Day 24 – Having a Share in the Reward for an Intention

Translated & Compiled

Abbas Abu Yahya

From Anas bin Malik -RadhiAllaahu anhu- who said: We returned from the battle of Tabuk with the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– and he said:

إنَّ أَقْوَاماً خَلْفَنَا بِالمَدِينَةِ مَا سَلَكْنَا شعْباً،

وَلاَ وَادِياً إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مَعَنَا، حَبَسَهُمُ الْعُذْرُ

‘Indeed there were a people who remained behind in Madinah, we did not pass a pathway through mountains nor a valley except that they were with us, but they were hindered by an excuse.’

[Collected by Bukhari & Al-Albaani in Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb no. 12 & 13]

In the narration collected by Muslim:

From Jabir bin Abdullaah al-Ansaari -RadhiAllaahu anhu- who said:

‘We were with the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– in a battle and he said:

إِنَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ لَرِجَالاً مَا سِرْتُمْ مَسِيراً، وَلاَ قَطَعْتُمْ وَادِياً إِلاَ كَانُوا

مَعَكُمْ حَبَسَهُمُ الْمَرَضُ

‘Indeed, in Madinah there are men that when you travel on a path, or cross a valley except that they are with you, but they were held back by an illness.’

In another narration:

إلاَ شَرِكُوكُمْ فِي الأجْرِ

‘except that they share with you in the reward.’

[Muslim]

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An Explanation

Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Baz said

‘These Ahadeeth show the great matter of the intention and that it can cause the person to reach to the level of the one who actually does the good deed even though he is too weak to perform the action and incapable to do that deed.

The intention has a major importance
and this is why the saying of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam as has preceded mentions: ‘Indeed actions are but by intentions, and everyone will have what they intended.

Therefore, deeds and actions place an inactive person along with the active ones due to a good intention when he is too weak.

The intention also makes his deeds beneficial and advantageous where ever he is, but when the intention is absent from the good deed, then the deed becomes for other than Allaah and does not benefit the doer.

Perhaps the deed could be harmful for him, whether it is in Jihad or the prayer or other matters. However, if his intention was for Allaah then his deeds would benefit him.

And if the deed was for other than Allaah then his deeds would harm him. The Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said when they were in Tabuk:

Indeed there were a people who remained behind in Madinah, we did not pass a pathway through mountains nor a valley except that they were with us, but they were hindered by an excuse.’

Meaning they were hindered by an illness and in another wording: ‘Except that they participated with you in the reward’, this means that they would have loved to participate with you and that their intentions were with you however, they were hindered by illness.

So, the person who is hindered by an illness from Jihad or from prayer in congregation etc, then his reward will be complete, as if he prayed with the people and performed Jihad with the people due to the good intention. This is why the prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said when a slave of Allaah is ill or is travelling then Allaah writes for him the like of what he used to do while he was healthy and not travelling.’

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Ibn ‘Alaan -Rahimahullaah- said:

‘This Hadeeth is an indication to the saying of the statement of Allaah Ta’ala:

<< It was not becoming of the people of Al-Madinah and the bedouins of the neighbourhood to remain behind Allaah’s Messenger (when fighting in Allaah’s Cause) and (it was not becoming of them) to prefer their own lives to his life. That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger in the Cause of Allaah, nor they take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but is written to their credit as a deed of righteousness. Surely, Allaah wastes not the reward of the Muhsinoon

Nor do they spend anything (in Allaah’s Cause) – small or great – nor cross a valley, but is written to their credit, that Allaah may recompense them with the best of what they used to do (i.e. Allaah will reward their good deeds according to the reward of their best deeds which they did in the most perfect manner).>>

[Surah Tawbah: 120-121]

Arabic

وَرَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ عَنْ أَنَسٍ – رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ – قَالَ: رَجَعْنَا مِنْ غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فَقَالَ: ” إنَّ أَقْوَاماً خَلْفَنَا بِالمَدِينَةِ مَا سَلَكْنَا شِعْباً، وَلاَ وَادِياً إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مَعَنَا، حَبَسَهُمُ الْعُذْرُ “.

أخرجه مسلم في صحيحه (1911).

عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأنصَارِيِّ – رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُمَا – قَالَ: كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فِي غَزَاةٍ فَقَالَ: ” إِنَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ لَرِجَالاً مَا سِرْتُمْ مَسِيراً، وَلاَ قَطَعْتُمْ وَادِياً إِلاَ كَانُوا مَعَكُمْ حَبَسَهُمُ الْمَرَضُ “. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: ” إلاَ شَرِكُوكُمْ فِي الأجْرِ

“. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ. أخرجه البخاري

فهذه الأحاديث الثلاثة كلها تبين عظم شأن النية، وأنها تبلغ صاحبها مبلغ العاملين إذا عجز عن العمل ولم يستطع العمل النية لها شأن كبير؛

ولهذا سبق قوله ﷺ: إنما الأعمال بالنيات، وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى فالأعمال تجعل القاعد مع العاملين بنيته الطيبة عند عجزه وتجعل عمله نافعًا ومفيدًا أينما كان

وإذا تخلفت النية عن العمل صار العمل لغير الله وما نفع صاحبه، وقد يكون ضررًا عليه في الجهاد وفي الصلاة وفي غير هذا إن كانت النية لله نفعه عمله،

وإن كانت لغير الله ضره عمله، يقول ﷺ لما كانوا في تبوك: إن في المدينة أقوامًا ما سرتم مسيرًا ولا قطعتم واديًا إلا وهو معكم حبسهم العذر

يعني المرض وفي اللفظ الآخر: إلا شركوكم في الأجر يعني أنهم يودون أن يشاركوكم وأنهم نيتهم معكم، لكن حبسهم المرض؛

فالإنسان الذي يحبسه المرض عن الجهاد أو عن الصلاة في الجماعة أو نحو ذلك يكون أجره كاملاً كأنه صلى مع الناس وجاهد مع الناس بسبب النية الطيبة؛ ولهذا قال ﷺ: إذا مرض العبد أو سافر كتب الله له ما كان يعمله وهو صحيح مقيم.

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قال ابن علان – رحمه لله –: فيه إشارة إلى قوله تعالى: ” ذلك بأنهم لا يصيبهم ظمأٌ ولا نصب ولا مخمصةٌ في سبيل الله ” إلى قوله: ” ولا يقطعون وادياً إلا كتب لهم ليجزيهم الله أحسن ما كانوا يعملون

” [التوبة 120 – 121].