Tradition

إنَّ الرَّجُلَ إذا أَصابَ مالاً مِنْ حَرَام لَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْه حَجُّ وَ لا عُمْرَةٌ وَ لا صِلَةُ رَحِم

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Whenever an individual takes in wealth through unlawful means, neither his Hajj and ‘Umrah pilgrimage, nor his acts to strengthen his family relationships will be accepted (from him).”1

Brief Commentary

Good intentions by themselves are not enough in Islam. What is further necessary is the purity of the means through which we perform these good actions as well. Those who perform good actions through illegitimate means will never reach their end goals. Until the means are as pure as the intentions behind them, neither of them will be accepted by God.

• 1. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 1, p. 213, Wasa'il Al-Shi’a, vol. 17, p. 91, Al-Amali, p. 680.