Every religious action must accompany two things in order for Allah, the Exalted, to accept it.

• The first condition is that the action must be for Allah’s sake alone, not for fame or showing off. It must be free from any aspect of shirk.
• The second condition is that it must be in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

The proof for this is the verse:

بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُۥ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌۭ فَلَهُۥٓ أَجْرُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Nay, whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e., follows Allah’s religion of Islamic monotheism) while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:112)

The wording “submits his face to Allah” means that one purifies his or her deeds for Allah alone, free from any aspect of shirk, bid‘ah, or anything that would nullify or harm good deeds.

The phrase “while being a doer of good” corresponds to the second condition—that the action must be in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), i.e., that one follows the Messenger (ﷺ).

Therefore, do not worship Allah except with what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has authorized. Whatever he has not authorized is rejected by Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our matter (i.e., Islam), it is rejected.”

He (ﷺ) also said:

“Upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs after me. Hold on to it with your molar teeth, and beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Thus, every action must combine these two conditions: sincerity to Allah ﷻ and adherence to the Sunnah. If an action does not fulfill these two conditions, it will surely be rejected and not accepted, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not accept any deed except that which is sincere and correct.

Therefore, a Muslim must be concerned about his or her actions—examining their sincerity and ensuring that they are in accordance with the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Otherwise, the action becomes null and void, and its doer is deprived.

When a Muslim performs a religious action, he or she naturally desires reward. As long as one seeks reward from Allah, one must take heed of these two conditions: the action must be for Allah’s sake alone, free from fame, showing off, or shirk; and it must be in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), free from any form of bid‘ah or religious invention.

This is achieved by studying the correct ʿaqeedah and the Prophetic traditions until one acts upon them. Thus, a person acts upon sincerity and adherence to the Sunnah. Otherwise, good deeds may be turned to dust.

And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

May Allah ﷻ grant forgiveness and safety to our Prophet (ﷺ), his family, and his companions.

Aameen!

End quote.

— Adapted from Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān (حفظه الله).