Hadith 1 : “Surely, All Actions are but by Intentions …

On the authority of the Commander of the Faithful Abu Hafs Umar ibn al-Khattaab who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, “Surely, all actions are but driven by intentions and, verily, every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus, he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, [then] his migration was for Allah and His Messenger; and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take a woman in marriage, his migration was for that which he migrated.”

This was related by the two Imams of the scholars of hadith, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn lsmaaeel ibn Ibraaheem ibn al-Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim al-Qushairi al Naisaboori in their collections of authentic hadith which are the most authentic works compiled

General Comments On This Hadith:

This is one of the most comprehensive hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It touches upon almost every deed of Islam. Abu Ubaid said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) encompassed all of the affairs of this world in one sentence, ‘Whoever enters anything into this religion of ours that does not belong, will have it rejected.’ And he encompassed all of the affairs of the Hereafter in one sentence, ‘Every action is based on its intention.”‘ Imam Abu Dawood stated that this hadith is one-half of Islam; that is, Islam comprises what is apparent, the deeds of Islam, as well as what is not apparent, the intention behind the deeds. Al-Shafi’ee also said that it encompasses half of knowledge, meaning that the religion concerns both what is external and what is internal.

The deeds are the external aspect and the intention behind them is the internal aspect. Both Ahmad and al-Shafi’ee said that this hadith covers one-third of knowledge. Al-Baihaqi explained this statement by saying, “This is so because the person earns rewards with his heart, tongue and body. Thus, intention is involved in one of these three components.” Al-Shafi’ee also said that this hadith is applied in seventy topics of fiqh. He meant by that, obviously, numerous, if not every topic of fiqh. Imam Ahmad stated that the foundation of Islam revolves around three hadith:

  1. “Actions are but by intention,”
  2. “Whoever introduces anything into this affair of ours that is not from it shall have it rejected,”
  3. “The permissible is clear and the forbidden is clear.”

Abu Dawood stated that fiqh revolves around five hadith:

  1. “Actions are but by intentions,”
  2. “The religion is sincere advice,”
  3. “The permissible is clear and the forbidden is clear,”
  4. “There is no harming or reciprocating of harm,”
  5. “Whatever I forbid you, remain away from. Whatever I order you to do, fulfill as much as you can.”

Abu Ubaid said about this hadith, “There is no report of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that is more comprehensive, self-sufficient and having more important points to it than this hadith.” The basis of any good deed is sincerity to Allah as Allah revealed His books, sent His messengers and created this creation for the purpose of His worship. Therefore, the pious forefathers preferred to begin all their meetings and gatherings with this hadith. Similarly, many scholars preferred to begin their works or collections with this hadith, such as al-Bukhari in Sahih alBukhari. Abdul Rahmaan ibn Mahdi said, “It is a must for everyone who is to write a book to begin with this hadith in order to instill within the student the need for proper intention.”

The Circumstances Behind the Hadith:

Saeed ibn Mansoor and al Tabaraani record on the authority of ibn Masood that this hadith was stated concerning a man who wanted to marry a woman named Umm Qais but she refused to marry him unless he would migrate from Makkah to Madinah. Therefore, he migrated in order to marry her. lbn Masood said that afterwards he was called “the migrant of Umm Qais”. According to ibn Hajr the chains of this narration are authentic. However, he points out that there is nothing in that narration that explicitly states that it was the cause for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to say, “Actions are but by intention … ” Ibn Hajr does make the point that this statement does apply to that particular person even though he probably was not the cause behind the statement.

Meaning of “All actions” :

Many scholars restrict this hadith to the actions of the responsible believers only. Their argument is that the hadith refers to acts of worship and acts of worship are only proper from responsible believers. Others restrict the meaning to shareeah acts only, that is, acts of worship plus acts related to legal matters. Nevertheless, there does not seem to be any evidence to restrict the term only to the actions of the believers. Indeed, there does not seem to be any evidence to restrict the meaning of the word to the acts of worship or to acts of the shareeah only.
It does, though, seem that acts here must be restricted to conscious, intentional acts. Acts are sometimes performed unintentionally, without any will or purpose to do so. Hence, they are done without intention and the hadith, then, could not be referring to such acts.

The Meaning of al-Niyyah:

The meaning of niyyah can be described in English as: endeavor, intention, purpose, resolution, goal, aim, resolve, determination, and so forth. It is not just a thought that comes to one’s mind but it is a determination, want and aspiration to do something. Therefore, if one has the intention or niyyah to do something it means that he will do it as long as there is nothing preventing him or as long as he does not change his intention. For example, if one intends to fast on Monday and then Monday comes and there is nothing to prevent him from fasting, yet he does not fast, this means that he did not truly have the intention once Monday actually arrived.

The place of the intention:

According to ibn Taimiya, the scholars agree that the “place of the niyyah” is the heart or the conscience and it is not the tongue. What this means is that making a statement is not the same thing as having an intention to do something. Therefore the innovation of saying, for example, “I have the intention to pray two rakats … ” is nonsensical. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never used to make such statements.
Another example is the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him),

“Whoever does not make the intention to fast during the night of Ramadhaan (for the next day) he will not be rewarded for the fast.” This means that if one knows that the next day is a day of Ramadhaan and he knows that he is obliged to fast Ramadhaan and therefore his object is to fast the next day, then he has performed the “intention.” But if the same person were to state, “I intend to fast tomorrow … ” yet in his heart he has no feeling or object to fast, then he has not, in fact, performed the intention. With respect to intention, what matters is what is in the heart.

A statement from al-Shafi’ee has been misinterpreted and has led some to believe that he preferred the stating of the intention before, for example, the prayers. When al-Shafi’ee stated the difference between the prayer and the inviolable state of the pilgrimage, he stated that the prayer begins with a statement; some people concluded that he meant the mentioning of the intention but this is incorrect. Actually, he was referring to the opening takbeer of the prayer.

Other Words Similar to Niyya:

Although the word niyyah and its derivatives may be found throughout the hadith, the Quran usually uses different words that are equivalent to niyyah. These words are al-iraada (volition), al-qasd (purpose) and al-azm (determination). These words are all very close to each other in meaning but they each have some specific characteristics that separate them from each other. They all imply the want to do or not to do something specific. In fact, they are all sometimes used for the same meaning in Arabic.

  • The niyyah is a subset of what iraada or will encompasses. Iraada, according to al-Qaradai, encompasses intention, resolve, consideration, desire, purpose, choice and will. One sees that the place of it is the heart. This expression is used in the following verses of the Quran: “Whoever wants(iraada) the quick-passing short-live [enjoyment of this world], We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell. He will burn therein, disgraced and rejected- far away from Allah’s mercy. And whoever wants the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due it, while he is a believer, then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded [by Allah]” (al-Israa 18- 19).
  • Qasd (“purpose”) implies turning toward something and desiring it. It is sometimes used to mean the same thing as niyyah. Indeed, it is very close in meaning to it. However, the term qasd can be used for what a person wants for himself as well as what he wants from others. The word niyyah cannot be used in the former sense. Second, the word qasd can only be used for an act which is within the ability of the person himself while niyyah can be used for an act that is beyond a person’s ability. That is, a person can have the intention that if he had a specific amount of money, he would give it all away. He may have that intention although that act may not be in his power since he does not have that money. For something like that, the word niyyah can be used but not qasd.
  • The third word is Azm. Azm is the resolve of the heart to fulfill a matter. This word can be found in the Quran also. In fact, in the Quran it has four meanings: purpose, patience, resolve and fulfillment. It also implies resolve to do something without any hesitation or doubt concerning that matter. Of the different terms, azm is the strongest with respect to having a resolve to do something. In fact, intention, want and purpose all precede azm. Azm is the end all of these different concepts.

Niyyah, qasd and iraada all imply knowledge and action. First there must be knowledge of the act that one wants to fulfill. Then action must follow, as long as there are no preventative factors. In fact, no action will be completed unless it has three components: knowledge of the act, want to do the act and ability to do it. No one wills something that he does not know and no one can do something that he has not the ability to do. When intention (niyyah) is related to an act being done at present, it is also called qasd. If it is in relation to an act to be done in the future, it is called azm. Iraadah is used for both present and future acts.

Niyyah and Ikhlaas:

A person’s intention may be noble or evil. However, for the believer, the goal is to make his intention, that is, the motive for his deeds, purely for the sake of Allah. This is another very important Quranic term known as al-ikhlaas. This is an essential part of the pure monotheism that was taught to all peoples by their respective prophets. Allah says in the Quran: “And they [the previous peoples] were commanded not but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone sincerely, and offer prayer perfectly, and give zakat. That is the right religion” (al-Bayyinah 5). Before embarking upon any act of worship, one must make certain that he is doing that act of worship purely for the sake of Allah. If he strays from that goal, then he is either committing a major form of shirk (acribing partners to Allah) that takes him out of lslam or a minor fomt of shirk.

Different openions for the Meaning of Hadith:

However, ibn Taimiya calls this a case of taqdeer. After mentioning all the assumptions mentioned above, he writes, According to the majority opinion, the hadith is to be understood at face value and in its general sense. It does not mean by intention good deeds only. Instead, it is in reference to the praiseworthy intention and the blameworthy intention as well as the praiseworthy or blameworthy deed. This is why he [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] said to complete it, “Whose emigration was to Allah and His Messenger. .. ” He mentioned the praiseworthy intention of emigration to Allah and His Messenger. The blameworthy intention is the emigration for a woman or wealth. That is why he mentioned them in detail after a general, unspecified reference. He said, “All actions are but by intention and for everyone is what he intended,” then he explained that by his statement, “Whose emigration was … “

It seems, Allah knows best, that one must stick as closely as possible to the literal meaning of any statement of the Quran and sunnah unless there is overriding evidence to do otherwise. In this case, the way that could be done is to understand the word, “deeds,” to be in reference to every conscious, intentional act that a person performs. Thus, the only acts that are excluded are those that are done in a completely involuntary sense or by coercion. In that case, there is no need for any additional taqdeer. Every voluntary act is accompanied by an intention, as is clear by the definition given for “intention”. Therefore, the correct translation for this phrase, and Allah knows best, is that every conscious act has an intention behind it as its driving force that brought it about. The intention could be praiseworthy or blameworthy.

ibn Uthaimeen wrote, In fact, some scholars even say, “If Allah obliged us to perform acts without any intention, He would be obliging us to do something that we are not able to do.”
Such is correct. How can you perform a deed while you are rational and freely acting, without being coerced, and do it without an intention? That is impossible because the deed results from want and ability. The want is the intention. Therefore, the first sentence means that there is no doer but that he has an intention. However, intentions differ. In fact, they differ as greatly as the distance between the heavens and earth. One may have the loftiest of intentions while another person’s intention is in the gutter. In fact, you can see two people do exactly the same deed. They are corresponding deeds with respect to their beginnings, middle, endings, actions, movements, statements and deeds. However, between them is like the distance between the heavens and the earth due to their different intentions. Therefore, the basic premise is that there is no deed done without an intention. The consequence of that is in the Prophet’s words, “And for everyone is what he intended.” If you intended [the pleasure of] Allah and the Hereafter in your shareeah deeds, that will be achieved for you. If you intended this world, then you may achieve it or you may not.

Other Important Points Related to This Portion of the Hadith:

Intentions go beyond Actions:

The actions of the heart (i.e., niyyah) can take one beyond what he can actually do by his physical deeds. (Recall that the word niyyah can also be used for actions beyond one’s ability.) During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), a man prepared to go out for jihad but died before being able to do so. His daughter said to him, “I wished you had died a martyr, for you had prepared for it.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, “Allah has given his reward for him according to the extent of his intention.”‘

In a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on an expedition and he stated, “In Madinah there are a people we left behind. We do not pass through any ravine or valley except that they are with us [in reward]. They have been kept behind due to valid excuses.” This concept, that a person’s intention may go beyond his actions, could be partially what the phrase, “and every man shall have but that which he intended” alludes to. However, although many scholars discuss this point under this hadith, it seems that this is not what the hadith is referring to whatsoever. That is, the hadith is specifically concerned with the relationship between actually performed deeds and intention. In any case, this aspect does highlight the importance of the intention itself and how Allah views it.

What types of Acts are Included:

The statement, “Verily, all actions are but driven by intention” applies to all types of deeds: statements and physical deeds, obligatory, recommended or permissible deeds. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “I love that for every action, whether they be prayers, fasts, charity, or any type of good deed, there would be the intention preceding it.” Zaid al-Shaami said, “I love to make an intention for everything, even eating and drinking.” There is some difference of opinion whether or not this includes the non-performance of certain acts. Is “not performing” or “avoiding” something to be considered an act in itself? It seems that the strongest opinion is that if someone avoids a certain deed for the sake of Allah, then he will be rewarded. That is, he consciously and willingly does not do something, then he will be rewarded for that. This, for example, would be the case of someone who deliberately does not look at a woman standing next to him. If someone avoids specific deeds but not for the sake of Allah, then he will not be rewarded. For example, if a woman is standing next to a Muslim male but he does not look at her because he is busy reading a newspaper and does not notice her, he has not avoided looking her for the sake of Allah and hence he had no intention of not looking at her

Allah only accepts the Deeds done sincerely for Him and in Accordance with His Shareeah:

It should also be realized that any deed that is not done for the sake of Allah will not be accepted by Allah. If a deed is done with the sincere intention of pleasing Allah and following His commands, then that deed will be rewarded by Allah regardless of what aspect of life that deed deals with. The act could be related to an act of worship, a business transaction, treatment with friends or neighbors and so forth.

lbn Ajlaan said, “A deed is not useful unless accompanied by three things: awareness of Allah (taqwa), good intention and correctness of the deed.”

There is also another point that needs to be emphasized and that is that
if the intention is actually existing, the good deed must follow. That is, there
are many people who claim that they have good intentions while, at the same time, they are not applying the Quran and sunnah. This negates their claim that they have a good intention. The intention is the cause that brings about the act. If the intention is truly there, the act is forthcoming.

“Intention and Intention”:

Any deed performed with the sole intention of pleasing Allah which is also consistent with His shareeah is an act of worship or ibaadah. At the same time, though, there are some deeds that must be accompanied with an intention for them to be accepted by Allah. These deeds include, according to the majority opinion, ablution, ghusl, tayammum, prayers, zakat, fasts, pilgrimage, itikaaf and other acts of worship. For example, someone could go the entire day without eating due to lack of food or for health reasons but this would not be the same thing as fasting as an act of worship. Therefore, whenever anyone wishes to fast as an act of worship, one must first make the intention to perform that act of worship. Therefore, in order to distinguish the act of worship from any other customary act, the intention must be present in the heart of the person.

Also, with respect to prayers and other acts of worship, some such deeds are obligatory while others are only voluntary. When someone stands to fulfill the obligatory prayer, he must have the intention that it is the obligatory prayer-not a voluntary prayer-before he begins the deed. Also, cleaning one’s body may be done solely for the sake of becoming clean or it may be done with the intention of purifying oneself for the sake of worship. In this latter case, the act of cleaning itself is an act of worship and, therefore, one must have the intention to purify oneself before doing so. There are some deeds whose validity is not in need of an intention. For example, cleaning one’s clothing from impurities is a precondition for the prayer. If someone has a shirt that has some impurity on it and then throws it into a washing machine that physically removes the impurities present, the shirt will be permissible for use in the prayer even if the person did not have the intention to remove the impurity. That is, in a case like this, the intention is not a necessity.

Same Acts, Different Intentions:

Later in this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that which he migrated.” In these few words the Prophet (peace be upon him) described how the same deed can be a source of reward for some and possibly a source of punishment for others. Therefore, the same act will be rewarded or punished differently by Allah due to the niyyah of the person. For example, if a person attends the prayer with the purpose of pleasing Allah and gaining His pleasure and out of fear of His punishment, then he may be rewarded up to seven hundred times (or more) for that deed with that proper intention. The effects of his greater fear, hope and love of Allah make his deed even greater than other people performing the same deed but who are missing that quality.

Ali ibn al-Madeeni once said, “A small act may be made great due to the intention behind it and a great act may be made small due to the intention behind it.”

Furthermore, a person may also attend the prayer in the mosque with many “intentions”- all of them valid intentions that have only one final goal, the pleasing of Allah. He may attend the mosque to pray in congregation, to improve the quality of his prayer, to set an example for others, to support the mosque and to meet with the others in the mosque to strengthen the ties of brotherhood. Hence, his action of going to the mosque will be greatly pleasing to Allah due to all of those intentions he had. If someone attends the prayer simply because he knows it is an obligation and he fulfills it lazily and not desiring to please Allah much, then he will be rewarded accordingly. If one attends the prayer, for example, simply not to be punished by his father, then he may be punished by Allah for that deed as he did not fulfill the obligation of performing the prayer on his own. And if one attends the prayer simply to fool the people into thinking that he is a very pious person, then he will be severely punished for his act of show or riyaa, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) called this a type of shirk.

for the sake of Islam, helping the Muslim community and becoming superior to the unbelievers, he will be rewarded accordingly. If one studies in order to be called a knowledgeable person or just to get ahead in this world, then his reward/ punishment will be accordingly. The same types of examples can be given for any act. The acts that are not performed for the sake of Allah are performed for a number of other reasons. Sometimes people perform deeds purely for the sake of show, as Allah states that the hypocrites do. Sometimes a deed will be done for the sake of Allah and also for the sake of show; in that case, if the motivating factor was show, the deed would be rendered useless. In Sahih Muslim there is a hadith recorded from Abu Huraira from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Allah said, “I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus, he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.”

Another hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states, Abu Moosa narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “A man fights for the bounty, another man fights to be mentioned [among those who fought] and another fights for show. Which is the one who fights for the cause of Allah?” He answered, “The one who fights to make the word of Allah supreme is the one who [fights] for the cause of Allah.” (Recorded by alBukhari and Muslim.)

Many of the early scholars, including Ibaada ibn al-Saamit, Abu alDarda, al-Hasan, Saeed ibn al-Musayyab and others, stated that any deed performed for Allah’s sake as well as for some other reason will be fruitless. Ibn Rajah stated, “I know of no difference of opinion on this point among the pious forefathers although some later scholars did differ on this point.”

If someone mixes his intention for jihad with some other intention, but not for the sake of being seen, then his reward will be lessened but his deed may not be rendered void according to some of the later scholars. For example, if someone goes out for jihad with the intention of making Allah’s word supreme and also to earn some booty, then his reward will be lessened but he will still be rewarded for his jihad. Abdullah ibn Amr stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If a warrior receives some booty, then one-third of his rewards would have already been given to him. If he returns without any booty, then his reward [in the Hereafter] will be complete.” (Recorded by Muslim.)

If someone intends to do a deed for the sake of Allah and then some other intention occurs to him during the course of the deed, such as being seen by the people, does that mean that his entire deed would become void? If it is just a thought that occurs to him that he then instantly repels, it will not harm his deed. The real question is if that feeling persists with him. Both Imam Ahmad and ibn Jareer al-Tabari stated that they hoped that in such a case the person will still be rewarded due to his original intention. Al-Tabari points out that this applies to an action that cannot be broken up into parts, for example, prayers or fasting. With respect to deeds like reciting the Quran or making dhikr, that can be broken into smaller parts, then the person’s reward will end when he changes his intention.

Finally, if someone does a deed with the intention of pleasing Allah only and then the people praise him for that deed or he receives some recognition, his rewards from Allah will not be affected. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about a person who performed a deed for the sake of Allah and later the people praised him for it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “That is a prompt part of the good tidings that the believer receives.” (Recorded by Muslim.)

The Niyyah and Permissible Deeds:

According to the jurists, a permissible (mubaah) deed is a deed that entails no punishment or reward from Allah. Similarly, when the deed is not performed, the person will not be rewarded or punished by Allah. That is the strict definition from the jurists and there is nothing wrong with that definition. But at the same time, a permissible act may be rewarded by Allah if it was performed solely because the person knew it was permissible and as a means of getting closer to Allah. For example, if a person eats with the intention of becoming stronger in order to fulfill his religious duties, then he will be rewarded by Allah for performing that deed that the jurists would call permissible. It is said that some of the early Muslims would rest only in order to revive themselves for their striving in the way of Allah.

Fulfilling one’s worldly responsibilities in a permissible and legal means is also a source of reward from Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said, “You do not spend anything for the sake of Allah’s Countenance except that you will be rewarded for it, even [the food] that you put in the mouth of your wife.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim

In Madaaraj al-Saalikeen, ibn al-Qayyim stated, “The most exclusive [group of] people who get close to Allah are those who change the nature of their permissible deeds into acts of obedience to Allah.” He also said, “The customary-mundane deeds of those people who truly know Allah are acts of worship [for them] while the ritual acts of worship are customary deeds for the masses.” What he said is very true. The masses of Muslims approach the prayers, fasting and other deeds as common daily practices that they must perform simply because it is part of the culture or way of life. They have no strong intention in their hearts or feeling of doing the act for the sake of Allah. If the quality of the act is poor, it does not matter much to them because they are doing it just to finish. Hence, these important rites of worship become simply customary with no meaning or effect to them. The one who truly knows Allah is at the opposite extreme. Even the “mundane” deeds he performs are filled with purpose and intent. Hence, they become acts of worship that are pleasing to Allah.

Hence, the striving Muslim should try, to the best of his ability, to perform every act in a completely conscious manner. He should think about what he is doing before he does it. He should think about the purpose and the goal of his action, no matter what kind of action that might be. No matter how mundane the act might be, if the person really thinks about why and for whom he is doing it, it can move to the realm of worship of Allah.

Can a Person Control His Intention?

On this point, al-Sadlaan has a very important passage that is deserving to be quoted at length:

Intention is one of the actions of the heart and, in general, the actions of the heart are under the control of the person and fall under his personal choice. He is ordered to make his intention pure, unadulterated and to define what is his purpose. He is forbidden to commit shirk in his intention, not to purify it or to deviate in his intention to something that he is not ordered to do. That is all under the ability and capability of the responsible person. If that were not the case, the order to have purity and prohibition of shirk would be an obligation that one could not fulfill … Therefore, the person has the ability to define his intention and to direct it and make himself pure in the same way that he has the ability to tum his intention away from what he is legally not supposed to do. This is because Allah has given humans intelligence and has given them will and free choice. Allah has made clear for them the path of goodness. He has clarified it for the human. He has called the human to it. He has promised the doer of good a great reward and abundant recompense. He has also made clear to them the path of evil, has warned them about it, has threatened the one who follows it and has shown the consequential punishment in this life and the Hereafter. Furthermore, He has sent messengers, revealed books, given proofs and arguments, and has made all the arguments clear.

Therefore, the Muslim must do his best to be sincere to Allah and to seek to please Him by following those means that will take him closer to Allah– such as trying to know Allah better, pondering over His creation and blessings, recognizing His attributes and so on. By doing so, the person will drive himself to obey Allah more and be more sincere towards Him. If this sincere intention overtakes him, his heart will be filled with the love of Allah, fear of Him and hope in Him; therefore, it will be simple for him to desire what Allah asks of him to perform and to work solely for His cause. In that case, his intention will be to sincerely serve Allah and his soul will automatically drive him to do those deeds that please Allah.
A person is helped to reach this state by understanding what kind of forces may be working upon his heart. By understanding these, a person knows where to tum for help. He also understands the sources of his problems and his straying from the straight path. Al-Haarith al-Muhaasabi has stated three types of forces working upon one’s heart. The first is a source of inspiration and guidance from Allah that He has put into the hearts of the believers. A hadith states:

“Allah has laid down a parable of a straight path on the sides of which are walls with open doors and curtains hanging down over the open doors. At the top of the path there is a caller, saying, ‘Go straight, all of you, on the path and do not deviate.’ Above that one is another caller who says, whenever anyone tries to open any of those doors, ‘Woe to you! Do not open it, for if you open it you will go through it.’ The path is Islam, the open doors are the things Allah has forbidden, the curtains hanging down are the limits Allah has set, the crier at the top of the path is the Quran, and the one above him is [one who] admonishes for Allah’s sake [and] who is in every Muslim’s heart.” (Ahmed)

This is the first source that aids a person in being sincere to Allah in his heart. Beyond that, if and when he truly turns to Allah, Allah turns to him in an even greater way. However, the other two forces working on a person’s heart are Satan, through his whisperings and enticements, and the soul itself. Sometimes the straying from being sincere to Allah is due to whisperings from Satan while at other times it is more related to desires and passions that a person has developed in his own soul. About the first, once again, if the person turns to Allah, Allah will remove the effect of Satan from his heart. Allah has said:

“If an evil whisper comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge with Allah.
Verily, He is the All-Hearer, All-Knower” (al-Araaf 200).

Once again, if the person turns to Allah, Allah will remove such whispers from his heart. About the soul leading one to do evil, Allah has described it in the following manner:

“[Yusuf said:] Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my
Lord bestows His Mercy [upon whom He will]. Verily, My Lord is OftForgiving, Most Merciful” (Yoosuf 53).

Hence, the individual must always strive to be aware of these forces acting upon his heart. He must always try to be awake and never let himself become neglectful. Ifhe becomes neglectful, he will stray from his one purpose in life: being true and sincere to Allah in his worship of Him. He must always try to follow those steps that will increase his faith and keep him from straying. He must always turn to Allah and ask Allah to guide him to sincerity and purity for His sake.

The Hadith Points Out the Importance of Knowledge Before Acting:

This hadith clearly demonstrates that a Muslim must have knowledge before acting. A person must have the intention to do an act which is proper or, at least, permissible. However, he cannot have such an intention unless he first knows that the act is proper or permissible. If a person does an act without knowing the ruling of that act, then he cannot claim that his intention was pure. His intention is characterized by his understanding of that act and whether or not that act is permissible. If he did not care whether the act is permissible or not, then he did the act with a careless intention. That is, his intention was that he did not care if the act was permissible or not. Allah states in the Quran,

“So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousnessand associate none as a partner in the worship of His lord” (al-Kahf 1 10).

Commenting on this verse, ibn al-Qayyim wrote, This is in reference to the only type of deed that Allah will accept. The deed must be in accordance with the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and done solely for the Countenance of Allah. A doer cannot possibly fulfill both of these conditions unless he has knowledge. If he does not know what has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), then he cannot intend that. If he is not knowledgeable of whom he worships, he cannot intend Him alone in his deeds. If it were not for knowledge, his deed could not be acceptable. It is knowledge that guides to sincerity and purity and it is knowledge that indicates what is the actual following of the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Proper Intention and “Wrong” Results:

A person’s intention determines the reward for the deed even if the result of the deed is not what the person desired. Once a father gave some charity to the person in charge of the charity and he, unknowingly, gave the charity to the man’s son. The father said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), “I did not desire it to go to him.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, “For you is what you intended,” and he told the son who received the charity, “For you is what you have received.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) Similarly, if someone gives charity to a certain person because he believes that person to be poor, although the truth is otherwise, he will still be rewarded due to his intention. This once again demonstrates the importance and place of intention.

Proper Intention is One of The Greatest Forms of Worship:

The intention behind a deed is something that only the person and Allah are aware of. It is private between the person and Allah. There is no way for any insincerity to exist in this matter, as opposed to outward deeds that are seen by others. Therefore, it will be greatly rewarded by Allah as the person cannot seek any worldly benefit from it whatsoever. Perhaps this is partially what Sahl ibn Abdullah meant when he said, “There is nothing more difficult upon the soul than ikhlaas (purity for the sake of Allah) because the soul itself gets no portion from it.”

al-Niyyah and al-Ikhlaas – The Heart of the Matter:

The importance of this question of niyyah (“intention”) and ikhlaas (“purity in one’s deeds,” that is, acting solely for the sake of Allah) cannot be overstated. It is really the key matter around which all of this creation revolves. It must be the goal and purpose of the human being beyond which there can be no other goal or purpose. Allah has stated, “And I (Allah) created not jinn and men except that they should worship Me (alone)” (al-Dhaariyaat 56). Purity of intention is, in actuality, the differentiating point between worshipping Allah correctly and not worshipping Him correctly or at all. It is what differentiates the one who worships only Allah and the one who worships something along with Allah.

Al-Ashqar wrote, The truth to which the Quran and sunnah testify is that the real thing that is obligated by the shareeah rulings is the person’s soul. The body is just a tool for it. If a deed is without what the soul has been ordered to fulfill- which is purity of intention- then the deed that the body performs is a type of useless play and straying

Allah asks of His servants purity in the hearts. Although this purity is reflected in the deeds itself, it is the purity as a result of intention that is the key to Allah being pleased with a certain deed. Allah created death and life in order to test mankind to see who are the best in deeds. He did not create mankind and test them to see who performs the most deeds with the least quality. Allah has stated,

“Blessed is He in whose Hand is the dominion, and He is the One who Decrees all things, Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is the best in deed. He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving” (al-Mulk 1-2). Commenting on this verse, al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh stated that “best in deeds,” means the most pure and most correct. He stated, “If a deed is sincere and pure but not correct, it is not accepted. If it is correct but not pure, it is not accepted. [It will not be accepted] until it is both pure and correct. It is pure if it is solely for the sake of Allah and it is correct if it is according to the sunnah.” This is emphasized by Allah’s statement,

“So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His lord” (al-Kahf 1 10).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Verily, Allah does not look at your shapes or your wealth but He looks at your hearts and your actions.” (Recorded by Muslim.) This was the religion of all of the prophets and what all of mankind has been ordered to fulfill. As Allah has stated, “And they [the People of the Scripture] were commanded not but that they worship Allah, worshipping Him alone, purely, and establish the prayer, and pay the zakat, and that is the Right Religion” (98: 5).

Hence, the outward deeds and the inner aspects must go together. The most important aspect and the driving factor is what is in the heart. This can be seen from this hadith, “Verily, all actions are but driven by intention.” Ibn alQayyim once wrote,

The one who studies the sources of the shareeah will know the relationship between the external actions of the limbs and the actions of the heart. The deeds are not [beneficial] without the actions of the heart. The actions of the heart are more of an obligation upon the person than the actions of the limbs. Isn’t a believer distinguished from a hypocrite simply due to the actions in their hearts that are different from each other? Can anyone enter into Islam except by the actions of his heart before the actions of his limbs? The servitude and worship of the heart is greater, more and longer lasting than the servitude of the limbs. They are obligatory in every moment. This is why faith is always obligatory upon the heart. However, the [specific] submission of the limbs is obligatory only at certain times. The seat of faith is the heart and the seat of Islam [submission] is the external limbs.

Intention is the Key to Eternal Living in Paradise or Hell-Fire:

Why is it that the unbelievers are punished in hell forever while they were not disobedient to Allah forever? Similarly, why will the believers be rewarded with heaven forever while they were obedient to Allah for only a short time in this life?

The answer is that the unbelievers had the intention to disobey Allah forever while the believers had the intention to obey Allah forever. Thereby, they are rewarded according to their intentions. As al-Qaari pointed out, entrance into Paradise is due to faith, the levels in Paradise are due to the deeds performed and remaining therein forever is due to the intention that the person had to obey Allah as long as he could have lived. Similarly, entrance into Hell is due to disbelief, its levels are due to the evil deeds that the person performed and its eternity is due to the intention the unbeliever had to forever disobey Allah. The disbelievers may do some deeds that seem to be good because they bring positive results for others, such as humanitarian acts. However, that does not mean that such acts are good for the person himself. lbn Rajah stated,

Ordering good is a type of charity. Bringing about reconciliation and peace between two is a good deed, even if it is not done for the sake of Allah, due to the benefit that it brings for others. The people receive goodness and good. However, as for the one who brought it about, ifhe did that for the sake of Allah and seeking His pleasure, then it is good for him and he shall be rewarded. If that was not his intent, it is actually not good for him nor shall he be rewarded for it.

The problem with the deeds of all the disbelievers- in general- is that none of them, no matter how utilitarian or humanitarian they seem, are for the sake of Allah. They perform deeds for the sake of the false, claimed gods, such as Jesus. Or they perform deeds to make their own egos feel good. Sometimes- many times- they do acts to impress others. Hence, their deeds are never really for the sake of Allah and, therefore, they are not deserving of reward from Allah in the Hereafter. They claim to be doing good while at the same time they are refusing to submit to Allah. Hence, there can truly be no good in them. They are as those described in the Quran,

“Say (0 Muhammad): Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds? Those are they who deny the signs of their Lord and the meeting with Him [in the Hereafter]. So their works are in vain, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall not give them any weight. That shall be their recompense, Hell, because they disbelieved and took My signs and My Messengers by way of jest and mockery” (al-Kah] 1 03-106)

However, Allah may reward them for their deeds in this world. Allah has stated, “Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter, to them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds they did therein, and they will have no diminution therein. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire; and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do” (Hood 1 5-16).

Commentary on ” Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger”

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is here giving an example demonstrating the important principle he has just stated. It is as if he were saying, “And the remainder of the deeds are similar to migration.” In fact, in this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated one example, that of emigration. However, the Quran also gives a very clear example of two people performing the same deed but the results being very different. In their case, it was the deed of giving in charity or “for the sake of Allah.” Allah describes the two cases in a very beautiful fashion. He shows how useless, in the long-run, those deeds are that are not done solely for the sake of pleasing Allah. Allah says,

“O believers! Do not render in vain your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust. On it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking Allah’s pleasure, while they in their own selves are sure and certain that Allah will reward them, is the likeness of a garden on a height. Heavy rain falls on it and it doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do” (al-Baqarah 264-265).

ibn Rajah gives explanation, stating that Allah and His Messenger have been repeated because Allah and His Messenger are the final goal that anyone could seek in this life or the Hereafter. He further states that it is a singular goal that cannot be mixed with any other. Hence, he repeated the statement with the exact same wording. Ibn Rajah also described the true migration for the sake of Allah, Whoever migrates to the land of Islam out of love for Allah and His messenger, desiring to learn the religion of Islam and to openly practice his Islam, as he was not able to do in the land of the disbelievers, is one who truly migrated to Allah and His Messenger. The honor and nobility that he receives for that intention of his migration to Allah and His messenger is sufficient. In that sense, the exact words have been restated in the sentence. This is because he achieved from his migration the final and furthermost objective of this world and the Hereafter.

Furthermore, ibn Rajah stated, The migration to Allah and His Messenger is [for] one purpose. For that reason, the exact same wording was repeated in the statement. But the migration for the purpose of this world has many goals related to it that cannot be enumerated. A person may migrate for a permissible purpose of this world or, on another occasion, for a forbidden purpose. The individual reasons that one may migrate for this world are innumerous. That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said [later in this hadith], “Then his migration is for what he migrated for,” that is, whatever it might be. Finally, one understands from what the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated in this hadith, that the hijrah is then for Allah and His Messenger, that Allah never rejects the good deed of anyone who performs it sincerely for His sake.

The Meaning of the Word Hijrah (Migration):

Hijrah means “to leave or avoid something and to move from one thing to something else.” Its most apparent shareeah meaning is the leaving of the lands of the disbelievers to the land of Islam in order to implement or practice Islam. This is the apparent reference in this particular hadith. During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him), there were two famous emigrations or hijras. The first was the hijrah from Makkah to Abyssinia. This took place around the fifth year of the Prophet’s mission.

The second hijrah marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. It is the hijrah from Makkah to Madinah. This hijrah, according to many scholars, such as the early scholar al-Suddi and the recent Al-Shanqeeti, was a condition for the validity of one’s Islam. That is, a person was not considered to be a true Muslim if he had the means to migrate from Makkah to Madinah but he did not migrate. Ibn Attiyyah argues that the stronger argument is that the one who did not migrate was deserving of punishment in the Hell-fire for his disobedience, although he would not remain therein forever since he did not commit an act that took him completely out of the fold of lslam However, this specific form of hijrah was no longer required after the Conquest of Makkah. Makkah had become part of the Islamic state and, hence, there was no longer any need or significance to migrating from it. This is the meaning of the oft misunderstood hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),

“There is no hijrah after the Conquest of Makkah but their remains jihad and intention.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) This is the most apparent hijrah that comes to mind when one reads this hadith concerning intention, although, again, there is no authentic narration mentioning this hijrah as the cause behind the Prophet’s statement. However, the meaning and ruling of the hadith is general and applies to any kind of hijrah. The following hadith demonstrates that there will always be a form of hijrah as long as non-Islamic countries or regions exist. That is, as long as those regions exist, there will always be a reason for jihad and a cause for Muslims to move from those lands to the lands oflslam. Ahmad recorded that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and stated that the people were saying that there was no longer any hijrah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, “Hijrah will not be discontinued as long as there is jihad.”(Ahmed) Another hadith states, “Hijrah will not be discontinued as long as repentance is not discontinued. And repentance will not be discontinued until the sun rises from its West.” (Abu Dawood)

The purpose of hijrah

To move from one locale to the place where one can better or best practice his religion. Hence, the following types of hijrah are mentioned by different scholars:

  1. Making hijrah from the land of kufr (disbelief) to the land of lslam. This is the form of hijrah that is most well-known and most often discussed. It is an important issue for Muslims living in the West.
  2. Making hijrah from the land of bidah (heresies and innovations). Imam Malik once said, “It is not permissible for anyone to reside in a land in which they abuse the salaf (the pious forefathers of lslam).” If the person does not have the ability to change what they are doing, he should leave. This is based on the Quranic principle: “And when you see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses, stay away from them until they turn to another topic. If Satan makes you forget [this teaching,] then after the rememberance do not sit with the wrongdoing” (al-Anaam 68).
  3. Making hijrah from a land that is dominated by haram (forbidden aspects) to a land that is less so dominated by them. It is obligatory upon a Muslim to seek what is permissible and pure in all aspects of his life.

There are other forms of hijrah that seem to be for a worldly reason but, in the long run, they should also be for the sake of worshipping Allah. That is, like all permissible acts, if they are done with the right intention, they will be rewarded by Allah. The forms of hijrah include the following:

  1. Making hijrah from a land in which one fears bodily harm. Allah has permitted this kind of action. This was done by Prophets Abraham and Moses. Again, if a person escapes bodily harm so that he will be able to worship Allah to his fullest potential, this will be an act of worship.
  2. Making hijrah from a land in which one fears bodily disease or has become ill. This was the case during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he allowed those people who became ill in Madinah to leave the city.
  3. Making hijrah due to fear of harm to one’s property and wealth. Wealth and property are inviolable. It is considered permissible to leave one land for another out of fear that his property may be confiscated and so forth. Obviously, though, this does not mean fleeing to the lands of the disbelievers just for economic benefit, but it means fleeing to another portion of the Islamic lands. Otherwise one should bear it patiently.

A Different Concept of Hijrah:

According to al-Mudaabaghi, the word hijrah in this hadith refers to any kind of hijrah, physical or spiritual. There is a type of hijrah that is obligatory upon all Muslims at all times. This kind of hijrah, obviously, must be or can only be performed for the sake of Allah. It is described in the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

“The Muhaajir [one who makes hijrah] is the one who avoids what Allah has prohibited.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)

Meaning of the Word Dunya:

The word dunya (this worldly life) may have the meaning of al-adna or “the closest”. It is given this name because it is the closest life as it comes before the life of the Hereafter. Another possible reason why this worldly life has been given the name dunya is that it is close to perishing. Some even say that it dunya comes from al-dina’a- which means something base, low, vile, contemptible or despicable. However, the first two are the most common explanations. As for what it refers to, it seems that the strongest opinion is that it covers everything on this earth and its environment that has occurred, is occurring or shall occur before the Day of Judgment.

The past century has witnessed a kind of hijrah that has been very harmful to Muslims and it has been for the sake of dunya. Scores of Muslims moved from Muslim lands to the land of the disbelievers of the West. In general, the main or only purpose for this migration was economic betterment or, in the words of this hadith, dunya. Many times this has occurred at the expense of their religion as they moved to the West and lost virtually all semblance of Islam. Even if they preserved part of their Islam, in numerous cases, their children lost all of their Islam and became completely assimilated into the non-Muslim society.

Moving from one locale to another for economic betterment, given no change in the Islamic environment and atmosphere, is something permissible in Islamic Law. However, when hijrah or emigration is undertaken for the sake of dunya at the expense of one’s Islam or if it puts one’s Islam at risk, it then becomes forbidden. Indeed, this defeats the very purpose of the concept of hijrah wherein one moves from one locale to another to improve and better his practice of the religion. Unfortunately, though, that is the power and the pull of this dunya. People leave their lands, culture, family, friends and way of life behind just to get ahead in this world- and many times they do not even achieve that. When this occurs at the expense of one’s religion, then what little one may gain of this dunya cannot be compared to what one has lost in both this life and the Hereafter.

If the dunya can have such an effect that it makes a person leave his family and homeland for its sake, one can imagine how many other deeds are performed simply for the sake of this dunya. The true believer should set his aspirations on the Hereafter. He should use this world as a tool for gaining Allah’s pleasure and bounties in the Hereafter. When he works, he should work with a view towards the Hereafter. If, instead, he works for this life, he will be gaining something fleeting and, in the long run, meaningless. On the Day of Judgment, he will blame himself for not having worked more for the Hereafter instead of for this dunya.

Mention of Woman after Mention of Dunya:

In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) specifically mentioned making hijrah for the sake of marrying a woman after mentioning making hijrah for a portion of this dunya. Obviously, marrying a woman is part of this dunya. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was making a general statement and then emphasized an important specific aspect of that general statement. This is a sign that woman- or the opposite sex in general- can have a great effect on the acts of an individual. Even great and noble deeds, such as making hijrah, may be performed for the sake of a woman instead of for the sake of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned his Nation about this world and, in particular, about women. He once again combined these two aspects together when he said,

“Verily, the world is sweet and alluring. Verily, Allah is going to make you successors in it. So look to see how you behave. Beware of this world and beware of women. Verily, the first trial that afflicted the Tribes of Israel was concerning women.” (Recorded by Muslim.) In particular, he stated about women, “I have not left anything after me that is a more harmful trial for men than women.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

The effect of the opposite sex on a person, even persons who are generally pious, can be readily seen today. In many cases, a man has made a decision to marry a particular sister. He, in fact, falls “in love” with that sister. Although the rest of their lives are ruled by Islam and their intention is to live by Islam, many times they get to the point that they must get married. They even get to the point that they do not even seem to care what the shareeah has to say about their marriage. If the woman’s guardian, for example, does not accept the marriage, even if he has proper grounds, they will find any means to circumvent the guardian and get married at all cost. This is an example of how the opposite sex can have a very strong effect on an individual. This is, Allah knows best, probably why the Prophet (peace be upon him) specifically mentioned women in this important hadith about the place of intention in Islam.

The enemies of Islam today know very well how influential women can be. For the past century, they have been trying their best to take the Muslim woman out of her home and display in her public, in all her physical beauty. If the Muslim woman can be taken away from her Islam, she will then oppose her father, husband and other men. Such will be a very difficult battle and many men will not be up to that task. Furthermore, she will use her influence over her children, who are the next generation of Muslims.

Other Points Related to this Hadith:

  • Allah knows the intentions and what is in the hearts although a person may be able to conceal such from other humans. These are part of a human’s deeds and shall be presented on the Day of Judgment. Based on this point, with respect to this world, actions are based on their outward appearances. Since no human knows what is in the hearts, people and actions must be taken at “face value”. Hence, if a person shows himself to be a Muslim, he must be treated as such and his judgment will be with Allah– unless he openly holds a belief or performs an act that negates his Islam. However, in the Hereafter, the evaluation criteria will be quite different and no one will be able to fool or deceive Allah.
  • A Muslim should try his utmost to be fully conscious of every act that he performs. He should not become a creature of habit such that he does not think before he acts. He should clearly consider what and why he is doing everything that he is doing. In this way, his life will become a complete worship of Allah as before every action he makes he will be certain that it is correct and permissible and he will also be certain that his motive for doing the act is proper.
  • There are two components of every deed: the deed itself and the motive or intention behind it. Both of them must be proper and correct. It is not sufficient for the motive to be pure and then the deed itself not be correct according to the Shareeah. On this point, Nomani wrote,
    1. It should, however, not be imagined that when it is the motive that decides, even the evil deeds that are done with a good intention become virtuous and deserving of Divine reward, as for instance, if a person commits theft with the intention that he will give away to the poor and the needy the goods he will thus acquire …
    2. The deeds that are wicked in themselves and have been condemned as such by God and His Apostle will remain abominable and worthy of Divine Chastisement in any case. Their evilness cannot be taken away by purity of the motive. What is more, to perform them with a noble intention and be hopeful of Divine reward because of it may well be the cause of additional misfortune and enhancement of punishment as it will amount to playing with the Faith ofGod.
  • Al-Shaatibi discussed many aspects related to the concept of intention, purpose and goal. In one section, he divides all acts into one of four cases. The first two cases are clear and non-problematic.
    1. The first case is where the intent behind the act and the act itself were both consistent with the shareeah. There is no question that such an act is proper and correct.
    2. The second case is where the intent behind the act and the act itself contradict the shareeah. An example of this nature is where a person intentionally does not perform an obligatory prayer. Obviously, in this case, the person’s act is wrong and he will be held accountable for his behavior.
    3. The third case is where the deed is in accordance with the shareeah but the intent behind the deed was not. This case must be divided into two further subcases.
      1. The first subcase is where the person was not aware that his act was in accord with the shareeah. An example of this nature is a person drinking a beverage believing that it was alcoholic, with the intent of drinking an alcoholic beverage, and it turned out that the beverage was not alcoholic at all. In this case, the person is a sinner due to his intent to violate the shareeah. However, the evil that usually results from violating the shareeah did not occur because the person did not actually violate the shareeah, although that was his intention. Hence, there is a combination of attempting to go against the shareeah while actually performing an act which is in accord with the shareeah. Therefore, with respect to the laws of this world, the person did not commit any crime and there is no punishment for him. However, with respect to the Hereafter, Allah will hold him accountable for his intention and his attempt, although a failure, to violate the shareeah.
      2. The second subcase is where the person is aware that his act is in accord with the shareeah but his intention is to go against the shareeah. For example, a person who performs the obligatory prayer in congregation simply to be seen of men and to be considered pious is performing a deed that he knows to be correct while his intention behind it is incorrect. AlShaatibi says that this case is worse than the previous case. In this case, the person is using the shareeah for his own ignoble purposes. This category includes the acts of hypocrisy, show and deeds done to circumvent or go around the laws of the shareeah. This person is definitely a sinner and his deeds, in Allah’s sight, will not be valid.
    4. The fourth category is where a person does a deed that goes against the shareeah but his intention was in accord with the shareeah. This fourth category must also be subdivided into two subcategories.
      1. The first subcategory is where the person was knowledgeable that his deed was not in accord with the shareeah. This is the essence of innovations and heresies. This would be like performing a new form of worship that is not sanctioned by the shareeah although the supposed purpose of that act was to worship Allah, a praiseworthy goal. This type of action, al-Shaatibi states, is definitely and unconditionally condemned.
      2. The second subcategory of this fourth category is much trickier. This is where the person does something that goes against the shareeah out of ignorance while his intent was to do what is correct according to the shareeah. An example of this subcategory would be a person drinking what he believed to be grape juice that, however, turned out to be alcohol. Two contradicting factors are present here. The first is the proper intention while the second is the fact that the act is not in accord with the shareeah– So what is to be concluded about acts of this nature where conflicting aspects are present? Indeed, two hadith are directly related to this question: “Verily, all actions are but by intention,” and, “Whoever does an act that is not in accord with our matter will have it rejected.” The scholars have differed on this question but, best approach seems to be to somehow take into consideration both aspects of the problem. For example, if a person mistakenly drank alcohol, then there would be no prescribed punishment applied to him since it was clear that was not his intention. The approach of the Malikis and most of the Companions before them was to consider the case of ignorance to be similar to the case of forgetfulness. An example of this nature is a man and woman getting married without the permission of the woman’s guardian, out of ignorance, thinking that such permission was not necessary and they had the intention to fulfill the shareeah rules concerning marriage. In that case, the marriage is automatically dissolved and the woman gets her dower. However, neither of the partners are to be punished for the crime of fornication and their children are considered legitimate. They need only fulfill the missing portion of the contract. That is, they need only get remarried with the proper consent of the woman’s guardian

Summary of the Hadith:

“Surely, all actions are but driven by intentions and, verily,every man shall have but that which he intended.”: Every conscious, intentional act that a rational person performs is driven and brought into being by his intention. Without that intention behind the act, the act would not have been performed. Now, this intention must fall
into one of Three categories:

  1. a good, pious intention,
  2. a religiously neutral intention
  3. an evil intention. (An evil intention includes, in general, any intention to perform a sinful act regardless of any claim of a good motive.

In all cases, the person shall get only what he intended. If his intention was good and pious, it means that the act was for the sake of Allah. His intention was good so the end result will be good. As Allah says, “Is there any reward for good other than good?” (al-Rahmaan 60). It will be good for him in the Hereafter- as long as he does not do anything to nullify his deed- and it is also good for him in this life. The most important aspect, however, is concerning the Hereafter.

If the person intended something permissible or religiously neutral, then he will get what he intended- that is, something permissible, without punishment or reward in the Hereafter. He may not get exactly what he intended, like someone who migrates to marry a woman only to have her refuse to marry him. But Allah does not wrong anyone and He gives to those who strive, even if they strive for this world. For those who strive only for this world, He gives them of it although in the Hereafter they may receive nothing. Again, Allah says, “Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter, to them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds they did therein, and they will have no diminution therein. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire; and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do” (Hood 15-16).

If the person intends evil- assuming this case is covered by this hadith, which is most likely the case since the word “actions” is general- then the result will be what he intended. That is, it will be evil for him. Either he will be punished for it in this life or in the Hereafter (granted he does not repent later). Allah does not wrong any soul. The act driven by an evil intention will result in what the person intended: evil. But it will be evil for himself. He intended evil and this is what he will get, although he definitely did not intend evil for himself. Allah says, “And you will be requited nothing except for what you used to do” (al-Saaffaat 39).

• Every conscious, “free-willed” act has an intention behind it that is driving
it and bringing it about.
• A person will achieve whatever he intended. If he intended good, good will
come about. If he intended evil, evil will come about- that is, the result
will be evil for him.
• If a person does a proper deed solely for the sake of Allah, his purpose
would have been met and the deed would be accepted by Allah.
• Even such noble deeds as emigrating, that should be done for the sake of
Allah, may be performed with a less noble intention. In such cases, the
person will only get what he intended.
• This world and the opposite sex in particular are two aspects that drive a
person to perform certain deeds. They can have great influences over a person, to the extent that one may even perform noble deeds not for the
sake of Allah but for their sake.