Our own translations from public-domain Arabic prints; more added weekly.
Intention
Sahih al-Bukhari 1
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوْ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ
"Actions are only by intentions, and each person will have only what they intended. So whoever migrated for some worldly gain he would get, or for a woman he would marry, his migration is for what he migrated for."
The reward for any deed depends on the intention behind it. Two people may do the same outward act, but each receives only what they truly sought by it.
Sahih al-Bukhari 56
إِنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا أُجِرْتَ عَلَيْهَا، حَتَّى مَا تَجْعَلُ فِي فَمِ امْرَأَتِكَ
"You will never spend anything seeking by it the Face of Allah without being rewarded for it, even what you place in your wife's mouth."
Ordinary spending, even on one's own family, earns reward when done for Allah's sake.
Faith and its pillars
Sahih al-Bukhari 8
بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
"Islam is built on five: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the zakah, the pilgrimage, and fasting Ramadan."
Islam rests on five foundational acts, among them the prayer.
Sincerity
Sahih al-Bukhari 99
أَسْعَدُ النَّاسِ بِشَفَاعَتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ قَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، خَالِصًا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ أَوْ نَفْسِهِ
"The person most fortunate with my intercession on the Day of Resurrection is whoever said 'There is no god but Allah' sincerely from his heart or his soul."
Sincerely affirming the oneness of Allah is the basis for receiving the Prophet's intercession ﷺ.
Purification
Sahih al-Bukhari 135
لَا تُقْبَلُ صَلَاةُ مَنْ أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ
"The prayer of one who has broken his state of purity is not accepted until he performs ablution."
Someone whose ablution has been broken must renew it before praying.
Sahih al-Bukhari 159
مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَا يُحَدِّثُ فِيهِمَا نَفْسَهُ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
"Whoever performs ablution like this ablution of mine, then prays two rak'ahs without letting his mind wander in them, his past sins are forgiven."
Careful ablution followed by focused prayer brings forgiveness of past sins.
Fasting
Sahih al-Bukhari 1894
الصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ، فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَجْهَلْ، وَإِنِ امْرُؤٌ قَاتَلَهُ أَوْ شَاتَمَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي صَائِمٌ، مَرَّتَيْنِ. وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ، يَتْرُكُ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي، الصِّيَامُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ، وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا
"Fasting is a shield. So the one fasting should keep away from marital intimacy and from foolish behaviour. If anyone quarrels with him or insults him, let him say: 'I am fasting' — twice. By the One in whose hand my soul is, the changed breath of a fasting person's mouth is better with Allah than the scent of musk. [Allah says:] 'He leaves his food, his drink and his desire for My sake. Fasting is for Me, and I will reward it; and a good deed is ten times its like.'"
Fasting protects a person and requires restraint in speech and conduct; Allah Himself rewards it.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1896
إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ بَابًا يُقَالُ لَهُ الرَّيَّانُ، يَدْخُلُ مِنْهُ الصَّائِمُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، لَا يَدْخُلُ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ، يُقَالُ: أَيْنَ الصَّائِمُونَ؟ فَيَقُومُونَ، لَا يَدْخُلُ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ، فَإِذَا دَخَلُوا أُغْلِقَ، فَلَمْ يَدْخُلْ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ
"In Paradise there is a gate called ar-Rayyan. Those who fast will enter by it on the Day of Resurrection; no one but them will enter by it. It will be said: 'Where are those who fast?' And they will rise; no one but them will enter by it. When they have entered, it will be closed, and no one else will enter by it."
Paradise has a special gate, ar-Rayyan, reserved for those who fast.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1903
مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ
"Whoever does not give up false speech and acting on falsehood, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink."
Fasting is meant to change behaviour; abstaining from food while persisting in falsehood misses its purpose.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1923
تَسَحَّرُوا فَإِنَّ فِي السَّحُورِ بَرَكَةً
"Take the pre-dawn meal, for in the pre-dawn meal there is blessing."
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged eating before dawn on fasting days.
Sahih al-Bukhari 38
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
"Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, his past sins are forgiven."
Fasting Ramadan with faith and hope of Allah's reward brings forgiveness of past sins.
Zuhd and the heart
Sahih al-Bukhari 6491
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ، ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ ذَلِكَ، فَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، فَإِنْ هُوَ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ إِلَى أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، فَإِنْ هُوَ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ لَهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً
"Allah wrote down the good deeds and the bad deeds, then explained this: whoever intends a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Him as one complete good deed. If he intends it and does it, Allah records it with Him as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times, up to many times more. Whoever intends a bad deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Him as one complete good deed. If he intends it and does it, Allah records it as a single bad deed."
A hadith the Prophet ﷺ relates from his Lord. It describes how intentions and deeds are recorded, with good multiplied and bad counted only once.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6499
مَنْ سَمَّعَ سَمَّعَ اللَّهُ بِهِ، وَمَنْ يُرَائِي يُرَائِي اللَّهُ بِهِ
"Whoever seeks to have his deeds talked about, Allah will make his true motive known; and whoever acts to be seen, Allah will expose him."
Doing good to be seen or talked about brings exposure from Allah, the opposite of what was sought.
Arabic text: classical public-domain text, references follow sunnah.com numbering. English: original rendering by Sufi Traveler (not a published translation). Grades: as stated by the named scholar. Full text and translations: sunnah.com. Errors are ours. Please report them to us.