 |
| Al-Arbain An-Nawawiyah. |
All Actions Depend on Intentions
الحديث الأول: الأعمال بالنيات
عَنْ أمير المؤمنين أبي حفص عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ. رَوَاهُ إِمَامَا الْمُحَدِّثينَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ إبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ بَرْدِزْبَهْ الْبُخَارِيُّ، وَأَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ بْنِ مُسلِمٍ الْقُشَيْرِيُّ النَّيْسَابُورِي رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فِي "صَحِيحَيْهِمَا" اللَّذَيْنِ هُمَا أَصَحُّ الْكُتُبِ الْمُصَنَّفَةِ.[1]
This hadith conveys the importance of having a sincere intention in all actions. The validity of an action can depend on the intention behind it. For example, migration (Hijrah) was a significant act during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). If a person emigrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, it would be rewarded as an act of worship with great reward. However, if someone emigrated for worldly reasons, such as seeking wealth or marriage, they would receive only the worldly benefit. This shows that the same action can have different values depending on the intention behind it.
In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، ثنا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُسْتَمِرِّ الْعُرُوقِيُّ، ثنا حَاتِمُ بْنُ عَبَّادِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ الْحَرَشِيُّ، ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ قَيْسٍ الْكِنْدِيُّ، ثنا أَبُو حَازِمٍ، عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: نِيَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، وَعَمَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ نِيَّتِهِ، وَكُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى نِيَّتِهِ، فَإِذَا عَمِلَ الْمُؤْمِنُ عَمَلًا نَارَ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُورٌ.[2]
"Verily, the intention of a believer is better than his actions, and the actions of a hypocrite are better than his intention. Every person acts according to their intention, and when a believer performs an action, there is a light in their heart." (Narrated by at-Thabrani, Hadith 5942)
Based on this hadith, it is clear that we must always strive to keep our intentions sincere in everything we do, whether it is a mandatory, recommended, or permissible act. In the Qur'an, the true intention that a Muslim should have is sincerity, or ikhlas. Allah says:
وَمَآ اُمِرُوْٓا اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ
مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّيْنَ ەۙ حُنَفَاۤءَ
وَيُقِيْمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكٰوةَ وَذٰلِكَ دِيْنُ الْقَيِّمَةِۗ
"And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and give zakat. And that is the correct religion." (Qur'an, Surah Al - Bayyinah , verse 5)
A sincere intention is the essence of worship. Any act of worship that is performed with sincerity will be valuable in the sight of Allah. On the other hand, if an act is done without sincerity, it will not carry any value. According to the book I’anah at-Talibin, there are three levels of sincerity in worship:
- Sincerity for the reward and to avoid punishment.
- Sincerity out of respect and closeness to Allah.
- Sincerity purely for Allah’s sake, not seeking any reward like entering Paradise or avoiding Hell. This third level is the highest and is the characteristic of the siddiqin (the truthful ones), those who are completely devoted to Allah.[3]
Sincerity, as the foundation of correct intention, stands in opposition to riya (showing off), which is doing good deeds to be seen and praised by others. Allah says in the Qur'an:
يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تُبْطِلُوْا
صَدَقٰتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ وَالْاَذٰىۙ كَالَّذِيْ يُنْفِقُ مَالَهٗ رِئَاۤءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا
يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِۗ فَمَثَلُهٗ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ
تُرَابٌ فَاَصَابَهٗ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهٗ صَلْدًاۗ لَا
يَقْدِرُوْنَ عَلٰى شَيْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوْاۗ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ
الْكٰفِرِيْنَ.
"O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charity with reminders or injury, like the one who spends his wealth to show off to people, while he does not believe in Allah or the Last Day. His example is like that of a smooth stone with dust on it, and then it is struck by heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are unable to gain anything from what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (Qur'an, Surah Al - Baqarah, verse 264)
As a Muslim, we must avoid having the intention of showing off (riya) in our worship, as this nullifies the reward and can even lead to sin. Thus, even if two people perform the same act of worship, their reward can differ greatly depending on their intentions. Worship done with sincerity will be rewarded, while worship done with riya will be in vain and could lead to punishment.
In conclusion, as mentioned in the first hadith from the Arba'in an-Nawawiyyah collection, intention plays a critical role in the value of any action. Correct intention must always be accompanied by sincerity. Actions that seem the same can have very different values depending on the intention behind them. Therefore, Muslims must always strive to purify and maintain the sincerity of their intentions so that their actions are accepted by Allah.
References: