The Conditions of ‘Ibaadah

What has to be done for ‘ibaadah to be accepted?

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• It is very important for Muslims to know the conditions of ibaadah. If these conditions are not met, Allah ﷻ will not reward the person. Every Muslim must know how to worship Allah ﷻ properly, otherwise their actions will have no real value. The Merciful Allah ﷻ sent Messengers, Prophets and Divine Books to guide humans and jinn. In particular, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ guided the people and taught them the conditions of ibaadah.
• For acts of worship to be accepted, two conditions have to be fulfilled. First, the intention has to be for the Sake of Allah ﷻ . Second, the act has to be according to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ . This means that having pure intentions is not enough and the way of the Prophet ﷺ must be followed as well. These two conditions are contained in the following ahaadeeth of the Prophet ﷺ :

إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكُلِّ امْرِئ مَا نَوَى فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هَجْرَتُهُ إِلى الله ورسوله فهجَرَتْهُ إِلَى الله ورسوله ومن كانت هجرتْهُ لَدُنْيَا يُصيبها أو امرأة ينكحها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه (رواه البخاري و مسلم )

‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab said: I heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ saying, “Actions are based on niyyah and everyone will get what they intended. So, he who migrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, then his migration was for Allah and His Messenger. And he who migrated to achieve some worldly benefit or to marry a woman, his migration is for what he migrated for.” (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

The second hadeeth is narrated by ‘Aa’ishah:

منْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ فَهُوَ رَدُ (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not from it, shall have it rejected.” (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim, and this is the wording of Al-Bukhaari)

• The hadeeth narrated by ‘Umar mentions the first condition which is correct niyyah. Muslims should have sincere niyyah before doing anything. This means doing things for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah ﷻ . niyyah is made in the heart and it does not necessarily have to be stated verbally before performing any act of worship. From this hadeeth, it is clear that any act done for other than the Sake of Allah ﷻ , is rejected.
• The second hadeeth describes the second condition, which is to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the same way that the Companions did. From this hadeeth, it can be understood that every act of worship that is not done in accordance with the Sharee’ah is rejected by Allah ﷻ . It also means that any act of ibaadah that is introduced into the religion of Islam is not considered part of Islam. The main message of this hadeeth is that Muslims should follow the religion of Islam in the same way as the Companions did. At the same time, Muslims must not introduce any new forms of ibaadah into the religion. when one follows these two ahaadeeth, the basic conditions of ibaadah will be met; and if the conditions are met, then the ibaadah will be accepted by Allah ﷻ . in-shaa Allah.

What we learn from the lesson:

1. There are two conditions for ibaadah to be accepted.
2. The first condition is to have a sincere niyyah.
3. The second is to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ .
4. Muslims must not introduce new forms of ibaadah into the religion.

Discussion

1. What has to be done for ‘ibaadah to be accepted?