. J '-Ɵ  (cont.)

It is not possible for a rational, voluntarily acting person to perform a deed without an intention. In fact, some scholars even say, "If Allah obliged us to perform acts without any intention, He would be obliging us to do something that we are not able to do." Such is correct. How can you perform a deed while you are rational and freely acting, without being coerced, and do it without an intention? That is impossible because the deed results from want and ability. The want is the intention. Therefore, the first sentence means that there is no doer but that he has an intention. However, intentions differ. In fact, they differ as greatly as the distance between the heavens and earth. One may have the loftiest of intentions while another person's intention is in the gutter. In fact, you can see two people do exactly the same deed. They are corresponding deeds with respect to their beginnings, middle, endings, actions, movements, statements and deeds. However, between them is like the distance between the heavens and the earth due to their different intentions. Therefore, the basic premise is that there is no deed done without an intention. The consequence of that is in the Prophet's words, "And for everyone is what he intended." If you intended [the pleasure of] Allah and the Hereafter in your shareeah deeds, that will be achieved for you. If you intended this world, then you may achieve it or you may not. Allah says, "Whoever desires the quick-passing [transitory enjoyment of this world], We readily grant him what We will for whom We like" (al-Israa 18). He did not say, "We readily give him what he wants." Instead, He said, "What We willthat is, what Allah willsto whomever We wantnot for every human being." Hence, He restricted both "who" is given and "what" is given. There are some people who are given of this world and there are some who are given hardly anything of this world.1 According to other ways of interpreting the first sentence, "All actions are but by intention," it means that an action is not even considered except with 1 Muhammad ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (Riyadh: Daar al-Watn, 1995), vol. 1, pp. 12-13. 1 13 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi intentionthat is what is stated in the first phrase. Then, the reward for a person's deed is dependent on the extent of his intention. Therefore, this second statement comes afterwards because it is dependent upon the realty of the first statement. wrote, Ibn Rajah has an illuminating discussion on this part of the hadith. He The statement, "Verily, for every man is but what he intended," is a statement about the shareeah ruling. That is, the portion for the doer from his deed is his intention. If it was sound or pious, his deed is sound and he shall have its reward. If it was evil, then his deed was evil and upon him is its burden. It is possible that the taqdeer of "Verily, all actions are but driven by intention," is that deeds are pious, evil, accepted, rejected, rewarded or not rewarded based on the intentions. So it is a statement about the shareeah ruling. That is, the goodness or impropriety of a deed is according to the goodness or impropriety of the intention ... His statement after that, "Verily, for every man is but what he intended," is information that he will only get from his deed what he intended. If he intended something good, then he will get good. If he intended evil, he will receive evil. This is not a pure repetition of the first sentence. The first sentence indicates that the goodness or evil of an act is according to the intention that brought it into being. The second sentence indicates that the reward for the doer for his deed is according to his pious intention. His punishment for his deed is based on his evil intention. His intention could be permissible [neither praiseworthy or blameworthy] and the deed could be permissible. He shall then neither receive reward nor punishment. The deed itselfits goodness, impropriety or permissibilityis according to the intention behind it that brought it about. The reward, punishment or neutral result for the doer is according to his intention that caused the deed to be good, evil or permissible.' There is still a problem here. Not everyone gets what he intended. For example, someone may emigrate to marry a woman and then the woman refuses to marry him. One cannot then say that he got but what he intended. Furthermore, the disbelievers do not intend to be punished for their deeds although Allah states that such will eventually happen. 1 lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 1, pp. 64-65. 1 14 Hadith #1 : All Actions are but by Intentions . . . However, taking this hadith in its totality, the remainder of this hadith sheds some light on this point. It shows that there are general categories of intention.