Actions are judged by intentions

It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say: "Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah 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." [1:51-S.A.][Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Niyyah (intention) has two meanings:
i.The intention before an ibadah (e.g. prayer)
ii.The willingness

**The second meaning (ii.) is what is meant in this hadith.

LESSONS

The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, starts the hadith with the principle ("Actions are judged by intentions") and then gives three examples. This is the methodology of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. The examples help illustrate the principle so that it is easier for people to understand and they can apply the principle to other similar situations.

The three examples consist of one of good intention (migration for the sake of Allah and His Messenger) and two of bad intentions (migration for the sake of worldly gains or for marriage).
This hadith emphasises ikhlas (sincerity - to be truthful and honest to Allah alone, performing an act solely for Allah's sake whereby no other witness except Allah is sought). Ikhlas is one of the conditions of accepting good deeds. Imam al-Harawi states that there are 7 types of self-desires:-

• To make oneself appear good in the hearts of others


• To seek the praises of others


• To avoid being blamed by others


• To seek the glorification of others


• To seek the wealth/money of others


• To seek the services or love of others


• To seek the help of others for oneself

Ways to obtain ikhlas
>>Do righteous deeds - the more good deeds we do and hence get closer to Allah, the more sincere we will be.
>>Before we do any deed we should firstly seek knowledge (ilm) - our actions/deeds should be guided by knowledge so that we do them in accordance to the Shariah.
>>Do not give false impressions - do not make others believe that an action we did was good when it was not.

Al-Imam Ahmad said: Before you do anything, check your intention (niyyah) - ask yourself before performing an action: "Is it for the sake of Allah?"
Ibnu al-Qayyim says: Any action we do is subject to three defects:
++Being conscious that others are observing our actions
++Seeking a return (benefit/reward) for the action
++Being satisfied with the action
Things that contradict ikhlas
--Ma'siat - committing sins - this will weaken our ikhlas
--Shirk - associating others with Allah
--Riya' - performing an ibadah with the intention of showing off to others
--Nifaq - hypocrisy

CONCLUSION
Our actions are undermined by our intentions - whether they are good intentions or bad intentions. Therefore we should always check our intentions before we do or say anything. We must make sure that the action is for the sake of Allah so that it is accepted by Allah and that we will be rewarded for it, insha Allah.