Bismillah
The secret of pure intention is not to be sought in the renunciation of all advantage for ourselves. Our intentions are pure when we identify our advantage with God’s glory, and see that our happiness consists in doing His Will because His Will is right and good. In order to make our intentions pure, we do not give up all idea of seeking our own good, we simply seek it where it can really be found: in a good that is beyond and above ourselves. Pure intention identifies our own happiness with the common good of all those who are loved by God. It seeks its joy in God’s own Will to do good to all men in order that He may be glorified in them. And, therefore, a pure intention is actually the most efficacious way of seeking our own advantage and our own happiness.
The status of any deed, whether great or small, can ultimately have a religious value and realization by the quality of the intention made. Even in performing a simple worldly act, a mere routine task can translate into a purposeful intent when the favor of his Lord is sought. Whether it’s going to a certain place, purchasing a certain item, watching a certain video, or reading a certain book…etc, the simple act can merit a divine reward with the correct intention. So one may ask him/herself, ” Are my decisions, actions, obligations and interests purely self-serving, egoistic or perhaps aimless, or do they serve a higher purpose, one of seeking Allah’s Pleasure, reflection and gratitude?
“…. And whoever desires the reward of this world – We will give him of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter – We will give him of it. And we will reward the grateful. Qur’an 3:145
Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, deeds are only with intentions. Verily, every person will have only what they intended. Whoever emigrated to Allah and his messenger, his emigration is for Allah and his messenger. Whoever emigrated to get something in the world or to marry a woman, his emigration is for that to which he emigrated.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 54, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1907
A pure intention sees that the Will of God is always good. An impure intention, without doubting in theory that God Wills what is universally best, practically doubts that He can always Will what is best for us in Willing what is best for all. And so the man whose intention is not pure is compelled by his own weakness and imprudence to pass judgment on the Will of God before he obeys it. He is not free to do the Will of God with perfect generosity. He diminishes his love and his obedience by making an adjustment between God’s Will and his own, and so the Will of God comes to have, for him, a variety of values: richer when it is more pleasing to him, poorer when it offers less immediate satisfaction, valueless when it demands a sacrifice of his own selfish interests.
An impure intention is one that yields to the Will of God while retaining a preference for our own will. It divides our will from His Will. It gives us a choice between two advantages: one in doing His Will and one in doing our own. An impure intention is imprudent, because it weighs truth in the balance against illusion; it chooses between a real and an apparent good as if they were equal.
“Verily, deeds are (judged) by intentions”… In this hadith, two types of examples are illustrated to help us comprehend the principle of intentions. The pure and good intention (migrating to Allah and His Messenger), and the impure intention (migrating just for worldly gains or marriage). With the same action, our intentions can bring forth great reward or it may prove to be futile. This hadith emphasizes the importance of having ikhlas (sincerity) in our intentions because ikhlas is one of the conditions which will render deeds to be accepted by Allah. No doubt, the root cause of insincere intentions is the overpowering of our self-desire and attention seeking nature, which we must continuously seek refuge with Allah from. But it’s also important to point out that along with the right and sincere intentions, a deed needs to be within the boundaries of Islam and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Having what you deem as “pure” intentions while indulging in an act of bid’ah (innovation) for example, compromises that reward.
Shall we be content to do God’s Will for our own advantage? It is better to do His Will with a weak, but deliberate co-operation than to do His Will unconsciously, unwillingly, and in spite of ourselves. But let us not confine our idea of perfection to the selfish obedience that does God’s Will merely for the sake of our own profit. True happiness is not found in any other reward than that of being united with God. If we seek some other reward besides God Himself, we may get our reward (in this world) but we cannot be happy. Likewise for matters of worship, expect they are of greater degree in reward. Are we doing certain acts of worship purely for the Sake of Allah or are they being done or tainted with some intent to gain praise and admiration by others? Do we pray only because we have to and therefore it’s now become a daily routine, or do we do it to fulfill our obligations to God, to be forgiven, to gain His pleasure, to abstain from sin and to become nearer to and increase our love for Him? Do we read Quran just to get through it and reach our daily mark, or do we read it as an act of worship, to reflect upon the Divine Words of Allah, understand His Message, seek guidance, increase our emaan (faith), gain reward for every letter read, seek the reward of intercession on Judgmenet Day, attain tranquility in the heart, and as a source of healing..etc.
عَلَى قَدْرِ نِيَّاتِكُم تُرزَقُون
You will get what you intended.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ
Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, but rather he looks at your hearts and actions.
Source: Sahih Muslim 2564, Grade: Sahih
What’s more beautiful about our religion is that the reward of intentions is endless. Two people can be doing the exact same activity, yet what differentiates their status in reward is merely the intention. Having multiple intentions for each action and deed harvests more reward. Subhana Allah.
Rather than having one intention to eat in order to take care of the body Allah gave you, why not add the intention of eating for the strength of worshiping, serving your family, and to fulfill the right your body has over you by keeping it healthy and strong… Do I eat to simply satisfy my hunger, or do I go beyond this purpose and reflect on the blessings and power of the Provider & Nourisher
(ie Allah). ?
You’re going to work, not just to fulfill your duties, but to provide for your family, to be able to make money to help the less fortunate, to buy gifts for others with the purpose of seeking Allah’s pleasure and placing happiness in their hearts..
Do I go to work to simply pay bills and sustain my livelihood, or do I go with the intention of supporting my family and providing them with halal sustenance for the sake of Allah?
Do I sleep because I’m tired and need to get adequate rest, or are my intentions greater with the purpose of recharging my energy so that I can continue to worship Allah and work/study to fulfill a meaningful ambition.
Now, imagine going to sleep with the intention of waking up for night prayers, but instead you overslept and missed it? Allah’s Mercy is limitless upon us Subhana Allah. Because of your sincere intention, you will nevertheless receive the reward of praying the night prayers. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever goes to his bed with the intention of getting up and praying during the night, and sleep overcomes him until the morning comes, he will have recorded for him what he had intended, and his sleep will be a charity for him from his Lord. (An-Nasa’i and ibn Majah)
Allahu Akbar!
And this also goes for every voluntary good deed you intend to perform. “Whosoever intends to do a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Himself as a complete good deed; but if he intends it and does it, Allah records it with Himself as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times, or more than that. But if he intends to do an evil deed and does not do it, Allah records it as a complete good deed; but if he intends it and does it, Allah records it down as only one single evil deed. (Al Bukhari & Muslim)
On days we feel empty, everything seems so wrong, we don’t feel good but we have no idea why. We feel down and Low all the time. Perhaps we’ve been distant from God, perhaps we haven’t included Him in the past few days, perhaps this is a sign of what it feels like to Live without having God in our hearts, minds and souls . Life without God is empty, meaningless and incomplete. There’s so much that we can learn from the people that God sent into our life, even the ones who hurt us, and the ones who left us. We’re sorry Ya Allah, for the times we’ve forgotten You, and the times we’ve neglected You. We’re sorry we focus on this world and this life way more than we should. Living a life for Allah will not bring anything but goodness, so let us strive to renew our intentions before our actions and deeds and become from those who are successful in this life and next.
“Surely my prayer, my worship, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds. Qur’an 6:162
” اللَّهُمَّ مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ ”
O Allah! The controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience.
May Allah keep our intentions pure and grant us guidance to act upon them. Insha-Allah. Aameen Ya Rabbal Alameen