INTENTION AND ACTION IN ISLAM

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