Actions are by intentions (Ḥadīth) Explanation [1]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

🔸Explanation🔸

This ḥadīth is reported by Aboo Ḥafs, 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb, the leaders of the believers. He was appointed as a leader by Aboo Bakr as-Siddique, the first leader of the believers after Prophet's ﷺ death.

Abū Bakr was appointed by the consensus of the companions in Thaqeefa and 'Umar's appointment was completely legal as Abū Bakr appointed him. So, indeed it's from the good deeds of Abū Bakr that he made a good choice by appointing ʿUmar after him, رضي الله عنهما

In the ḥadīth, ʿUmar said ' سمعت ' ( I heard) meaning he took it directly from the Prophet ﷺ. Despite being a ḥadīth of great importance and value, all the narrations of this ḥadīth were not reported from Prophet ﷺ except through ʿUmar. However this ḥadīth has many supporting evidences in the Qur'ān and the Sunnah.

And whatever you spend in good, it is for yourselves, when you spend not except seeking Allâh’s Countenance  [2:272]

You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure.[48:29]

Here this is about intention that performing actions should be purely for الله and in the first ʾĀyah, Qur'ān is referring to charity.

Also in ḥadīth Narrated by Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas that Allāh's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You will be rewarded for whatever you spend for Allāh's sake even if it were a morsel which you put in your wife's mouth."

So, the meaning of the ḥadīth is affirmed through Qur'ān and Sunnah though the wording of the ḥadīth is exclusive to ʿUmar. The entire ummah received it with acceptance; Al-Bukhārī started his authentic book with this ḥadīth.

إنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى

The eloquence of this ḥadīth includes restriction which means that the ruling is applicable to that which is mentioned and negated from everything other than that. Here ' إنَّمَا ' - is a restrictive term and this is from the eloquency of the Arabic language.

The other aspect of eloquency is in the second statement "But he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain or for a woman he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated." It's main target is hiding the intention of those who migrated for any worldly benefit because heﷺ didn't say that his migration is for wordly benefit or to marry a woman rather heﷺ said 'for which he migrated' keeping it hidden and unkown indicating it's unworthiness to be mentioned. This is to scorn and belittle for what he migrated. As for the statement "Thus he whose migration was to Allāh and His Messenger, his emigration is to Allāh and His Messenger" - it was defined clearly indicating the high status of this intention.

' الْأَعْمَالُ ' (actions) is the plural of عمل. The 'actions' here is comprehensive covering the actions of the heart (which is settled in the heart from dependance upon الله, refering matters to Him, and turning to Him as well as having awe of Him and much more), the actions of the tongue (all that is uttered by the tongue) and the actions of limbs (those done by hands, feet and so on)

 ' النيت ' (intentions) is plural of نيّة. Legally its definition is - determination to do an act of worship seeking closeness to Allâh and place of this intention is the heart (it's an action of the heart).

The second phrase - وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى -meaning of امري is insaan (every person).

First phrase refers to the intention which is the action or deed and second phrase refers to what is intended and considering for whom he is doing this- For الله ? Or for world?

This legal intention is very important in the sense that- firstly, it distinguishes between the habits from acts of worship and secondly, it also distinguishes the acts of worship from one another.

Example for first one - Two person take bath, one intending to cool himself and another to purify himself from a major impurity.

The action of the first one is habit while the action of the second one is an act of worship.

Now, if a person with major impurity dives into the river just to swim or cool himself and then prays, will it be valid or will he be rewarded?

No, it won't be accepted and he won't be rewarded as he didn't intend worship rather he just intended to cool himself.

That's why some scholars said that the worship of the heedless one are habits and the habits of the people of awareness are worship.

Because a person who gets up, does wudu, and prays without any contemplation or realization on why even he's doing so then he has taken it just as a habit due to his heedlessness. On the other hand those who are the people of awareness, they seek closeness to Allāh even through their daily or normal actions. Due to proper intention even a permissible deed can turn into an act for which one will be rewarded. 

As for the second point - if two person perform 2 rakat of prayer, one of them intends to pray voluntary prayer and other one intends to pray obligatory prayer then the difference is made through their intentions. This is how intention distinguishes between two acts of worship. 

و الله اعلم 

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From lecture of Shaykh Saleh as Saleh