and selling and whatever else they required. Allah will then cause the first of them and the last of them to sink into the earth.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said this, a question occurred to ʿĀʾishah, so she asked, “Messenger of Allah, how will the first and the last of them be swallowed up when their marketplaces—and people who are not actually part of the army—are in their midst?” Their “marketplaces” refers to those who had come only to buy and sell, harboring no evil intention toward the Kaʿbah, and among them were others who merely accompanied the army, unaware of its plan. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “The first of them and the last of them, their marketplaces and those who are not of them will all be swallowed up; then they will be raised on the Day of Resurrection according to their intentions.” Each person will receive what he meant.

This incident is a particular example of the Prophet’s universal statement: “Actions are only by intentions, and each person shall have only what he intended.”

The ḥadith contains a lesson: anyone who sides with people of falsehood, tyranny, and aggression will be included with them in the punishment. When punishment descends, it envelops the righteous and the wicked alike—the upright and the profligate, the believer and the unbeliever, the devout worshipper and the arrogant rejecter—leaving no one untouched. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, they will be raised according to their intentions.

Allah says: “And beware a trial that will not afflict only the wrongdoers among you; and know that Allah is severe in punishment” (Q 8:25).

The key phrase in this ḥadith is the Prophet’s words, “Then they will be resurrected upon their intentions,” which mirrors his saying: “Actions are only by intentions, and each person shall have only what he intended.”