67/5. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5070 — Actions Are Judged by Intentions
Whoever emigrated with the intention of marrying a woman
Actions Are Judged by Intentions Hadith
Sahih Bukhari : 5070
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5070
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ قَزَعَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ وَقَّاصٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " الْعَمَلُ بِالنِّيَّةِ، وَإِنَّمَا لاِمْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ ".
'Umar bin Al-Khattab Narrated from:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The rewards (of deeds) are according to the intention, and everybody will get the reward for what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah's and His Apostle's sake, his emigration was for Allah and His Apostle; and whoever emigrated for worldly benefits, or to marry a woman, then his emigration was for the thing for what he emigrated for." (1)
[1] His reward will be according to his intentions, not to his apparent deed,=Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5070In-book reference : Book 67, Hadith 8USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 8
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5070
This Hadith teaches the power of intention in Islam. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that actions are according to intention and that each person gets what he intended. He then gave the example of migration. If a person's migration was for Allah and His Messenger, it was for Allah and His Messenger. If it was for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then it was for what he migrated for. This hadith about intentions is simple but deep in daily life. The same outward action can carry a different meaning because the inner aim is different. The text calls the reader to look honestly at why they act, not only at what they do.
What we learn from this hadith
- Actions are connected to the intention behind them.
- A person receives according to what he intended.
- The same outward act can have different aims.
- Honest self-checking matters before doing good deeds.
