It is made clear in the Book and the Sunnah that for an action to be a `righteous action’ and for it to be acceptable to Allah, the One free of all imperfections, and one which draws a persone closer to Him, then it must fulfil two important conditions :
The first is that the intention of the person doing it must be sincerely forthe sake of Allaah.
The second is that it must be in accordence with what Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, prescribed in His Book and what His Messenger explained in His Sunnah.
If one of these two conditions is absent then the action is neither a righteous action nor is it acceptable. This is indicated by the Saying of Allaah, the Blessed and Most High:
So He , the One free of all imperfections, orders that the actions should be ‘righteous’, that is in accordence with the Sunnah. Then He orders that it should be done purely for Him and not for any otherincentive.
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer:
“These two things are the teo pillars of an acceptable action , it must be done purely for Allaah, and done correctly in the manner prescribed in the Sharee’ah of Allaah’s Messenger(S).”
This is also reported from al Qadee ‘Iyaad, rahimahullaah, and others. 2
1 Soorah Al~Maaidah (5):35
2 From the book, “TAWASSUL , ITS TYPES & ITS RULINGS,” SHAIKH MUHAMMAD NAASIRUDDEEN AL-ALBAANEE, [ THE GREAT MUHADDITH OF OUR TIME] AL-HIDAAYAH HUBLISHING, United Kingdome.7,8