This page answers a claim that is heard often: as long as you are sincere, it is accepted. A person prays, fasts, gives, or holds a gathering in a way the Prophet ﷺ did not teach, and when he is asked about it he says: my intention was good, and I meant it for Allah. The short answer is that sincerity is only one of two conditions. A deed that is sincere but not correct is not accepted, and a deed that is correct in its outward form but not sincere is not accepted either. Everything quoted on this page comes from the books listed in the References: Shaykh al-Fawzan’s explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s explanation of Riyad as-Salihin, his explanation of Removal of Doubts and his commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, and Shaykh as-Sa’di’s explanation of the Qur’an.
The Verse and Its Two Conditions
Allah joins hope to action in one verse. Shaykh al-Fawzan prints the verse’s main clause and then explains what makes an action righteous:
“So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness…” (Surah al-Kahf 18:110)
“This is proof that hope alone is not sufficient. It is a must that one performs actions. As for hoping in Allah while you do not act, then this is a negation of the means. The praiseworthy rajā’ is the one which is accompanied by righteous action. As for the rajā’ which is not praiseworthy, it is the rajā’ which is not accompanied by righteous action. The righteous action is that wherein two conditions are fulfilled:”
“1) Sincerity for Him ﷻ”
“2) Following the Messenger ﷺ”
“The action is not righteous except if these two conditions are fulfilled: it must be sincerely for the Face of Allah and not contain any shirk; and it must be correct in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, not containing any innovation. If the two conditions are fulfilled, then it is righteous. If a condition is not fulfilled, then it is a corrupt action which does not benefit the doer. The action which contains shirk is rejected. Likewise, the action which contains innovation is rejected.”
What worship is, and how these two conditions are defined, are taught in full on Worship (Ibadah). This page takes the conditions as Shaykh al-Fawzan states them and tests the claim of sincerity against them.
Best in Deed: Most Sincere and Most Correct
Allah describes this life as a test, and He names what the best deed is. Shaykh as-Sa’di prints the verse in his explanation of the Qur’an:
“Who has created death and life, so that He may test you [and see] which of you is best in conduct, and He is the Almighty, Oft-Forgiving.” (Surah al-Mulk 67:2)
He explains what “best in conduct” means:
“«Who has created death and life» that is, He decreed for His slaves that He would give them life then cause them to die. «so that He may test you [and see] which of you is best in conduct» that is, most sincere and most correct. Allah created His slaves and brought them into this world, and He has told them that they will move on from it. He has issued commands and prohibitions to them and tested them with desires that hinder them from complying with His commands. Whoever submits to the command of Allah and does good deeds, Allah will give him a good living in both realms, but whoever goes along with his whims and desires and turns away from the command of Allah, will have an evil recompense.”
So the test is not sincerity alone. The best deed is the most sincere and the most correct together: sincere, for Allah alone, and correct, done as He and His Messenger ﷺ taught.
The Two Scales
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, explaining the first hadith of Riyad as-Salihin, the hadith of intentions, states what the intention settles:
“And regarding the outcome of that, he said: “And a person will get the reward according to his intention”. Thus, everyone gets what he intends. If he intends Allah and the abode of the Hereafter in the approved actions he performs, then he will earn that. But if he intended worldly benefit, it may or may not come his way.”
He then sets the two hadiths side by side, as two scales:
“…reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim on the authority of Aa’ishah – may Allah be pleased with her – that: “Whoever does an act which we have not given approval will have it rejected”(1) is the scale for the apparent deeds.”
“This is the reason why the people of Knowledge say: “These two hadeeths encompass the entire religion”: the hadeeth of ‘Umar: “The deeds are considered by intention” is the scale for the hidden deeds and that of Aa’ishah: “Whoever does an act which we have not given approval” is the scale for the apparent deeds.”
“(1) The hadeeth with this wording is reported by Muslim (4492), and al-Bukhaari (2697) reported it with the wording: “Anyone who innovates into this affair of ours that which is not part of it, will have it rejected.””
The hadith of intentions itself is quoted and explained on Hadith 1: Actions Are Only by Intentions. What this page takes from the Shaykh’s words is the pair of scales: the intention weighs the hidden deed, and the Prophet’s ﷺ approval weighs the outward deed. A deed can pass the first scale and fail the second.
The Plea of Intent, Answered in the Book of Doubts
This claim is not new. The book this site uses for the doubts, the Explanation of Removal of Doubts, meets it in the mouths of people who called upon the righteous and defended that act by their intent. The text of the book answers the plea like this:
“So if he says: I only worship Allah, and my turning to the righteous and calling upon them is not worship. Then say to him: Do you accept that Allah made it obligatory upon you to sincerely worship Him alone (1) and that this is His right upon you? So if he says yes, then say to him: Then clarify for me exactly what you have been obligated with; and this is to sincerely worship Allah alone and this is His right upon you.”
“The Second Doubt: Their statement, “We did not turn to them in worship, as our intent is to worship Allah.””
And the explanation notes what that shared intention did for the people who held it before them:
“With this he has surely admitted that their intentions were the same as his intentions and yet this belief of theirs did not benefit them in the least.”
In the same explanation, to be sincere to Allah is defined as intending by one’s worship to draw closer to Allah and to reach the noble abode that He has prepared. Sincerity, then, is about where the deed is aimed. It does not change what the deed is, and it does not turn an act Allah did not legislate into worship of Him.
Allah makes the same point with the claim of love: He commands the Prophet ﷺ to say that whoever loves Allah must follow him, and then Allah will love them and forgive their sins (Surah Aal-‘Imran 3:31); that verse is taken up on Innovation Can Be Good If Intention Is Good?
Deeds Turned to Dust
What happens to the deeds that fail is stated plainly. Shaykh as-Sa’di prints the verse:
“We will look at the [good] deeds they did and We will turn them into scattered floating specks of dust.” (Surah al-Furqan 25:23)
His explanation of it:
“«We will look at the [good] deeds they did» that is, the deeds which they hoped were good and in which they strove hard. «and We will turn them into scattered floating specks of dust» that is, We will render them invalid and worthless, and they will have lost them and be deprived of their reward, and they will be punished for that. That is because those deeds were not based on faith, and they were done by those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers. The good deed that is accepted by Allah is that which is done by a sincere believer who believes in the Messengers and follows them.”
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen gives the picture in his commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, speaking of Quraysh, who worshipped Allah with prayer and circling the Ka’bah:
“His saying: “because the disagreement is regarding it”, i.e. regarding Tawheed, between the Messenger ﷺ and the people of Quraysh. Quraysh would worship Allah, circumambulate (Ka’bah) for Him and observe prayer; but without sincerity and concordance with the Sharee’ah. So, it is as if they do nothing because they would lack Tawheed (in those actions).”
And Shaykh as-Sa’di, explaining the command given to the Prophet ﷺ himself, turns it into a test for everyone who claims to follow him:
“«and I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit to Allah [in Islam]» because I am the one who calls and guides people to their Lord, which dictates that I should be the first one to comply with what I enjoin, and the first one to submit to Allah in Islam. This should be the case on the part of Muhammad ﷺ and on the part of those who claim to be his followers: it is essential that they comply visibly and outwardly with the teachings of Islam, and that they be sincere to Allah alone in all their deeds, both visible and hidden.”
So the answer to the claim is no. Sincerity is required, and it is not enough by itself. The accepted deed is the one that is sincere for Allah and correct upon the way of His Messenger ﷺ; whichever of the two it lacks, it is turned back, and deeds built on neither faith nor following are turned to dust. A deed done to be seen by people has lost its sincerity, and that sickness, showing off (riya), is treated on its own page in the Further Reading below.
And Allah knows best.
References
Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan; Authentic Statements, translated by Raha Batts (printed p. 162).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 10: Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (printed pp. 161-162).
Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin (Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen), Vol. 1: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen; Dar-us-Salam, 2016 (printed pp. 19-20).
Explanation of Removal of Doubts (Kashf ash-Shubuhat): matn by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, explanation by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen, prepared by Fahd ibn Nasir as-Sulayman; IIIN Bookstore and Da’wah Center, second edition 2015, translated by Qasim Mutiva (printed pp. 108, 192, 201).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 7: Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (printed pp. 21-23).
Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, Vol. 1: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen; Darussalam (printed p. 54).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 8: Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (printed p. 287).
In quotations, the divine name is written “Allah” throughout. Al-Fawzan’s explanation and the Removal of Doubts explanation print it with a long mark, “Allāh”; the spelling is standardised here, and nothing else in the wording is changed. An Arabic honorific printed after Allah’s name inside one quoted line of the Removal of Doubts text is not reproduced. The verses of the Qur’an quoted on this page are quoted in the printings of the books named beside them.
Further Reading
- Worship (Ibadah): what worship is, and its two conditions of acceptance.
- Innovation Can Be Good If Intention Is Good?: the same claim tested against innovation.
- What Is the Difference Between Following the Sunnah and Following Cultural Traditions?: following the Prophet against following custom.
Verified on 2026-10-25 against the books listed above.