a predawn meal without making the intention to fast is not sufficient to have a valid intention to fast. If a person eats the predawn meal in order to fast; in other words if the person intends so with determination, then this should be considered a valid intention for fasting. In his commentary on Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj, the prominent scholar Al-‘Abbadi, the Shaafi’i scholar, said, “If he (the fasting person) has a strong determination; which is the intention along with whatever is indicative of the action of fasting in this regard, then this should be sufficient as a valid intention for fasting.” To clarify, if a person eats the predawn meal in order to fast his current day, while bearing in his mind that this day is a day of Ramadan, then this counts as a valid intention for fasting. This intention is what is called niyyah, which is an integral requirement for the validity of fasting. Having the niyyah does not require too much effort. It is sufficient to have the determination in your heart to undertake acts of worship, including fasting and others.

Allaah Knows best.