and a ḥammām—that is, one who forms intentions—so he has both action and intention.
However, the praiseworthy intention that Allah accepts and rewards is that the deed be performed seeking Him alone. As for the praiseworthy, righteous action, it is the one that He has commanded. For this reason ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb — may Allah be pleased with him — used to pray:
“O Allah, make all my deeds righteous, make them purely for Your Face, and do not allow anyone else a share in them.”
Since this is the criterion for every righteous deed, the person who commands what is right and forbids what is wrong must apply it first to himself; his own deed will not be righteous unless it is grounded in knowledge and understanding.
ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said, “Whoever worships Allah without knowledge will corrupt more than he puts right.”
And in the hadith of Muʿādh ibn Jabal — may Allah be pleased with him — it is stated:
“Knowledge is the leader of action, and action follows it.”
This is clear, for intention and action that are not based on knowledge are nothing but ignorance, misguidance, and the following of whims, as mentioned earlier. This is what distinguishes the people of jāhiliyyah (the age of ignorance) from the people of Islam. One must therefore know what is right and what is wrong and be able to tell the difference between them. One must also know the condition of the person being commanded or forbidden, and, as part of righteousness, deliver the command or prohibition along the straight path—the shortest route to achieving the desired end.
Gentleness is essential in all of this, as the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Gentleness is not found in anything except that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything except that it disgraces it,”
and,
“Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness in every matter; He grants through gentleness what He does not grant through harshness.”
He must also be forbearing and patient in the face of harm, for inevitably