In Islam, every act and deed has two conditions for its acceptance: First, the act itself should be a permissible and a good one, like helping others, reciting Duas (supplications) etc. Secondly, this deed has to be undertaken with a pure intention; for example, if a person is reciting a Dua (supplication), it should be only for the pleasure of Allah, or if a person helps another human being, it should be only to please Allah, not for the praise of the people. Islam stresses the importance of the principal of purity of intentions, in order for the deed to be accepted. The Holy Prophet is quoted to have said: “Actions are bound by intentions.”[1]

            Our Saint Imam’s (P.B.U.T.) have also mentioned a great deal about the intention of carrying out a particular action, and the importance of its purity. Imam Sadiq (a.s) quotes from the Holy Prophet: “The intention of a believer is better than his actions.”[2] The Late Allamah Majlisi, explaining this hadith further, quoting Imam Baqir to have said: “The reason for this is that a believer intends to do many good deeds, but may not be successful in performing them.”[3] Therefore, the importance and effect of the intention of a believer is far more than his actions. As much as he may intend to do good, like recite Dua Ahd for 40 days[4], or to give a certain amount of money to the poor, yet he has no idea when the time of his death is written for him, or that he actually doesn’t have the ability to give the poor money at that present time, but since his intentions were pure and good, Allah will reward him fully, without him actually having performed the deed, because he is the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.