is offered purely for the sake of Allah Most High, the deed is accepted; if it is otherwise, the deed is rejected, for Allah—exalted is He—is the One most free of any association. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then illustrated this far-reaching rule with the example of migration (hijrah). Whoever leaves the land of disbelief seeking Allah’s reward, yearning to be close to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and in order to learn the Sacred Law, his migration is in the path of Allah, and Allah will reward him for it. Whoever migrates for some worldly advantage has no reward for that act, and should the migration be for a sinful purpose he will incur punishment.

Intention distinguishes an act of worship from a routine action. Take washing, for instance: if it is performed to remove the state of major ritual impurity, it counts as worship; if it is done merely for cleanliness or to cool off, it is an ordinary habit.

In the Law, intention has two spheres:

1. Sincerity—performing a deed solely for Allah; this is the loftier sense, addressed by scholars of theology, spirituality, and moral conduct.
2. Differentiating one act of worship from another; this aspect is the concern of the jurists.

This hadith is one of the comprehensive texts that demand close study and reflection; a few written pages cannot do it justice. Imām al-Bukhārī (may Allah have mercy on him) placed it at the very beginning of his Ṣaḥīḥ because it relates to every topic and every chapter of sacred knowledge.

Lessons derived from the hadith:
1- All deeds revolve around intentions in terms of validity and invalidity, completeness and deficiency, obedience and disobedience. Whoever acts for show is sinful; whoever fights solely to make the word of Allah supreme receives full reward; whoever combines that aim with the desire for spoils attains a reduced reward; and whoever seeks only the spoils is not sinful but receives no reward of the fighter in Allah’s cause. Thus the hadith clarifies that every deed—whether outwardly an act of obedience or an act of sin—varies according to the intention.
2- Intention is an essential condition for every deed, yet without excessive preoccupation that spoils one’s devotion. The mere resolve to perform the act counts as intention without any forced mental exertion or verbal declaration.
3- The place of intention is the heart; articulating it aloud is an innovation.
4- One must beware of showing off, courting reputation, or acting for worldly gain, since any of these corrupts worship.