The first hadith — the inner measure of every deed.
Narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (عمر بن الخطاب)
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
"Actions are only by intentions, and every person shall have only what they intended."
The scholars of hadith agreed that this is the first hadith a seeker should learn. Imam al-Shāfiʿī said it enters into a third of all knowledge, because every outward act is weighed by the intention behind it. Al-Bukhārī placed it first in his Ṣaḥīḥ as a message to every reader: whatever follows in these pages, remember this.
Passages that draw on this hadith
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"Clarification of the Reality of Intention Actions depend on intentions. For an action to be considered good, it requires intention. Even if an action is impeded, the intention itself remains good. Know that intention, desire, and purpose all convey the same meaning."
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"Isa turned back. Maimun's son asked why he didn't offer dinner, and Isa replied, It is not my intention. This illustrates that intention follows perception. When perception changes, intention changes. They believed that no action should be performed without intention, as"
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"weight of evil will see it. Therefore, the person receives a reward for their correct intention and a punishment for their corrupt intention, and neither cancels the other out. When it comes to prayer, which can be affected by defects in intention, it might be either"
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"is that he also intends reward, but with a weak intention, such that if in solitude he would not perform it, nor would that intention alone drive him to act. Without the intention for reward, ostentation propels him to work. This is"
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"to worship. When these intentions are present, loud recitation is preferable. If multiple intentions combine, the reward is multiplied. Abundant intentions purify the deeds of the righteous and increase their rewards. For example, reading the Quran from a physical"
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"intentions. Ibn Majah narrated from Jabir, and there is also a narration from Abu Hurairah. People are only resurrected based on their intentions, both with good chains. Muslim narrated from Aisha, Allah resurrects them according to their intentions, and from Umm"
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"from this and that perspective. Regarding the intention behind words, it is like saying that a statement is true, but the intention behind it is not the truth. Rather, there is a personal agenda. This kind of issue, if it occurs in a scientific matter, might specifically be labeled as argumentative,"
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"and a detachment from this world. What becomes most important is what leads them to Allah and benefits them in the hereafter. When this intention prevails in their heart, their intention in all matters becomes sincere. For instance, if they eat or fulfill their needs, their aim is to seek help"
More on foundations
- The religion in three words: Islam, Īmān, Iḥsān."Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, give zakāt, fast Ramadan, and make pilgrimage to the House if you are able. Īmān is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in divine decree — its good and its bitter. Iḥsān is that you worship Allah as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, He sees you."
- The five pillars."Islam is built on five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; the establishment of prayer; the paying of zakāt; the pilgrimage to the House; and fasting Ramadan."
- The soul and the decree written in the womb."The creation of each of you is gathered in the womb of their mother for forty days as a drop, then a clinging thing for the same period, then a lump of flesh for the same period. Then the angel is sent, who breathes the soul into it, and is commanded to write four things: its provision, its term of life, its deeds, and whether it will be wretched or blessed."
- Innovation in the religion is returned to its introducer."Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not from it — it is rejected."