عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيمَا يَرْوِي عَنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: قَالَ: «إِنَّ اللهَ كَتَبَ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ، ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ ذَلِكَ، فَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، فَإِنْ هُوَ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ، إِلَى أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللهُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، فَإِنْ هُوَ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللهُ لَهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً».
The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that Allah predestined the good deeds and the bad ones and then clarified to the two angels how to write them down: If a person wants, intends, and resolves to do a good deed, it will be written for him as one good deed, even if he has not done it, and if he does it, its reward gets multiplied from ten to seven hundred times and many times over.
The increase depends on the sincerity within the person's heart, how much benefit his good deed brings to others, and so on. On the other hand, if a person wants, intends, and resolves to do a bad deed and then abandons it for Allah's sake, it will be written for him as a good deed. Yet, if he abandons it due to preoccupation with something else, while he has not engaged in the means leading to it, it will not be written as anything.
But if he abandons it out of inability, his intention will be written against him. And if he does it, it will be written as one bad deed.
Download for free and never miss a prayer again