Hadith record

4. ‘Alī ibn Ibrāhīm, from his father, from al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad, from al-Minqarī, from Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, from Abū ʿAbd Allāh (AS), regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious: “That He may test you to see which of you is best in deeds” (67:2). He said: "It does not mean the one who performs the most deeds, but rather the one whose deeds are the most correct. And correctness comes from having fear of Allah, a truthful intention, and good conduct." Then he (AS) said: "Preserving the deed until it becomes sincere is more difficult than performing the deed itself. A sincere deed is one for which you desire no praise from anyone except Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. And intention is superior to the deed. Behold, intention itself is (the essence of) the deed." Then he recited the saying of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious: “Say: Everyone acts according to his own manner” (17:84), and said: "It means according to his intention."

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.