Ihtisab (اِحْتِسَابٌ) means consciously seeking Allah’s pleasure and reward through one’s deeds, sacrifices, and patience, with sincerity and without seeking people’s recognition, praise, or gratitude.
To proceed:
“I advise you, and myself, to have Taqwa (fear and consciousness) of Allah.
Indeed, Taqwa of Allah is the best provision, a path to righteousness, and a means of attaining success on the Day when all witnesses will stand forth.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.”
[Surah Aal-Imran | 3:102]
O Ummah of Islam!
Indeed, among the manifestations of Allah’s mercy towards His servants is that He has opened the doors of reward for them, made the paths of goodness easy for them, and given great significance to sincere intentions.
As the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Through a sincere intention, a person can receive multiplied rewards for a single deed, and an ordinarily permissible habit can become one of the greatest acts of devotion and obedience to Allah.
How many seemingly small deeds have been elevated in reward because of a sincere intention! And how many great deeds have deprived their doers of reward because of corrupt intentions!
Indeed, a servant may even be granted the reward of a deed they did not perform, simply because of their sincere intention and their desire to seek Allah’s reward.
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“When a servant falls ill or travels, the reward of the deeds he used to perform while residing at home and in good health is recorded for him.”
Brothers in faith!
It is through the intention of seeking Allah’s reward in our actions that we fulfill the great purpose for which we were created:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
[Surah Adh-Dhariyat | 51:56]
Worship, therefore, is not confined to outward acts such as fasting, prayer, Hajj, and Zakah. Rather, the entire life of a Muslim becomes an act of worship when their words and actions are intended for the sake of their Lord.
Allah ﷻ says:
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُۥ ۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
“Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.’”
[Surah Al-An’am | 6:162–163]
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) truly understood the significance of seeking reward from Allah through their actions.
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is narrated that Mu’adh said to Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari:
“How do you recite the Qur’an?”
He replied, “While standing, sitting, and even while riding my mount.”
Mu’adh said, “As for me, I sleep and pray at night, and I seek Allah’s reward for my sleep just as I seek His reward for my night prayer.”
Mu’adh was among the most knowledgeable members of this Ummah regarding what is lawful and unlawful.
What he meant was that he hoped to receive the reward for his sleep just as he hoped to receive the reward for his night prayer, because he intended his sleep to help him gain the strength to stand in prayer during the night.
Such was the understanding of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
They would also give away their most beloved possessions, seeking the pleasure of their Lord.
One of the greatest manifestations of seeking Allah’s reward is showing selflessness even when one is in need and doing good without expecting anything in return.
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, “I am exhausted and distressed,” meaning that he was suffering greatly from hunger.
The Prophet (ﷺ) sent someone to his wives to ask if they had anything to offer him. Each of them replied:
“By the One Who sent you with the truth, I have nothing except water.”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said:
“Who will host this man tonight? May Allah have mercy upon him.”
A man from the Ansar stood up and said, “I will, O Messenger of Allah.”
He then took the guest to his home and said to his wife, “Do you have anything?”
She replied, “No, except the food for our children.”
He said, “Keep the children occupied with something. When our guest comes in, put out the lamp and make him think that we are eating too.”
So they sat down, and the guest ate.
The following morning, the man went to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said:
“Allah was amazed by what you two did for your guest last night.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
O believers!
Seeking Allah’s reward through generosity is not limited to charitable donations and voluntary contributions. Its avenues are far wider than that.
When the intention is sincere, even ordinary acts of spending become a source of reward.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“When a man spends on his family, seeking reward for it from Allah, it is counted as charity for him.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (رضي الله عنه):
“You will never spend anything, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, except that you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel of food that you place in your wife’s mouth.”
Thus, providing for one’s family is an obligation, yet the Prophet (ﷺ) taught us that it carries the reward of charity when a person consciously seeks Allah’s reward through it.
A good word is charity. Kind and gracious treatment of others is an act of devotion. Striving to fulfill the needs of one’s family is an act of worship.
Indeed, everything a person does among the permissible actions can be transformed into an act of devotion and obedience through a sincere intention.
The Prophet (ﷺ) even said to his Companions:
“And in the intimacy of one of you with his wife, there is charity.”
They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, does one of us fulfill his desire and receive a reward for it?”
He replied:
“Tell me, if he were to fulfill it in a forbidden manner, would he not bear a sin? Likewise, if he fulfills it in a lawful manner, he will receive a reward.
[Narrated by Muslim]
Brothers in faith!
One of the greatest forms of deprivation is when a person devotes their time, effort, and wealth to various acts of righteousness and goodness, yet remains heedless of seeking Allah’s reward through them, attaching their heart instead to the praise and gratitude of people.
If people deny the goodness they have done or fall short in expressing their gratitude, their enthusiasm diminishes, and they may even stop doing good altogether.
Therefore, O servants of Allah, renew your intentions and seek the reward for your deeds from Allah. Indeed, your Lord is Most Generous and never allows the reward of those who do good to be lost.
وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
“And what is with Allah is better and more lasting.”
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.
Allah ﷻ says:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, We will surely grant them a good life, and We will surely reward them according to the best of what they used to do.”
[Surah An-Nahl | 16:97]
O gathering of believers!
Among the many avenues of seeking Allah’s reward is the arena of trials and calamities, particularly when worries multiply, sorrows accumulate, and a servant finds no refuge except with Allah.
Seeking Allah’s reward during such circumstances means remaining patient through whatever befalls a person, without objecting to Allah’s decree and destiny or losing hope in the mercy of their Lord.
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) narrated that Allah, the Exalted, says:
“My believing servant has no reward with Me other than Paradise when I take away his beloved one from the people of this world and he patiently seeks My reward for that loss.”
And in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm, or distress befalls a Muslim, not even the prick of a thorn, except that Allah expiates some of his sins through it.”
So, whoever finds the paths narrowing before them and feels that every means of relief has failed should have good expectations of their Lord, take the necessary steps to find relief, and remember the glad tidings Allah has given to those who remain patient and seek His reward.
Allah honors them with His blessings, mercy, and guidance, raises their ranks, and wipes away their sins.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَـٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ
“We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure—who say, when struck by a disaster, ‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.’ They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah | 2:155–157]
O gathering of believers!
One of the greatest things that inspires a believer to seek Allah’s reward through their deeds is to compare the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life with the everlasting reward of the Hereafter.
What is with Allah is better and more lasting…
It is better in its nature and worth, and more lasting in its effects. It is better in its reward and everlasting in its duration. It is better than everything you compete with one another to acquire, and more enduring than everything you fear losing.
No matter how long this worldly life may seem, it is ultimately short. No matter how brightly it may shine, it will eventually set. And no matter how many sources of comfort and ease a person may gather in this world, they will inevitably have to leave it, or it will leave them.
As for what Allah has prepared for the believers, it is a bliss that never ends, a bounty that never runs out, and the pleasure of Allah, which is greater than all else.
That is the supreme success.”
May Allah ﷻ aid us.
Aameen!
Translated from the Jumu’ah Khutbah delivered in Makkah by Sheikh Mahir Al Mu’ayqili on 26 Jumada Al-Awwal 1448 AH, corresponding to 6 November 2026.
