What are the conditions for worship to be accepted by Allāh?

There are two conditions that must be fulfilled for acts of worship to be accepted by Allāh and for a person to be rewarded for them. If either of these conditions is neglected, one’s worship will be invalid. The first condition is sincerity. That is, all acts of worship must be devoted to Allāh alone. In other words, a person should intend, through all their words and deeds, both inward and outward, to seek the pleasure of Allāh alone. For example, if a person offers prayer for the sake of other than Allāh, their prayer will be invalid because it lacks sincerity. Allāh has praised the believers who spend their wealth in obedience to Him in order to purify themselves and their wealth, seeking only His Face sincerely and expecting no favour from anyone in return. That is, they spend their wealth only in the hope of attaining the blessing of seeing their Lord in the eternal abode of Paradise.¹ Allāh highlighted the importance of sincerity in worship in several verses.² Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) also emphasized that a believer must be sincere—seeking only the Face of Allāh—for their acts of worship to be worthy of reward. It was narrated that abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī said: “A man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said, ‘What do you think of a man who goes out to fight seeking both reward and fame? What will he have?’ The Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) replied, ‘He will have nothing.’ The man repeated the question three times, and each time the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) said, ‘He will have nothing.’ Then he said, ‘Indeed, Allāh accepts only those deeds that are done sincerely for His sake and by which His Face is sought.’”³ That is, if an action is righteous but not done sincerely for the sake of Allāh’s Face, it is rejected.

The second condition for the acceptance of one’s worship is muwāfaqat as-Sunnah (conformity to the Sunnah). That is, acts of worship must conform to the way Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) performed them. The best way to worship Allāh and attain His pleasure is to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (PBUH). It was narrated that ʿĀʾishah [may Allāh be pleased with her] said: “Whoever innovates in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) something that is not part of it, it will be rejected [by Allāh].”⁴ Ibn Rajab [may Allāh have mercy on him] commented on this narration, saying:⁵

If someone performs the prayer for Allāh’s sake—thus fulfilling the condition of sincerity—but deviates from the manner of prayer prescribed by the Prophet (PBUH)—for example, by praying six rakʿahs (units) instead of four for the ẓuhr (midday) prayer—their prayer will be invalid and rejected by Allāh because it lacks one of the two conditions for the acceptance of acts of worship, namely conformity to the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Allāh has not made the success and salvation of mankind dependent upon obedience to Him alone. Rather, He has made them dependent upon obedience to His Messenger (PBUH) as well. That is, Allāh has enjoined obedience to His Messenger (PBUH) just as He has enjoined obedience to Himself. Allah says: {Obey Allāh and the Messenger, so you may be shown mercy} (Qurʾān 3:132). Obeying the Messenger (PBUH) means obeying his Sunnah—doing what he enjoined and refraining from what he forbade. Allāh also says: {Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allāh, then follow me; Allāh will love you and forgive your sins} (Qurʾān 3:31). The Prophet (PBUH) enjoined adherence to his Sunnah and warned against bidʿah (religious innovation): “Hold fast to my Sunnah (practice) and the sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Bite down on it with your molars. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every bidʿah is misguidance.”⁶ In short, worship is accepted only when it is sincere for Allāh’s sake and conforms to the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Unless both of these conditions are met, one’s acts of worship will not be accepted.