Is it permissible to perform acts of obedience and worship with the intention of gaining worldly benefit?

The fundamental principle for a Muslim is that their worship and obedience are intended to seek the pleasure of Allah. There are two scenarios when performing an act of obedience with a worldly intention:

1. When the worldly outcome is their sole desire: They will have no share in the Hereafter, like one who fasts only for dieting or gives charity for praise. 2. When they seek the countenance of Allah while also intending permissible worldly benefits: If seeking the countenance of Allah is the stronger motive: There is no harm in that. The worldly intention is considered secondary, and this does not diminish the reward if it is something human nature cannot entirely abandon or if it helps in increasing acts of worship. If the worldly intention is the stronger motive: They will have no reward in the Hereafter; their reward is what they attained in this world, and they may even incur sin thereby. If both intentions are equal: The more likely opinion is that there is no reward for them.

It is part of Allah Almighty’s wisdom that He has made a prompt reward for acts of obedience in this world to encourage His servants, such as increasing supplication for acquiring wealth and children, prayer for seeking healing, and righteous deeds whose worldly benefits Allah Almighty mentions.

It is stipulated that the intention of seeking Allah's countenance be the primary motive for the act of obedience, with worldly outcomes being secondary and implicit. Performing an act of worship purely for the sake of Allah alone is the most perfect, superior, and most rewarding.