Many Muslim scholars have begun their books with this hadith.
This very hadith is one of the most beautifully comprehensive recordings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is to be applied in every one of our deeds, and envelops all affairs of the Hereafter. Let us note that the basis of any good deed is the condition of sincerity in pleasing Allah -- doing things with the intention of doing it for His sake, and His sake alone. We as Muslims must strive in each and every single one of our actions to please Allah. Our aims reach for Jannah, to be near our Lord and to be faithful believers. If we are seeking Allah’s pleasure, we first need to have the intention of pleasing Him, given that what we do is permissible and sanctioned by the sunnah and the shari'ah. Even in the little daily things we do (like chores to take care of the home, wudu to purify ourselves for prayer, cooking to feed our families, listening to our friends and helping them with their problems, sleeping to rest so we can fully concentrate when we perform salaat), if we perform actions with the intention of pleasing Allah, so much ajr (reward) can be earned. This is the mercy and giving nature of Allah, AllahuAkbar! Everything we do can be transformed into an act of worship through our intentions. Our intentions are what deem the sincerity of our actions. The Prophet speaks of migration in this hadith as an example of the importance of intention in one's actions. A deed may be as big as hijrah (to leave or avoid what Allah has prohibited and/or to move from one place to another, as in Islam, to leave the land of the disbelievers to reside in the land of the believers), and can have no real worthy outcome whatsoever, no reward for the hereafter, if the migrant's intentions were not for the sake of Allah. In the same way that a praiseworthy action can be rendered worthless without good intentions, the most minuscule of deeds can be magnanimous to Allah and He may reward us greatly for these deeds. The reward for a sincere deed for the sake of Allah is without end, subhanAllah, and by the mercy of Allah, will accumulate. Our intentions are not something to flaunt-they are something between us and Allah, kept that way, if made with the utmost sincerity. So we must safeguard our intentions, check them and strengthen them. Each time we renew our intentions, our actions are invigorated with purpose. Things do not become simple habits-each action has meaning and importance, weighing in on our relationship between us and our Lord. If we are able to check our intentions, we are able to check our thoughts, better control our impulses and train ourselves to be truthful in all that we do. This, in itself, is an act of purification for our minds and hearts, may Allah purify us and our intentions. Pure intentions leave only peace in our hearts, without the pressure of suspicion or doubt. Establishing this sincere connection with Allah via intention is the first step in building our character to have better relationships with the people around us. Actions will only affect our soul based on our intentions, and to strengthen our faith, to tether our soul to Allah, we must have the best of intentions. We are here, inshaAllah, with the intentions to learn for the sake of Allah in order to purify our hearts, correct our faults and better our character so that we may strengthen our imaan and rise amongst the ranks of the believers-to please Allah. So, let us be at this site with the correct motives. May Allah purify our intentions and set us upon the straight path. For further scholarly commentary on this hadith, read:
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April 2016
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