Actions and Intentions
الأعمال والنوايا
It is narrated on the authority of Umar ibn al-Khattab
who said: I heard the Messenger of God say:
“All actions are judged by motives, and each person
will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration
was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he
whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he
might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” (Saheeh
Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
Background
This hadeeth is indeed one of the greatest and most
important of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of
God be upon him, as it sets one of the most important principles in the
religion of Islam, specifically in regards to the acceptance one’s religion and
deeds by God, and generally to all other normal every day activity in which a
person involves himself. This principle is that in order for any action
to be accepted and thus rewarded by God, it must be done purely for his
sake. This concept is often called “sincerity to God”, but the most exact
meaning would be “purity of intention”.
At one of the stages of the life of the Prophet, God
ordered all the Muslims to migrate from Mecca to the newborn Islamic state of
Medina. In this hadeeth, the Prophet gave an example of two types of
people in regards to this religious service of migration:
· The first example was that
of the person who migrated to Medina purely for the sake of God, seeking His
Pleasure and seeking to fulfill His command. The Prophet stated that the
deed of this type of person will be accepted by God and he will be rewarded in
the fullest.
· The second example was of a
person who fulfilled this religious service outwardly, but his intention was
not the pleasure of God nor fulfilling His Command, and so this type of person,
although he may achieve what he was intending in this life, will not receive
reward for it from God, and the deed is not one which is considered acceptable.
In Islam, there are two realms to a person’s life, the
religious and the mundane. Although there is a clear separation between
the two in regards to religious jurisprudence, they are in fact inseparable, as
Islam is a religion which legislates in matter family, society and politics as
well as the belief and worship of God. Thus, although this saying of the
Prophet appears to apply to the religious aspect of a persons’ life, it
actually applies to both.
Purity of Intention in the Religious Realm
As mentioned earlier, this hadeeth sets the first
principle for one’s deeds to be accepted by God, which is that they should be
done purely for God. In regards to those deeds which have been commanded
as a form of religious devotion, known as worship, one must do them for God
Alone, for it is God who commanded the service or deed to be done and loves
it. These deeds include the likes of prayer, (Salah), Fasting, the
offering of the Compulsory Charity (Zakah), the performance of the Lesser or
Grater Pilgrimage to Mecca (Umrah and Hajj), and all other service which have
been ordained in the religion. Even though the deeds may appear
outwardly, as in this hadeeth, to be one accepted, of pivotal importance is the
intention which the person has when performing them.
A person who directs any of these or other religious
service to other deities other than or alongside God will never be accepted,
and one who commits this heresy is deemed as committing the greatest sin
against God, polytheism: to associate others with God in those things which are
specific to Him. Islam is a religion which believes and practices true
and strict monotheism. This monotheism not only entails that that there
is only One Sole God and Creator, but also that this God has the right that all
worship and acts of deed be done solely for His sake and none else. This
concept is once which God ordered all His Prophets to preach, as He says in the
Quran:
“And they were not commanded except that they should worship God,
keeping the religion pure for Him, and worship none but Him Alone, and
establish the Prayer and offer the Compulsory Charity, and that is the upright
religion.” (Quran 98:5)
Here we see that even though a person may seem to be
performing acts of devotion and worship to God outwardly, if they associate any
other being in this worship, whether they be angels, prophets, or righteous
people, then this deed is not accepted by God. Moreover, they fall in to
the great sin of polytheism.
Another aspect of this purity of intention is that a
person should never seek any worldly gains through religious service and acts
of worship, even if that worldly gain be something permissible. In the
hadeeth mentioned above, the second person did not perform this religious
obligation of migration for other deities besides or alongside God, nor did he
intend something intrinsically evil. Rather his intention was something
deemed permissible in the religion. Still, however, the act was not
accepted by God, and the person may or may not have received what he intended
from this worldly life. Thus, if a person seeks any permissible worldly
gain though an action, the reward of the deed diminishes.
If a person desires something deemed as impermissible
by Islam from religious service and worship, this is considered as a sin.
Islam is a religion which encourages humbleness and selflessness, reprimanding
those who seek praise of others and status in this worldly life. Thus, if
one seeks the praise of others through religious service and worship, not only
is it not accepted by God, but the person is deemed liable for punishment in
the afterlife. The Prophet mentioned the first people to be sentenced to
the Hellfire in the afterlife, and from them is the following:
“A person learned [religious] knowledge and taught it
[to others], as well as reciting the Quran. He will be brought [to the
presence of God], and God will mention to him all the favors he granted him,
and he recognized them. God will ask him, ‘What did you do with them?’
He will answer, ‘I learned [religious] knowledge and
taught it [to others], and I recited the Quran purely for Your sake.’
God will say, ‘You have lied! Rather you learned
[religious] knowledge to be called a scholar, and you recited the Quran to be
called a recitor, and it was said of you!’ Then it was commanded [to
punish] him. So he was dragged on his face and he was thrown into the
Fire.” (an-Nasa’i)
Purity of Intention in the Mundane Realm
Since the wording of the hadeeth
discussed in Part One is general, it is understood that a person may even
be rewarded for their everyday normal activity which they perform, as long as
their intention is correct and that act is not prohibited by the
religion. The religion of Islam has encouraged and sometimes even placed
the obligation upon humans of specific manners and mores in regards to life
outside worship. It has legislated various methods in performing every
day activities, from sleeping to eating. If a person performs the various
activities in conformity to its legislation, they will be rewarded for it.
This aspect of intention allows one’s entire life to
become an act of worship, as long as the objective of that life is the pleasure
of God, Whose pleasure is achieved by doing good and refraining from
evil. A person can turn everyday activities into acts of worship by
purifying his or her intention and sincerely seeking God’s pleasure through
these activities. God’s Messenger, may the mercy and blessings of God be
upon him, said:
“Helping a person or his belongings onto his mount is
an act of charity. A good word is charity. Every step taken on the
way to performing prayers is charity. Removing an obstacle from the road
is charity.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Earning a living can be rewarded as well. The
Companions saw a man and were astonished by his hard work and industry.
They lamented: “If he were only doing this much work for the sake of God…”
God’s Messenger replied:
“If he is working to support his small children, then
it is for the sake of God. If he is working to support his elderly
parents, then it is for the sake of God. If he is working to occupy
himself and keep his desires in check, then it is for the sake of God. If,
on the other hand, he is doing so to show off and earn fame, then he is working
for the sake of Satan.” (al-Mundhiri, as-Suyuti)
One may gain reward even for the most natural acts, if
of course they are accompanied by the proper intention: God’s Messenger said:
“When one of you sleeps with his wife, it is an act of
charity.” (Saheeh Muslim)
The same can be said for eating, sleeping, and working
as well as traits of good character, such as truthfulness, honesty, generosity,
courage, and humbleness. These can become worship through sincere
intention and deliberate obedience to God.
In order for these otherwise mundane actions to be
deserving of divine reward, the following conditions must be met:
A. The action must be lawful in and
of itself. If the action is something prohibited, its perpetrator
deserves punishment. God’s Messenger said:
“God is pure and good, and He accepts only what is
pure and good.” (Saheeh Muslim)
B. The dictates of Islamic Law must
be completely observed. Deception, oppression, and iniquity must be
avoided. God’s Messenger said:
“He who deceives us is not one of us.” (Saheeh
Muslim)
C. The activity should not keep the
person from performing his or her religious obligations. God says:
“O you who believe, do not let your wealth and children distract you
from the remembrance of God…” (Quran 63:9)
From this discussion, we can see the greatness of this
hadeeth and how important it is in forming the concept of the
acceptability of deeds and reward from God. We also see from this hadeeth
that the concept of worship and service in Islam is not limited to performing
certain legislated ritual acts, but rather encompasses the whole life of the
Muslim, making him a true slave to God.
