The road to Hell is paved with good intentions...

I think the context of this phrase/ idiom is important.

When it is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it refers to those who intend to do things, but never acts. This is the person who intends to give to the poor, intends to pray, intends to help others-- but never does. Or maybe you intend to give up smoking and drinking, intend to give up pornography, intend to stop engaging in a sin-- but never do.

I think yes, we can have all the best intentions in the world, but if we never act upon them it can lead to our destruction.

I somewhat disagree. I spent much of my life traveling down it until Allaah(swt) stepped in and knocked me off of it and onto the exit that led to Islam.

I assure you after traveling down the road to Hell for 65 years. It is not paved with good intentions. It is paved with self fulfillment, love of life and a strong feeling of self righteousness. the trees and shrubs that line it are full of the best tasting fruits and the most beautiful, sweetest smelling flowers. It is not paved with good intentions, but good intentions can be and often are side streets that lead to it if one is not careful.

We need good intentions in this dunya to help us find our way to the road that leads to Jannah. But if we become arrogant or hypocritical about our good intentions we will very easily find ourselves seeing the road to Hell as a reward. to avoid this we need to be certain our good intentions are followed through with good actions. Good intentions are useless if they remain intentions without action.

format_quote Originally Posted by Bedouin

Don't agree.



The Islamic position is different to this.

Abu Hurairah RA narrated that the Prophet Sallalahu Alaihe Wasalam said, "Allâh ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written. He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allâh will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him). If he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allâh will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times to many more times. If somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allâh will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him; and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allâh will write one bad deed (in his account)."

I'm not sure if this disagrees with me or not. The man who intends to do good, but does not do it, is not the same as the man who intends to do good, but does evil instead. If you are saying that this statement disagrees with me, then you would also be saying that the man who intends to do good, but does evil instead, a full good deed is written for him. I don't believe God rewards evil deeds with good rewards. If that were the case, then it would not matter if a man were evil, provided his intentions were good. I don't believe God counts it as good for a man to have a good intention to stop molesting young children, yet in his actions he does not stop. I have known many drug addicts, alcoholics, abusers, etc. who had many good intentions to stop, yet never did. Some of the most evil people I have known have had some of the best intentions.

When I read the hadith above, and it speaks of intention to do good, but not actually doing the good, I understand it more speaking of mercy-- as opposed to giving a blanket excuse. If we intend to wake up and pray, but the alarm clock does not go off and it is missed, then God has extended mercy and forgiveness for the missed action. If you intend to eat halal, but later found out something you ate was not, then mercy was extended, as God knew your heart and intentions were honest. Etc. This is not the same as the man who has an intention to do good, but knowingly does evil instead.

First thing that came to my mind when reading that statement was Bida'h. May Allah SWT protect us from committing Bida'h. Ameen.

format_quote Originally Posted by Ghazalah

First thing that came to my mind when reading that statement was Bida'h. May Allah SWT protect from committing Bida'h. Ameen.

Good point. Often when I have seen bid'ah it was preceded by good intentions.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions...

First thing that came to my mind when reading that statement was Bida'h. May Allah SWT protect from committing Bida'h. Ameen.

what about a good intention that was followed by a good fruit.

format_quote Originally Posted by member X

Bid'ah is even more dangerous than sin because people do not repent from it.

Any ideas what to do and how to react if we see someone engaging in bid'ah?

hmm I think this is true, a person may do something haraam but with good intentions. And this happens quite often. I also thought of bid'a, below are some good sayings related to bid'a.


sufyan ath thawri said

innovation is more pleasing to shaytaan than sin, because a person upon innovation thinks he is doing something good so he never repents but a person who sins eventually repents insha'Allah.

and the saying of Abdullah ibn Umar,

"every innovation in the religion is misguidance, even if the people consider it to be something good"

and the hadith of Abdullah ibn masood, where the people say they actually intended to do good.


Amr ibn Yahya said:

"I heard my father narrating from his father who said: 'We were at the door of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood before the early morning prayer. When he came out we walked with him to the mosque. Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari came up to us and said, "Did Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet?" We said, "No." He sat down with us until [Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan] came out.

When he came out, we all stood up to greet him, and Abu Moosa said to him: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, earlier I saw in the mosque something that I have never seen before, but it seems good, al-hamdu Lillaah." He said, "And what was it?" He said, "if you live, you will see it. I saw people in the mosque sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say, 'Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,' and they would say Allaahu akbar one hundred times; then he would say, 'Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times; then he would say, 'Say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times.'

He asked, 'What did you say to them?' He said, 'I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what your opinion would be and what you would tell me to do.' He said, 'Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee them that nothing of their good deeds would be wasted?' Then he left, and we went with him, until he reached one of those circles. He stood over them and said, 'What is this I see you doing?'

They said, 'O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, these are pebbles we are using to count our takbeer, tahleel and tasbeeh.'

He said, 'Count your bad deeds, and I guarantee that nothing of your good deeds will be wasted. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad, how quickly you are getting destroyed! The Companions of your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are still alive, his garment is not yet worn out and his vessels are not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you are following a way that is more guided than that of Muhammad or you have opened the door of misguidance!'

They said, 'By Allaah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, we only wanted to do good.'

He said, 'How many of those who wanted to do good failed to achieve it! The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that people recite Qur'aan and it does not go any further than their throats. By Allaah, I do not know, maybe most of them are people like you.'

Then he turned away from them. 'Amr ibn Salamah said, 'I saw most of the members of those circles fighting alongside the Khawaarij on the day of Nahrawaan.'"

[Reported by al-Daarimi, al-Sunan, no. 210, ed. by 'Abd-Allaah Haashim al-Yamaani. Al-Albaani classed its isnaad as saheeh in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah under hadeeth no. 2005. See Majma' al-Zawaa'id by al-Haythami, 1/181]

'That the end justifies the means is a flawed proposition.
If the means are bad they debase the end, even if the end was
orginally well intended, history is littered with examples
of how bad means corrupt good ends'.

A quote from the late Jimmy Reid.

^i dont get it. can you explain it?

if your intention is truly sincere, then i think you get the reward anway don't you?