With the Noble Hadith
Actions are but by intentions
We greet you all, dear listeners everywhere, and meet you in a new episode of your program "With the Noble Hadith", and we begin with the best greeting and purest peace, so peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
On the authority of the Commander of the Believers, Abu Hafs, Omar bin Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, who said: "I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: «Actions are but by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended. So whoever emigrated for the sake of God and His Messenger, then his emigration was for the sake of God and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his emigration was for what he emigrated for." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahih)
This hadith has received the greatest share of attention from hadith scholars; because it contains great rules of the religion, so much so that some scholars based the religion on two hadiths: this hadith, in addition to the hadith of Aisha, may God be pleased with her: "Whoever does an action that is not according to our command, it is rejected." The reason for this is that the previous hadith is a measure of outward actions, and the hadith of the chapter is a measure of inward actions.
The intention in the language: is the purpose and will, so it becomes clear from this that the intention is one of the works of the hearts, so it is not prescribed to pronounce it; The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not pronounce the intention in worship, but the pilgrim's saying: "Here I am, O God, performing Hajj" is not a pronunciation of the intention, but rather a notice of entering the rituals, meaning that the Talbiyah in Hajj is like the Takbir in prayer, and this is indicated by the fact that if he performed Hajj and did not pronounce it, his Hajj would be valid according to the majority of scholars. The intention has two benefits:
First: Distinguishing acts of worship from each other, such as distinguishing charity from paying off debt, and voluntary fasting from obligatory fasting.
Second: Distinguishing acts of worship from customs. For example: a man may perform ghusl and intend to cleanse himself from janabah, so this ghusl is an act of worship for which the servant is rewarded, but if he performs ghusl and intends to cool off from the heat, then the ghusl is a habit, and he will not be rewarded for it, and therefore the scholars derived from this hadith an important rule, which is their saying: "Matters are judged by their purposes" and this rule enters into all chapters of jurisprudence.
At the beginning of this hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, began by saying: "Actions are but by intentions." That is: there is no action except that it has an intention, so the responsible person cannot do an action of his own choice, and this action is without intention, and through the above we can respond to those who are afflicted by God with obsessive-compulsive disorder and repeat the action several times and Satan suggests to them that they did not intend anything, so we reassure them that it is not possible for them to perform an action of their choice without intention, as long as they are responsible and not forced to do it.
It is benefited from his saying, peace and blessings be upon him: "And every person will have only what they intended." The obligation of sincerity to God Almighty in all actions; Because he informed that nothing of his work is pure for the servant except what he intended. If he intended in his work God and the Hereafter, God will write down the reward of his work for him, and will reward him generously, and if he intended to be heard and seen, then his work has been nullified, and his sin has been written on him, as God Almighty says in his firm book: (So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.) (Al-Kahf 110)
Thus, it becomes clear that the wise person must make the Hereafter his concern in all matters, and take care of his heart and beware of hypocrisy or minor polytheism. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says, referring to this: "Whoever's concern is the world, God will scatter his affairs, and make his poverty between his eyes, and nothing of the world will come to him except what is written for him, and whoever's intention is the Hereafter, God will gather his affairs for him, and make his wealth in his heart, and the world will come to him while it is despised." (Narrated by Ibn Majah).
And of the great matter of intention is that the servant may reach the levels of the righteous, and the reward of great deeds that he did not do will be written for him, and that is by intention, as it is proven from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said when he returned from the Battle of Tabuk: "In Medina there are people who have not traveled a journey, nor have you crossed a valley, but they were with you." They said, "O Messenger of God, while they are in Medina?" He said: "While they are in Medina, they were detained by an excuse." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Since the acceptance of deeds is linked to the issue of sincerity, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave an example to clarify the picture more, and said: "So whoever emigrated for the sake of God and His Messenger, then his emigration was for the sake of God and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
The origin of emigration: is the transition from the abode of disbelief to the abode of Islam, or from the abode of disobedience to the abode of righteousness, and this emigration never ceases as long as repentance remains; It was reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: "Emigration does not cease until repentance ceases, and repentance does not cease until the sun rises from the west." (Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and Abu Dawood and Al-Nasa'i in the Sunan)
Some may find what was mentioned in the previous hadith problematic; As he thinks that there is a contradiction between this hadith and his saying, peace and blessings be upon him: "There is no emigration after the conquest" "as in the two Sahihs"
The answer to that is that what is meant by emigration in the last hadith is a specific meaning; Which is: the interruption of emigration from Mecca, as it has become the abode of Islam, so there is no emigration from it.
However, the term emigration in the Sharia is intended to mean one of three things: abandoning the place, abandoning the action, and abandoning the actor. As for abandoning the place: it is the transition from the abode of disbelief to the abode of faith, and as for abandoning the action: it means that the Muslim abandons all kinds of polytheism and sins, and what is meant by abandoning the actor: is abandoning the people of disobedience and innovation. As it came in the hadith: "A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe, and an emigrant is the one who abandons what God has forbidden." (Agreed upon)
It is noted in the hadith that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, specifically mentioned women among the possessions of the world in his saying: "Or to marry a woman." Although it is included in the generality of the world; That is, an increase in the warning against the temptation of women; Because being seduced by them is more severe, in accordance with the hadith: "I have not left after me a temptation more harmful to men than women." (Agreed upon)
In his saying: "Then his emigration was for what he emigrated for." He did not mention what he wanted from the world or women, and expressed it with the pronoun "what" in his saying: "what he emigrated for" that is, belittling what he wanted from the matter of the world and disdaining it and belittling its matter, as he did not mention it in his words.
Among the benefits of this hadith - in addition to the foregoing - is that the successful preacher must give examples to explain and clarify the truth that he carries to the people; That is because the human soul is made to love hearing stories and parables, so the idea with the parable knocks on the ear, and enters the heart without permission, and thus leaves its effect on it, so its use is frequent in the Book and Sunnah, we ask God Almighty to grant us sincerity in word and deed, and praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
Dear listeners: We thank you for your good listening. Our appointment with you is in the next episode, God willing. Until that time, and until we meet you always, we leave you in God's care, protection and security, and peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.
Written for the radio of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Professor Muhammad Ahmad Al-Nadi - Jordan Province
2014/8/21 AD
