Day 1 · Hadith 1 · Nawawī's Forty
Actions are by intentions
Outline · Day 1 of 7+
Ḥadīth
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ.
Actions are only by intentions, and every person shall have only that which he intended. So whoever's migration was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; and whoever's migration was for worldly gain or a woman to marry, his migration is to whatever he migrated for.
Narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb · Bukhārī 1 · Muslim 1907
Reflection & lesson
Nawawī opens with this hadith deliberately — scholars say it is a third of knowledge, because every outward act is weighed by its inward motive. Two people perform the same ṣalāh: one seeks Allah, the other seeks to be seen. Only the first is worship.
Every action carries an outward shape and an inward weight. The Prophet ﷺ teaches that the weight is the intention. Two people perform the same prayer, fast the same fast, give the same charity — and Allah accepts one and not the other.
This is freeing. It means the Muslim with three children, a difficult boss and a long commute is not at a worship deficit compared to the seminary student. The mother nursing at 3am, intending it for Allah, is in worship. The student writing code, intending the lawful provision of his family, is in worship. Intention turns the ordinary into ʿibādah.
It is also sobering. The same act, performed for show, becomes empty. The lecture given for applause, the dhikr counted for the watching neighbour, the donation made for the photograph — outwardly impressive, inwardly weightless.
Carry this with you
What's one act today where my intention has drifted — and what would it take to renew it sincerely for Allah?