Is “Meet Me with your intentions, not your deeds” an established report?
2026-10-14
T184 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete individual question and response within a collected question
One complete individual question and response from a collected question about reports circulated by storytellers and others. The quoted report in the question is presented for assessment, not endorsed. The answer gives Ibn Taymiyyah's own assessment.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
ومما يروون عنه صلى الله عليه وسلم، أنه قال: "يقول الله تعالى: لاقوني بنياتكم ولا تلاقوني بأعمالكم".
الجواب
الحمد لله، ليس هذا اللفظ معروفا عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Among the reports they attribute to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is that he said: “Allah, exalted, says: ‘Meet Me with your intentions, and do not meet Me with your deeds.’”
Answer
Praise be to Allah. This wording is not known from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 18/383
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic collated with the cited edition and a second transcription: https://quranislam.github.io/fatwa/ibn-taymiyyah/fatwa291.html. Each individual report and its full reply is preserved within the larger collected question. Diacritics omitted and honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.