{"id":16553,"date":"2019-01-27T09:27:01","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T05:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/the-essence-of-deeds\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T14:42:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T11:12:27","slug":"the-spirit-of-actions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Essence of Deeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"16553\" class=\"elementor elementor-16553 elementor-1910\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-790b2ca0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"790b2ca0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3fff817d\" data-id=\"3fff817d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64c04780 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64c04780\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Every deed one performs has certain characteristics which define the value of that deed. Among these characteristics, there is one which is referred to as \u201cthe essence of the deed\u201d due to its utmost importance. This characteristics is usually knows as the \u201c<strong>intention<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p><p>Intention is the main, heartfelt purpose for performing a deed; it is the root and\u00a0<strong>basis<\/strong>\u00a0of each deed. Therefore, the criterion for measuring the reward or punishment of a deed is one\u2019s intention for doing it. If the intention is\u00a0<strong>sincerely<\/strong>\u00a0for the sake Allah (SWT), it will be rewarded; however, if it is based on carnal wishes or worldly desires, it has no value in the eyes of Allah (SWT). In this case, it might even result in darkness of the soul, and entitle one to punishment.<\/p><p>Is it not that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&amp;HP) said, \u201dVerily (the value and the good and bad consequences of) the deeds are based on the intentions and motives<sup>\u00a0<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u201d? Perhaps a minor deed might turn into a great and valuable one through a good intention, and a major deed might turn into an insignificant, valueless as a result of an evil intention.<\/p><p>Based on this, the appearance of an act of a hypocrite and dissolute person might be similar to that of a truthful believer, or even the hypocritical act might seem more appealing; however, what separates these two from each other and sends the former up to the\u00a0<strong>throne<\/strong>\u00a0of Allah (SWT) and the latter to the deepest place of\u00a0<strong>Hell<\/strong>\u00a0is the\u00a0<strong>intention<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>The significance of intention is somewhat clear: the effect of a deed \u2013for instance prayer- in regards with its performer is not due to the nature of the deed itself, rather it is because of the enlightenment and purity it brings about for the soul. This illumination of soul increases as the deed is repeated. Therefore, there is no doubt that this effect of a deed on the soul takes place only when its performer has a pure intention, and performs it only for the sake of Allah (SWT).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>As mentioned before, the intention is the basis of every worshipping act. On the other hand, the\u00a0<strong>grace\u00a0<\/strong>(Tawfiq) of performing the worshipping acts is bestowed by Allah (SWT). As such, it is appropriate that we refer to Allah (SWT) and\u00a0<strong>ask<\/strong>\u00a0Him for having sincere intention.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>In the supplication of repentance in\u00a0<em>Sahifah Sajjadyiah<\/em>, Imam Sajjad (PBUH) asks Allah (SWT):\u201d O Lord! Make my intention in obeying and worshipping You firm and consistent; so that my intention and determination does not turn into agitation and deviation from the path of worship\u201d.<\/p><p>Let us always be careful about our intentions, and make them purely for the sake of Allah (SWT), so that our deeds would be accepted.<\/p><p><strong>(The above is a selection taken from \u201c<em>Repentance (commentary on the 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0supplication of Sahifah Sajjadyiah)<\/em>\u201d, by Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Zia-Abadi (with some changes))<\/strong><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p><p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Jaami al-Sa\u2019adaat, vol. 3, p. 112<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every deed\u2019s value is determined by its intention, the essence of the act. Sincere actions for Allah (SWT) are rewarded, while deeds driven by worldly desires bear no value and may harm the soul. True worship requires pure intention, and one should always seek Allah\u2019s guidance to maintain sincerity in all actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64391,64791],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-imam-sajjad-pbuh","category-purgatory"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Essence of Deeds - Roshd<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Essence of Deeds - Roshd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every deed\u2019s value is determined by its intention, the essence of the act. Sincere actions for Allah (SWT) are rewarded, while deeds driven by worldly desires bear no value and may harm the soul. True worship requires pure intention, and one should always seek Allah\u2019s guidance to maintain sincerity in all actions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Roshd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoshdInsightsFacebook\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Roshd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Roshd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Roshd\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/74edec4f34e384ea9082d1d11c7b2c95\"},\"headline\":\"The Essence of Deeds\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\"},\"wordCount\":500,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Imam Sajjad (PBUH)\",\"Purgatory\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\",\"name\":\"The Essence of Deeds - Roshd\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Essence of Deeds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"\u0633\u0627\u06cc\u062a \u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd\",\"description\":\"Islamic - Shia information site\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cropped-LogoRoshd.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cropped-LogoRoshd.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":286,\"caption\":\"\u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoshdInsightsFacebook\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/roshdinsights\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/74edec4f34e384ea9082d1d11c7b2c95\",\"name\":\"Roshd\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f147e9f1d407bed6e133dc3edc1747d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f147e9f1d407bed6e133dc3edc1747d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Roshd\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Essence of Deeds - Roshd","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Essence of Deeds - Roshd","og_description":"Every deed\u2019s value is determined by its intention, the essence of the act. Sincere actions for Allah (SWT) are rewarded, while deeds driven by worldly desires bear no value and may harm the soul. True worship requires pure intention, and one should always seek Allah\u2019s guidance to maintain sincerity in all actions.","og_url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/","og_site_name":"Roshd","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoshdInsightsFacebook","article_published_time":"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00","author":"Roshd","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Roshd","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/"},"author":{"name":"Roshd","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/74edec4f34e384ea9082d1d11c7b2c95"},"headline":"The Essence of Deeds","datePublished":"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/"},"wordCount":500,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg","articleSection":["Imam Sajjad (PBUH)","Purgatory"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/","url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/","name":"The Essence of Deeds - Roshd","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg","datePublished":"2019-01-27T05:57:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-16T11:12:27+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u0639\u0645\u0644.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/the-spirit-of-actions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Essence of Deeds"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/","name":"\u0633\u0627\u06cc\u062a \u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd","description":"Islamic - Shia information site","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#organization","name":"\u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd","url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cropped-LogoRoshd.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cropped-LogoRoshd.png","width":1000,"height":286,"caption":"\u0631\u0634\u062f | Roshd"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoshdInsightsFacebook","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/roshdinsights\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/74edec4f34e384ea9082d1d11c7b2c95","name":"Roshd","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f147e9f1d407bed6e133dc3edc1747d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f147e9f1d407bed6e133dc3edc1747d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Roshd"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16553"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32949,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16553\/revisions\/32949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roshd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}