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Actions are Judged according to their Intentions
On the authority of
Ameer al-Mu'mineen - the Commander of the Faithful 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may
Allah be please with him), who said: I heard Allah's Messenger (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) say: "Actions are judged according to their
intentions, so every one will be rewarded for what he intends. Thus he whose
Hejirah (migration) is for Allah and His Messenger; then his Hejira is for Allah
and His Messenger, and whoever makes Hejirah for a worldly benefit or to marry a
woman, his Hejirah is for what he has made (it) for". Reported by al-Bukhari and
Muslim
Terminologies
Hejirah:
'It signifies migration from a land where a Muslim is unable to live according
to the precepts of this faith to a land where it is possible to do so. The
Hejirah par excellence for Muslim is the Hejirah of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) which not only provided him and his followers refuge
from persecution, but also the opportunity to build a society and state
according to the ideals of Islam'.
According to Imam Ibn Kathir, Hejirah is a duty for every Muslim.
Guidance and Moralities
Muslim Scholars believe that this great Hadith 'forms the sum and substance of
the teachings of Islam. It may be rightly called the core of the ethics and
morality envisaged by Divine Faith. It also solves one of the important problems
of ethics pertaining to the relationship of ends and means'.
This Hadith is one of the Prophet's comprehensive speeches. Furthermore, it is
like the scale with which one can recognize authenticity of one's deeds, be they
good or bad.
Imam al-Shafi'i believes that this Hadith is equal to one third of knowledge
since one's work starts with 'intention', the most important phase of work, and
then, gives expression to intention and translates words into action.
Imam Ahmad's view is that fundamental principles of Islam are based on the
following three Hadith:
1 "Actions are valued according to intention". This states the good fruitful
start and sound criterion of each and every action.
2 "Whoever tries to change or add to; in this matter (al-Islam) some thing,
which does not belong to it; it is to be rejected. This Hadith indicates the
path which should be followed as well as its conformity with the Sunnah.
3 "The Halal is clear and the Haram is clear". This Hadith fixes the limits of
every work.
As a rule, good intention leads to good work as well as evil intention mars and
spoils each and every work.
That is the reason 'intention' ranks high in Islam. It is the one factor that
distinguishes the purpose of one's deed: Is this work solely for the sake of
Allah or for some other reason or motive?
Intention makes a distinction between worship and habit.
As for intention in the words of Allah's Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him), it means "Will" as stated in the Holy Qur'an:
"Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the
Hereafter" (3:15).
Here we are to state that the Hejirah, according to the Prophetic Guidance, is
of two kinds:
1) "Hejirah for Allah's sake": this means that whoever migrates from one place
to another with the intention to be able to live according to the teachings of
Islam, to live in safety, or to avoid risks that may befall him or even his
belongings, his Hejirah will be for Allah and he will be rewarded for it.
2) "Hejrah for worldly affairs": this means that whoever makes Hejirah for a
worldly benefit, his Hejirah is for what he has made (it) for. But, this type of
Hejirah is also divided into (a) Hejirah for legitimate purpose;
(b) Hejirah for illegitimate purpose. Here, we state this does not mean that
every Hejirah for a worldly purpose is dispraised in the eye of Shari'a. Thus,
no one can say that one's migration to better one self or one's family is
illegitimate.
In reality, the following Hadith of the Beloved Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) states exactly the rules that determine the
soundness/unsoundness of a Muslim's religious or worldly deeds: "Allah accepts
actions that are done for His sake Alone".
Thereupon, whoever performs an action of devotion aiming at people's pleasure
and fame, his work is void and will be rejected since Allah, The Great and
Almighty, accepts works that are done for His sake alone.
Again, whoever does good deeds with good intention, i.e. for the sake of Allah,
and then, a whisper of the devil tries to take it away to spoil his intention,
but he spares no effort to dismiss it, his work - Allah Willing - will be
rewarded over and above, if one's good deeds are met with people's appreciation,
this is considered a Divine good omen.
By and large, it becomes clear that intention is the criterion of soundness and
authority of good works. In other words, virtuous intention and upright work
that agrees with the Sunnah of the Prophet lead - by Allah's favor - to The
Divine acceptance and good reward.
As a final word in this context, according to al-Sheikh Mustafa al-Zarqa (may
Allah's mercy be upon him) in his booklet "Worship In Islam", Muslim jurists and
scholars have proclaimed that good intention changes acts of habit into acts of
'Ibadah (worship). Eating, drinking, sleeping and even sensual pleasure, become
acts of 'Ibadah provided that they are performed with true religious motives.
Yes, even those acts become acts of 'Ibadah if the intention underlying them is
to comply with the Will of Allah.
In a nutshell, we say: The value of actions depends on the intention behind
them. 'Allah, The Great and Almighty, will only accept and reward deeds which
are meant solely to satisfy Him.
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