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“Actions are But By Intentions”
The Commander of the Faithful, `Umar b. al-Khattâb, relates that he heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say:
"Actions are but by intentions and every man will have only what he intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration was for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigrated to attain something of this world or to marry a woman, then his emigration was for whatever reason he emigrated." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
The importance of this hadîth:
This is the first hadîth that al-Bukhârî mentions in his Sahîh, and it is one of the most pivotal hadîth in Islamic Law. Here is what the great jurists had to say about it:
Al-Shâfi`î said: "This hadîth contains a third of knowledge. It applies to seventy distinct branches of Islamic Law."
Ahmad b. Hanbal said: "The principles of Islam are covered by three hadîth: the hadîth related by `Umar that actions are but by intentions, the hadîth related by `A'ishah that states whoever innovates a matter in this matter of ours will have it rejected, and the hadîth related by al-Nu`mân b. Bashîr which states that what is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear."
Al-Hâkim relates that Ahmad also mentioned the hadith stating that actions are by intentions, the one stating that the creation of one of you is brought together in the womb for forty days, and the one stating that whoever innovates something in this religion of ours will have it rejected - and said: "It would be appropriate to mention these three hadîth at the beginning of every book on the subject, since they are the foundations of the hadîth."
Abû Dawûd, the compiler of Sunan Abî Dawûd, said: "I have scrutinized the hadîth with their chains of transmission, and compiled together 4000 hadîth. Then I looked further and found that all of these hadîth pivoted on four: Nu`mân b. Bashîr's hadîth which states that what is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, `Umar's hadîth that actions are but by intentions, Abû Hurayrah's hadîth that Allah is good and only accepts what is good, and the hadîth which states that one of the good aspects of a person's Islam is that he stays out of what does not concern him. Each of these four hadîth constitutes a quarter of all knowledge."
The emigration and the story behind the hadîth:
After the Muslims established themselves in Madinah, it became a religious duty for all believers who were able to do so to leave their homelands and emigrate to Madinah. At that time, Madinah was the only Muslim city in the world and the only place on Earth where the Muslims had the freedom to practice their religion. Moreover, in Madinah, they benefited from the direct teachings and guidance of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). After the conquest of Mecca, it was no longer obligatory for Muslims to move to Madinah.
This emigration was a great act of worship worthy of a great reward with Allah. It is a great sacrifice for a person to leave his homeland and his family, but the Muslims did so for their love of Allah.
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 made the emigration and married her in Madinah. He became known as "the emigrant to Umm Qays".
Ibn Hajar al-``Asqalânî, in his commentary on Sahîh al-Bukhârî entitled Fath al-Bârî, asserts that the story of the "emigrant to Umm Qays" is authentic. In fact, its chain of transmission fulfills all of the conditions of authenticity set forth by al-Bukhârî and Muslim. However, Ibn Hajar also points out that there is no evidence to indicate that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was referring to this incident when he said "Actions are but by intentions…"
In any case, this hadîth is general in its meaning, vast in its scope, relating in some way to every action that has or should have an intention behind it.
What is meant by "intentions":
When we speak of an intention, we mean by it what action a person wishes to do or what he intends to achieve by doing that action. Ibn Rajab informs us that whenever scholars of Islam talk about intentions, they mean one of two things:
1. Distinguishing one act of worship from another.
This includes a worshipper distinguishing the noon prayer from the afternoon prayer, his voluntary fasts from his Ramadan fasts, and his acts of worship from everyday activities that might resemble them - like distinguishing between his bath for ritual purification and a bath to cool off.
2. Determining the reason behind the act that is being performed.
This is the issue of whether he is performing the act sincerely for Allah alone. [Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wa al-Hikam]
The first meaning is the one that concerns the jurists. The second meaning deals with the all-important issue of sincerity, and this is the primary meaning being referred to in the hadîth under discussion.
The Qur'ân speaks about this meaning in great detail. Allah says:
"Among you are those who desire the life of this world and among you are those who desire the Hereafter." [Sûrah Al `Imrân: 152]
He says: "Restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance; and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world" [Sûrah al-Kahf: 28]
Ibn Rajab states that in most cases when the Prophet and the earliest generation of Muslims talked about intentions, they were concerned about whether or not an act was being done sincerely for Allah alone. [Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wa al-Hikam]
The relationship between actions and intentions:
Scholars have differed as to the exact meaning of the words: "Actions are but by intentions." Some later scholars have advanced the opinion that it refers to actions that are correct, valid, and accepted in Islam. This opinion restricts the meaning of this hadîth to specific acts of devotion that require an intention to be acceptable and worthy of reward, like prayer, fasting, and the obligatory emigration to Madinah.
As for other activities like eating and drinking - or even virtuous acts like fulfilling one's trusts - would not fall under the meaning of this hadîth if we were to accept this view.
Others are of the opinion that this hadîth is talking about actions in general. This is the most correct opinion, and it is the view of the majority of scholars, especially the earlier ones. This was clearly what Ahmad b. Hanbal understood from the hadîth, because he said: "I prefer that when anyone does any deed - whether it be prayer, fasting, or charity, or whether it be any other kind of virtuous deed - he should have his intentions always precede his actions, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Actions are but by intentions…'."
According to this understanding, the hadîth is addressing all of our voluntary actions, since everything we do has some sort of intention behind it. When the Prophet said: "…and every man will have only what he intended", he was informing us of the implications of this in Islamic Law. If a person performs a good and correct deed with a good intention, then his action will be good and rewardable, and if he performs the same action with a bad motive, then his action will be bad and deserving of punishment.
Likewise, if a person performs a permissible action without an intention to do something good or bad, but merely with the intention of doing something permissible, then he will be deserving of neither a reward nor a punishment for doing so.
Deeds can be good and bad in and of themselves. However, a person will only be deserving of a reward for his good deeds if he performed them for the sake of Allah and not for some ulterior motive.
Allah says:
"There is no good in much of their secret talk save (in) him who enjoins almsgiving and goodness and peace-making among the people. Whoever does this seeking the good pleasure of Allah, We shall bestow on him a vast reward." [Sûrah al-Nisâ': 114]
Ibn Rajab comments on this verse that Allah describes enjoining almsgiving, goodness, and reconciliation as good deeds in and of themselves. This is because such deeds benefit the people. However, Allah only promises a reward to those who carry out these deeds "seeking the good pleasure of Allah". Therefore, if a person performs these good and beneficial deeds for the sake of Allah, then the deeds will be good for him as well as for those who benefit from his deeds. If he had other ulterior motives, then these deeds will be of no good for him. [Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wa al-Hikam]
Ibn Rajab further observes that a person who prays, fasts, and recites Allah's name with some ulterior motive is performing deeds that have no good in them whatsoever. The person who performs such deed in such a manner is earning sin for doing so. At the same time, his deeds do not bring the least benefit to anybody else.
Bad deeds and good intentions:
In the previous installment, we mentioned that Ahmad b. Hanbal said: "The principles of Islam are covered by three hadîth: the hadîth related by `Umar that actions are but by intentions, the hadîth related by `A'ishah that states whoever innovates a matter in this matter of ours will have it rejected, and the hadîth related by al-Nu`mân b. Bashîr which states that what is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear."
His choice of these hadîth is very insightful. The first hadîth ('Actions are but by intentions') shows us that any deed we do in Islam will only be of value if it has a pure intention behind it. We must sincerely be performing the deed for the sake of Allah alone. The second hadîth ('Whoever innovates a matter in this matter of ours will have it rejected') presents us with the other condition that needs to be fulfilled before a deed is acceptable in Islam. The deed has to be in accordance with the Qur'ân and Sunnah. It cannot be something unlawful in itself, and if it is a formal matter of worship, it must be prescribed for us by Allah and His Messenger.
If a person performs a deed with the best of intentions, but that deed is contrary to the teachings of Islam, it will still be rejected. A good intention is absolutely necessary for a deed to be accepted, but it is not enough. The deed also has to be correct in and of itself.
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 is doing something good. Therefore, he continues in what he is doing and never feels the need to repent for it. On the other hand, a sinner who knows he is doing something wrong has the advantage of being able to repent in the future for his mistakes. He has no illusions about what he is doing.
"So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger…"
After stating the principle that a person's actions are only as good as the intentions behind them, the Prophet (peace be upon him) goes on to give a concrete example. It is an example of a deed that on the surface is the same for all those who perform it. However, people can have very different reasons for doing so.
The emigration from Mecca to Madinah was an emigration from the land of unbelief to the land of Islam. Whoever undertakes such a migration, then or now, out of his love of Islam and his desire to put Islam into practice and please Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), is performing a great act of devotion worthy of a great reward.
However, if his emigration from the land of the unbelievers to the land of Islam was for business or some other worldly gain, then his deed will not be an act of worship. It will merely be a business move. There are many reasons why people leave there homelands and settle somewhere else. Some of these are lawful, while others are unlawful. Some may be worthy of reward in and of themselves. This is why Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "…then his emigration was for whatever reason he emigrated."
If a person travels to another country so he can engage in indecent and sinful acts that are not accessible to him in his country, then his travel is sinful from the moment he embarks on his journey. Likewise, if a person goes to another land with the intention of cheating its gullible inhabitants, then he is a sinner from the start.
On the other hand, if a person relocates to a place where he feels business will be more profitable, then he is neither performing an act of worship nor committing a sin. He is merely looking after his worldly interests. The same can be said for a man who travels to another land to marry his beloved.
We can even conceive of reasons for emigrating that are virtuous and worthy of reward, even though the reason is not to attain greater freedom to practice Islam or to live in a Muslim land. Consider a man who lives in a country - possibly even a Muslim country - where he has freedom to practice Islam and is perfectly happy. However, he has one major problem. He cannot find a good Muslim girl to marry and he is a young man who fears falling into sin. He knows that if he moves to a certain Muslim country, marriage will become easy for him. Therefore, he leaves his homeland to live where he can get married and safeguard himself from sin. He is under no pretension as to why he is emigrating. He is doing so to get married. Though we can imagine that his reward will not be the same as that of someone who emigrated to learn his faith and to live among the Muslims, what he is doing is a virtuous and rewardable on its own merits.
The dangers of insincerity:
When a hypocrite does any act of devotion, he is merely showing off. He does not believe in Allah. He only prays and does other good deeds for the sake of the people. 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." [Sûrah al-Nisâ': 142]
A believer, however, is not secure from falling into this form of insincerity, though of course not to the same extent as a hypocrite. Insincerity can sneak up on a believer, so he must be vigilant to make sure that his intentions are pure.
The greatest threat to our worship is the threat of insincerity. We can do the noblest of deeds and make the greatest of sacrifices, but if our intentions are not right, those deeds become stripped of virtue. This can leave a person without good deeds on the Day of Judgment.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
"The first of people to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died 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 on your behalf until I was martyred.' Allah will say: 'You are lying. You fought so that the people would call you brave, and indeed they called you that.' Then he will be summoned and dragged on his face until he is cast into Hell. Another will be a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it and recited the Qur'ân. 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 acquired knowledge and imparted it and I recited the Qur'ân for your sake.' Allah will say: 'You are lying. You acquired knowledge so people would call you a learned man and you recited the Qur'ân so that people would call you a good reciter. Indeed they called you these things.' Then he will be summoned and dragged on his face until he is cast into Hell. Another will be a man who Allah had enriched with all manner of wealth. 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 spent money for your sake on every cause in which You wish money to be spent.' Allah will say: 'You are lying. You did this so that people would call you generous, and indeed they called you that.' Then he will be summoned and dragged on his face until he is cast into Hell." [Sahîh Muslim]
Sometimes a person may perform some acts of devotion with a dual motive - to please Allah and impress someone else. Such deeds are also bereft of blessings. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Allah - the Blessed and Sublime - says: '"I am in no need of partners. Whoever does a deed for the sake of others as well as me, I leave his deed for those others.'" [Sahîh Muslim]
We are all faced with the problem of insincerity at one time or another. This is the type of hypocrisy that even the earliest Muslims were afraid of falling into. Al-Hasan al-Basrî said, speaking about the tendency to show off: "I swear by Him in whose hand is my soul. No one feels safe from it except for a hypocrite and no one fears it except for a believer." They were afraid that it would creep unnoticed into their deeds as Allah says:
"…lest your deeds become vain and you perceive it not." [Sûrah al-Hujurât: 2]
This brings us to a very important question. What happens to our deeds when a desire to show off creeps into our hearts?
There is no disagreement that if a person performs a deed and from the beginning has the intent of showing off to others, then his deed is totally bereft of virtue. However, the desire to show off often enters a worshipper's heart after his intention had originally been pure. What then?
There is no doubt that if a person is engaged in sincere worship and the desire to show off enters his heart and he suppresses it, then his worship is sound. This is the battle that a Muslim must sometimes wage in his heart. Misgivings and feelings can creep up on us all the time. It is how we respond to these tendencies that is important.
However, if this desire takes hold on the person and endures, then it will have negative consequences on his deed. If the deed is self-contained, like prayer and fasting, then the deed can very easily become bereft of all blessings. For example, consider a person who starts his prayer with full sincerity and then realizes that certain important people are seeing him. His intention changes. He now wants to impress them. Instead of fighting this inclination, he allows it to take hold of him and for the remainder of his prayer they are at the forefront of his mind. He may even improve the performance of his prayer on their account.
On the other hand, if the deeds are of a nature that they could be divided into separate acts, then he will be rewarded for what he did for the sake of Allah and will be sinful for what he did to show off to the people. This applies to acts like giving in charity, reciting the Qur'ân, or imparting knowledge. The blessings will not be lost for the acts that were done with sincerity. However, after the intention turns sour, the blessings will stop increasing.
A Muslim must be worried about his intentions. However, he should never stop performing good deeds on account of his trying to correct his intentions. Just like deeds have no meaning without the proper intentions, intentions have no meaning unless they are accompanied by the proper deeds. Therefore a Muslim must continue to perform good deeds and be vigilant.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Abû Bakr a supplication by which we can ask Allah forgiveness when insincerity strikes us unawares. He instructed him 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-Bukhârî in al-Adab al-Mufrid]
The fact that a Muslim is truly worried about his intentions is proof enough that he is sincere. As long as he renews his intention whenever other motives try to creep into his heart, he will be safe. He should never despair of Allah's understanding, mercy, and forgiveness.
