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Hadith · Forty Ḥadīth of an-Nawawī 1
It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated." [Bukhari & Muslim]
Forty Ḥadīth of an-Nawawī 1
The Prophet ﷺ taught that deeds are judged by intentions — the founding principle of Islamic practice.
Agreed upon (Bukhari & Muslim)
Recorded by both al-Bukhari and Muslim (muttafaq 'alayh), the highest grade of authenticity a hadith can carry. Hadith scholars grade how reliably the words reach us from the Prophet ﷺ. This is a separate question from the ruling drawn from it.
Al-Bukhari repeats it in seven places with small differences in wording; the narration at the head of his Sahih omits the clause "whose migration was to Allah and His Messenger". It is a solitary (gharib) report at its root — only 'Umar from the Prophet ﷺ, then 'Alqamah, then Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi, then Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari — after whom it spread to hundreds of narrators.
Intention (niyyah) is required for acts of worship to count; the schools differ on whether it is a condition for the validity of wudu and ghusl.
How each of the four madhhabs treats the ruling drawn from this hadith.
| Madhhab | Position |
|---|---|
| HanafiQualifies | Intention is a condition for prayer, fasting and tayammum, but only a sunnah in wudu and ghusl: a wudu without intention is valid, though it earns no reward. |
| MalikiAgrees | Intention is one of the obligatory acts (fara'id) of wudu, so wudu without it is invalid. |
| Shafi'iAgrees | Intention is an obligatory pillar of wudu, ghusl and every act of worship, so wudu without it is invalid. |
| HanbaliAgrees | Intention is a condition (shart) for the validity of wudu, ghusl and tayammum. |
These gradings summarise classical hadith scholarship and the positions of the four schools. They are pending review by a qualified scholar; for your own situation, ask one.
Explained for
Same text. The explanation below changes.
It's often the first hadith students learn, because it colors everything after.
How might naming your intention change an ordinary action this week?
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