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Commander of the Faithful, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), related that he heard Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying,
"(The rewards of) deeds depend upon the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he (or she) has intended. So, whoever emigrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, then his (or her) emigration was for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for the sake of worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, then his emigration was for what he emigrated for." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This is the first hadith Al-Bukhari mentions in his Sahih, and it is one of the most pivotal hadiths in Islamic Law. Imam Shafi`i, the famous jurist, said, "This hadith contains a third of knowledge. It applies to seventy distinct branches of Islamic law." Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the eminent jurist, said that the principles of Islam are covered by three hadiths, among which is that hadith.
Story Behind the Hadith
After early Muslims had established themselves in Madinah, it became a religious duty for all believers to leave their homeland and families and emigrate to that city where the Muslims practiced their religion freely.
It is related that a man sought the hand of a woman called Umm Qays. She refused to marry him unless he undertook the emigration to Madinah. So he did and he married her there. He became known as "The Emigrant to Umm Qays".
Although this story is authentic, Ibn Hajar Al-`Asqalani in his Fath Al-Bari points out that there is no evidence indicating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was referring to this incident when he said, "Deeds depend upon the intention". This hadith is general in its meaning, and relates to every action.
Meaning of 'Intention'
Whenever Islamic scholars talk about intentions, they mean one of two things; the action a person wishes to do, or what a person intends to achieve by doing that action.
The first meaning is the one that concerns jurists. The second meaning deals with the all-important issue of ikhlas (sincerity), and this is the primary meaning being referred to in the hadith.The Qur'an speaks about this meaning in great detail. Almighty Allah says,
(Among you are some who desire this world and among you are some who desire the Hereafter.) (Aal `Imran 3:152)
Relationship Between Actions and Intentions
The majority of scholars, especially the earlier ones, hold the view that this hadith is talking about actions in general. According to this understanding, the hadith is addressing all our voluntary actions, since everything we do has some sort of intention behind it. If a person performs a good deed with a good intention, then this action is rewardable. Conversely, if a person does the same action with a bad motive, then this action is punishable.
Likewise, if a person performs a permissible action without an intention to do something good or bad, then he/she will receive neither a reward nor a punishment.
Deeds can be good and bad in and of themselves. However, a person will only deserve a reward for good deeds if they were done solely for the sake of Almighty Allah and not with some ulterior motive.
Bad Deeds with Good Intentions
If a person does a deed with the best of intentions, but that deed is contrary to the teachings of Islam, it will still be rejected. Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected." (Al-Bukhari)
A good intention joined to a bad deed is a very dangerous combination. A person doing something wrong, like a heretical innovation in worship, believes he/she is doing something good. Therefore, that person continues sinning and does not feel the need to repent.
Emigration for the Sake of Almighty Allah and His Messenger
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went on to give a concrete example of intentions. Emigration from Makkah to Madinah is an example of a deed that is apparently the same for all those who perform it. However, people can have very different reasons for doing this.
Some people undertook that journey out of love for Islam and so were performing a great and rewardable act of devotion. However, if this emigration was for some worldly gain, then the deed would not be an act of worship. If a person travels to another country to engage in indecent and sinful acts that are not accessible in that person's country, then traveling would be sinful from its very beginning.
Moreover, if a person relocates to a place where business will be more profitable, then that person is neither performing an act of worship nor committing a sin.
Dangers of Insincerity
When hypocrites do any act of devotion, they are merely showing off. Almighty Allah describes them as follows,
(And if they stand for prayer, they do so lazily to be seen of men and they do not remember Allah except a little.) (An-Nisaa' 4:142)
A believer, however, is not secure from falling into this form of insincerity, though not to the same extent as a hypocrite. Insincerity can develop slowly while the believers are unaware, so they must be vigilant to make sure that their intentions are pure.
The greatest threat to our worship is insincerity. We can do the noblest of deeds, but if our intentions are not sound, those deeds have no more virtue. This can leave a person without good deeds on the Day of Judgment. Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"The first of people to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died as a martyr. He will be brought forward and Allah will make him recount His blessings and he will do so. Then Allah will ask, "What did you do for these blessings?" He will say, "I fought for You until I was martyred." Allah will say, "You are lying. You fought so that people would call you brave, and indeed you were called so." Then, he will be summoned and dragged on his face until he is cast into Hell. " (Muslim)
Sometimes a person may perform some acts of devotion with a dual motive - to please Almighty Allah and to impress someone else. Such deeds are also bereft of blessings. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Almighty Allah says, "I am –absolutely- in no need of partners. Whoever does a deed for the sake of others as well as Me, I leave that person and that deed." (Muslim)
It is agreed-upon that if a person performs a deed and from the beginning has the intention to show off to others, then that deed is totally bereft of virtue. However, the desire to show off often enters a worshipper's heart after his intention had been originally pure. What happened?
There is no doubt that if some people engage in sincere worship and the desire to show off enters their hearts and they suppress it, then their worship is sound. This is the battle that a Muslim must sometimes wage within his heart. Misgivings and feelings can creep up on us at any time. What is important is how we respond to these tendencies.
However, if a negative desire takes hold of a person, then it will have negative consequences on his deeds. For example, consider a man who starts his prayer with full sincerity and then realizes that certain important people are seeing him. His intention changes and now he wants to impress them. Instead of fighting this inclination, he allows it to take hold of him.
On the other hand, if the deeds are of a nature that could be divided into separate acts, then he will be rewarded for what he did for the sake of Almighty Allah and will be sinful for what he did to show off.
A Muslim must be concerned about his intentions. However, he should never stop performing good deeds on account of trying to correct his intentions. Just as deeds have no meaning without the proper intention, likewise intentions have no meaning unless they are accompanied by proper deeds. Therefore, a Muslim must continue to perform good deeds and be vigilant.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us to ask Almighty Allah for forgiveness when insincerity strikes us unawares. He instructed us to say, "O, Allah! I seek refuge with You from associating partners with You knowingly; and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly." (Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrid)
The fact that a Muslim is truly concerned about his intentions is sufficient proof that he is sincere. As long as a person renews his intention whenever other motives creep into his heart, he will be safe. A Muslim should never despair of Allah's understanding, mercy, and forgiveness.
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