Is a person rewarded for permissible acts if he intends thereby to satisfy his desire without intending to please Allah, and is he punished for a sin if he does not intend thereby to displease Allah, and is he rewarded for doing that which raises his status without intending to please Allah?

Scholars have differed regarding the reward for fulfilling one's desire in a permissible way without intention. The majority of them hold that there is no reward except with intention, relying on the hadith: "Indeed, actions are by intentions." Intentions transform permissible acts into acts of worship, such as intercourse with the intention of fulfilling the wife's right, or seeking righteous offspring, or preserving one's chastity. Accordingly, whoever performs a permissible act without the intention of seeking reward will receive neither reward nor sin. This also applies to abstaining from forbidden acts; there is no reward for abstaining from them unless it is done for the sake of Allah. These scholars have interpreted the general hadiths in light of those restricted by intention.

On the other hand, another group held that a servant is rewarded for such acts without intention, and that the general intention of Islam suffices. However, the preponderant opinion is that reward is conditional upon a righteous intention.