Authentic Hadith
Sahih al-Bukhari · 1Sahih

Intention

Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab

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إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

English

Actions are but by intention, and every man shall have only that which he intended. Whoever migrated for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger.

Scholarly note

Al-Bukhari opens his Sahih with this narration deliberately: every chapter of law that follows is judged first by the intention behind the act. Al-Nawawi counted it among the three or four hadiths upon which the whole religion turns.

Related works

Sahih al-Bukhari