Intentions!!!

Bismillahir  rahman  nir  rahim

“Intentions”

As salamu alai kum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatahu

When I started my journey into my religion, I started tackling issues like hasad, envy, gheebat, things which affected me the most, as I thought.

And then one day, I was introduced to a very important concept “intentions” , “niyat”.

I was told that we should make our “niyat” /intentions for EVERY deed to please Allah swt.

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."  (Book #1, Hadith #1) 

It is very interesting to observe , that this is the first hadith in Sahih Bukhari, the MOST POPULAR hadith book.

Why do you think that Imam Bukhari posted it?  He compiled Bukhari Sharif according to a format. So why put it there?

Ans: because Intentions are the foundations of our actions. What and Why we intend to do a certain deed is known only to Allah swt and the person doing it.

Now, we don’t want to commit sins and inshallah we wont.!! Amen.

The point that I want to focus today is, that ALL the deeds ( good and routine) that we do, if we make our intention to “please Allah swt” then the amount of reward goes up and up !!

For example, as a house wife, cleaning my house is a routine and boring!! work. Now I clean it because it makes my husband happy and guests think I am so neat and tidy and yes I feel nice about it.

And Allah rewards me thus. My husband is happy and people think I am good and neat.

Now, as I started listening to the Taharah lectures, this concept was again introduced to me and then it hit me!! I should keep my house clean, as Allah ta’aala likes us to live in clean surroundings!! And if I make my intention so, not only am I be able to please my Rabb , I would gain sawab ( so much of it!! ) and I would make my husband happy and I would feel so satisfied while and after doing it. (“what people think” starts mattering less)

ALL OUR DEEDS:

·         Calling friends and family

·         Having dinner parties

·         Playing with kids

·         Spending time with family

·         Visiting extended family, the sick

·         Giving my 100 % at work and not being lazy.

·         Not panicking in a crisis situation – doing sabr

·         Keeping quiet when someone says or does something bad.

Every single deed that I do.  From getting up and brushing my teeth and cleaning up and getting on with my day.

This is a difficult concept to sink it..but not impossible.

And success and perfection is not for us to bother. What we have to think and focus upon is only

·         Our intentions

·         Our efforts

For ex. I am trying to learn tajweed. Now of course I want to be great at it. and its proving very difficult. So it’s getting frustrating. But I shouldn’t get frustrated, as when my intention to be good in tajweed is to please my Rabb and make an honest effort. I might never be good at it, but that’s ok.. as long as my Rabb is happy with me ..i am good to go  J

There will come a time when for a good deed done, you will be struck with 2 thoughts.:

·         Oh my Allah will inshallah be pleased with me\

·         Oh “ so and so” will think I am so good..

So immediately say “aaozu billahi minishaitaanir ra jim “ and say sorry to Allah “istighfar” and make dua to Allah to help you get rid of the shaitan and his whisperings .

Inshallah Allah will. Help. J