Sahih al-Bukhari 1
Sahih
Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 1
Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
Translation
The Prophet said: 'Actions are judged by intentions, and every person will get what they intended.'
Commentary
This is the very first hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and one of the most foundational narrations in Islam. It establishes that the moral and spiritual value of any deed depends entirely on the intention behind it. Scholars consider it one of the hadiths upon which the entire religion revolves.