Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "."

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Since this chapter is about sincerity, the sincerity of intention for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that it is necessary that the sincere intention for Allah be in every word and every deed and in every state, the author mentioned verses related to this meaning, and he (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned hadiths related to it. He began this with the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), in which he said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: , : These are two sentences about which the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed. Some scholars said that they are two sentences with the same meaning, and that the second sentence is an emphasis of the first. However, this is not correct, because the original rule in speech is that it is foundational, not emphatic. Furthermore, upon reflection, it becomes clear that there is a great difference between them: the first is a cause, and the second is a result. The first is a cause in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explains that every deed must have an intention. Every deed that a sane, willing person performs must have an intention, and it is impossible for any sane, willing person to perform a deed without an intention. Some scholars even said: "If Allah had obligated us to perform a deed without an intention, it would have been an obligation of what is not bearable", and this is correct. How can you work while you are sane with your mind, and you are willing and not coerced? How can you perform a deed without an intention?! This is impossible, because the deed is the result of will and ability, and the will is the intention. Therefore, the meaning of the first sentence is: there is no worker except that he has an intention. However, intentions differ greatly and vary widely, as between the sky and the earth. Some people have their intention at the peak, at the highest point, and some people have their intention in the garbage, at the lowest and most base point. You may even see two men performing the same deed, agreeing in its beginning and end, in its middle, in the movements and stillnesses, and in the words and actions, yet between them is as much difference as between the sky and the earth, all of that due to the difference in intention. Therefore, the foundation is that there is no deed except with an intention, but intentions differ and vary. As a result of that, he said: If you intended Allah and the Hereafter in your lawful deeds, you will attain that. And if you intended the worldly life, you may attain it or you may not: It did not say: We hastened for him what he wants, but what We will, : not for every person. The hastened thing and the one for whom it is hastened are qualified. The hastened thing that the person wanted, and the one for whom it is hastened. Therefore, some people are given what they want from the worldly life, some are given a part of it, and some are not given anything at all. This is the meaning of His saying: . As for: : He must reap the fruits of this deed for which he intended the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. Therefore: and this sentence and the one before it are the measure for every deed, but it is the measure of the inner aspect. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), as narrated by the two Shaykhs from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): : is the measure for the outward deeds. For this reason, the people of knowledge said: "These two hadiths encompass the entire religion: The hadith of 'Umar:

Actions are only by intentions

إنما الأعمال بالنيات

is the measure for the inner aspect, and the hadith of 'A'ishah:

He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf

من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا

Sahih Muslim 1718b

is the measure for the outward aspect".