Intention, sincere goodwill, and a first nominal sentence (Hadith 1–7)

Read the bilingual lesson for Intention, sincere goodwill, and a first nominal sentence (Hadith 1–7) and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Lesson overview

Study seven reports and their key words. The first report appears in two consecutive parts that belong together. Learn about intention, sincere goodwill, prayer, confidentiality, modesty, love, and the harm of intoxicants. Finally, identify two parts of a simple Arabic sentence. No previous grammar knowledge is assumed.

2. Intention and action

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِامْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، (رواه البخاري، ومسلم) Translation: Actions are judged by intentions, and each person will have what they intended. Arabic word or phraseMeaning إِنَّمَاonly; here it emphasizes the role of intention الْأَعْمَالُdeeds; one deed: عَمَل بِالنِّيَّاتِaccording to intentions; one intention: نِيَّة لِامْرِئٍfor a person مَا نَوَىwhat that person intended Intention is the purpose in your heart: why am I doing this? For example, two people help someone; one seeks Allah’s pleasure and the other seeks praise. The outward act is similar, but the purpose differs. This is a teaching example. A good intention does not make every wrong action right. Here نَوَى means “he intended,” and وَ means “and.”

3. First report: phrase support (1/2)

The next part discusses migration: leaving a place or homeland to move elsewhere. It illustrates the difference made by purpose. Read these expressions as units; you do not need to memorize their grammar. Arabic word or phraseMeaning فَمَنْ كَانَتْso whoever’s ... was هِجْرَتُهُhis migration إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِto Allah and His Messenger فَهِجْرَتُهُthen his migration These expressions will show the purpose of the migration.

4. First report: phrase support (2/2)

Meanings of the remaining expressions: Arabic word or phraseMeaning إِلَى دُنْيَاtoward something worldly; here, for worldly gain يُصِيبُهَاwhich he obtains أَوِ امْرَأَةٍor a woman يَتَزَوَّجُهَاwhom he marries إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِto that for which he migrated إِلَى means “toward,” أَوْ means “or,” and هَاجَرَ means “he migrated.” إِلَيْهِ means “toward it/him.” Now keep the two purposes in mind as you read the rest of the first report.

5. Migration and purpose

فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ (رواه البخاري، ومسلم) Translation: Whoever migrated to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger. Whoever migrated to obtain something worldly or to marry a woman, his migration is to that for which he migrated. This completes the first report. The first case describes migration for Allah and His Messenger, then its reward in keeping with that purpose. In the second case, worldly gain or marriage was the purpose. Moving place alone does not make the two intentions the same. This is a distinction between purposes of migration, not a condemnation of every marriage or worldly activity. Explanation: the purpose is stated first, then the reward is understood in keeping with that purpose.

6. Sincere goodwill

الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ (رواه مسلم) Translation: Religion is sincere goodwill. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الدِّينُreligion النَّصِيحَةُsincere goodwill; truly wanting what is good Sincere goodwill means wanting what is good, not merely saying something pleasant. Kindly helping a friend recognize a mistake can express goodwill. Agreeing with something harmful merely to please them does not. This is a teaching example. Sincere goodwill includes wanting good for others and respecting their rights.

7. Supplication and worship

الدُّعَاءُ مُخُّ الْعِبَادَةِ (رواه الترمذي) Translation: Supplication is the essence of worship. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الدُّعَاءُsupplication; asking Allah مُخُّliteral image: core; here: essence الْعِبَادَةِworship; devotion to Allah Here “core” does not mean a bodily part. It describes the essence of worship. In supplication, a person brings their need before Allah and humbles themselves before Him. This explains the connection between supplication and worship.

8. Trust in gatherings

الْمَجَالِسُ بِالْأَمَانَةِ (رواه أبو داود) Translation: What is said in a gathering is held in trust. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الْمَجَالِسُgatherings; one gathering: مَجْلِس بِالْأَمَانَةِwith trust and confidentiality When someone entrusts a private matter to you, do not spread it without permission. For example, do not turn a friend’s personal difficulty into a story for others. Confidentiality does not mean concealing a plan to harm someone or wrongfully seize their property. Protecting a private matter and hiding planned harm are different. These examples explain the meaning.

9. Modesty and faith

الْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ (رواه البخاري ومسلم) Translation: Modesty is a part of faith. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الْحَيَاءُmodesty; a sense of shame that restrains wrongdoing شُعْبَةٌa part; a branch مِنَ الْإِيمَانِof faith; part of faith Here modesty is the quality that restrains wrongdoing. For example, someone avoids cheating even when alone. Not every feeling of shyness has this meaning: reluctance to ask a useful question when a lesson is unclear is not what is being encouraged. مِنَ means “of/from,” and الْإِيمَانِ means “faith.”

10. Love and companionship

الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ (رواه البخاري ومسلم) Translation: A person is with the one whom he loves. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الْمَرْءُa person مَعَwith مَنْ أَحَبَّthe one whom he loved أَحَبَّ means “he loved.” The expression connects a person’s love with companionship, which means being together. Good love draws a person toward good people; this companionship includes both this world and the Hereafter. Merely sitting next to someone is different from loving them. The word for person can also appear as الْمَرْءِ in an expression. It still means “a person.” You do not need to memorize a rule for the final vowel yet.

11. Wine and sin

الْخَمْرُ جُمَاعُ الْإِثْمِ (رواه رزين) Translation: Wine is a root of wrongdoing. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الْخَمْرُwine; intoxicant جُمَاعُsimple sense here: a root الْإِثْمِsin Literal sense: something that gathers sin. Simple sense: a root of wrongdoing. Wine opens the door to other wrongs. This does not mean that every drinker necessarily commits every sin.

12. Two parts of the sentence

Now learn just one small grammar skill. A noun names a person, thing, or quality, such as “religion” or “supplication.” Consider the simple teaching example, “Supplication is worship.” We are speaking about supplication and saying that it is worship. In الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ, الدِّينُ is what we are speaking about: the subject (mubtadaʾ). النَّصِيحَةُ supplies information about it: the predicate (khabar). A sentence of this kind is called a nominal sentence. For now, identify the two parts in these simple examples. What we speak about = subject What we say about it = predicate

13. The complete descriptive expression

In الدُّعَاءُ مُخُّ الْعِبَادَةِ, الدُّعَاءُ is the subject and مُخُّ is the predicate. الْعِبَادَةِ follows to tell us the essence of what. Read مُخُّ الْعِبَادَةِ together to understand the complete meaning. Similarly, in الْخَمْرُ جُمَاعُ الْإِثْمِ, الْخَمْرُ is the subject and جُمَاعُ is the predicate. الْإِثْمِ completes its meaning. Distinguish identifying the predicate word in grammar from reading the following word with it for the complete meaning. Detailed case endings are not needed yet.

14. Lesson recap

An action’s purpose matters. Sincere goodwill means truly wanting what is good. Supplication expresses humility. Protect entrusted private matters, but do not treat hiding planned harm as confidentiality. Modesty restrains wrongdoing. Love connects with companionship, and intoxication can open the way to other wrongs. Give your own example of intention. Explain the difference between مَعَ and مِنَ. Then identify what الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ speaks about and what it says about it.

Practice questions

Question 1: Check your understanding

Two people gave the same amount of help. One sought Allah’s pleasure, the other praise. What distinction does the report on intention highlight?

  • Equal amounts mean equal purposes
  • Different purposes make a difference to the action
  • Praise from others automatically changes intention

Question 2: Check your understanding

This is a practice expression, not a Hadith: الْمَرْءُ مَعَ الْمَرْءِ. What relation does مَعَ express?

  • One person is with another
  • One person goes toward another
  • One person works for another

Question 3: Check your understanding

A friend wants you to agree with their mistake. Which action expresses sincere goodwill?

  • Agree with the mistake to preserve friendship
  • Announce the mistake to everyone
  • Kindly explain the mistake and help

Question 4: Match the key concepts

Match each Arabic word with its correct English meaning.

Question 5: Check your understanding

What does مُخُّ convey in مُخُّ الْعِبَادَةِ?

  • the time of worship
  • the essence of worship
  • the place of worship

Question 6: Check your understanding

Which concealment is outside the confidentiality taught here?

  • A friend’s private difficulty
  • A personal matter shared without permission
  • A plan to wrongfully seize someone’s property

Question 7: Check your understanding

Which phrase gives the full description of wine in الْخَمْرُ جُمَاعُ الْإِثْمِ?

  • جُمَاعُ الْإِثْمِ
  • الْخَمْرُ جُمَاعُ
  • الْخَمْرُ الْإِثْمِ

Question 8: Check your understanding

Which example illustrates modesty as taught here?

  • Avoid asking when something is unclear
  • Avoid cheating even when alone
  • Avoid telling a friend about a mistake

Question 9: Check your understanding

Choose the expression you learned for “the one whom he loved.”

  • مَا نَوَى
  • مَنْ أَحَبَّ
  • مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ

Question 10: Check your understanding

Which understanding of “wine is a root of sins” fits the lesson?

  • Every drinker necessarily commits every sin
  • Wine is harmless unless another harm occurs
  • Intoxication can open the way to other wrongs

Question 11: The nature of supplication

Arrange the Arabic expression you studied for “Supplication is the core of worship.”

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