Purification Of The Soul- Nature Of Intention

[FADIA BINT ISMAIL]

The intention of a person is not his utterance of the

words, "I intend to do so and so." It is an overflowing

from the heart which runs like conquests inspired by Allah. At

times it is made easy, at other times, difficult. A person

whose heart is overwhelmingly righteous finds it easy to summon

good intentions at most times. Such a person has a heart

generally inclined to the roots of goodness which, most of the

time, blossom into the manifestation of good actions. As for

those whose hearts inclide towards and are overwhelmed by worldy

matters, they find this difficult to accomplish and even

obligatory acts of worship may become difficult and tiresome.

 

The Prophet (saw) said: "Actions are only by intention,

and every man shall only have what he intended. Thus he

whose hijra was for Allah and was for Allah and His Messenger,

his hijra was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose hijra

was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in

marriage, his hijra was for that for which he made hijra."(1)

 

Imam ash-Shaf'i said: "This hadith is a third of all

knowledge." The words, "actions are only by intention",

mean that deeds which are performed in accordance with the

sunnah are only acceptable and rewarded if the intentions behind

them were sincere. It is like the saying of the Prophet, may

Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Actions depend upon their

outcome."(2)

 

Likewise, the words, "every man shall only have what he

intended", mean that the reward for an action depends

upon the intention behind it. After stating this principle, the

Prophet (saw) gave examples of it by saying, "thus he the

Prophet (saw) gave examples of it by saying, "Thus he whose

hijra was for Allah and His Messenger, his hijra was for Allah

and His Messenger, and he whose hijra was to achieve some

worldly benefit or to take some woman I nmarriage, his hira was

for that for which he made hijra." So deeds which are apparently

identitcal may differ, because the intentions behind them are

different in degrees of goodness and badness, from one person to

another.

 

Good intentions do not change the nature of forbidden

actions. The ignorant should not misconstrue the meaning

of the hadith and think that good intentions could turn

forbidden actions into acceptable ones. The above saying of the

Prophet (saw) specifically relattes to acts of worship and

permissible actions, not to forbidden ones. Worship and

permissible actions can be turned into forbidden ones because of

the intentions behind them, and permissible actions can become

either good or bad deeds by intention; but wrong actions cannot

become acts of worship, even with good intentions.(3) When bad

intentsions are accompanied by flaws in the actions themselves,

then their gravity and punishment are multiplied.

 

Any praiseworthy act must be rooted in sound intentions;

only then could it be deemed worthy of reward. The

fundamental principle should be that the act is intended for the

worship of Allah alone. If our intention is to show off,then

these same acts of worship will in fact become acts of

disobedience. As for permissible deeds, they all involve

intentions -- which can potenitally turn them into excellent

acts which bring a man nearer to Allah and confer on him the

gift of closeness to Him.

 

The Excellence of Intention

 

Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,

said: The best acts are doing what Allah has commanded,

staying for away from what Allah has forbidden, and having

sincere intentions towards what-ever Allah has required of

us."(4)

 

Some of our predecessors said: "Many small actions are

made great by the intentions behind them. Many great

actions, on the other hand, are made small because the

intentions behind them are lacking."

 

Yahya Ibn Abu Kathir said: "Learn about intentions, for

their importance is greater than the importance of

actions."

 

Ibn Umar once heard a man who was putting on his ihram

say: "O Allah! I intend to do the Hajj and Umrah." So he

said to him: "Is it not in fact the people whom you are

informing of your intention? Does not Allah already know what is

in your heart?"(5) It is because good intentions are

exclusively the concern of the heart, that they should not be

voiced during worship.

 

The Excellence of Knowledge and Teaching

 

There are many proofs in the Qur'an concerning the

excellence of knowledge and its tranmission. Allah, the

Mighty and Glorious, says:

 

"Allah will raise up to high ranks those of you

who believe and those who have been given

knowledge. (58:11)"

 

And also:

 

"Are those who know equal to those who do not

know? (39:9)

 

Also , in the Hadith, the Prophet (saw) says, "When

Allah desires good for someone, He gives him

understanding of the deen."(6) He (saw) also said, "Allah makes

the way to the Garden easy for whoever treads a path in search

of knowledge."(7)

 

Travelling on the path to knowledge refers both to

walking along an actual pathway, such as going on foot

to the assemblies of the ulama', as well as to following a

metaphysical road, such as studying and memorising.

 

The above saying of the Prophet (saw) probably means

that Allah makes learning the useful knowledge that is

sought after easier for the seeker, clearing the way for him and

smoothing his journey. Some of our predecessors used to say:

"Is there anyone seeking knowledge, so that we can assist him in

finding it?"

 

This hadith also alludes to the road leading to the

Garden on the Day of Judgement, which is the straight

path and to what precedes it and what comes after it.

 

Knowledge is also the shortest path to Allah. Whoever

travels the road of knowledge reaches Allah and the

Garden by the shortest route. Knowledge also clears the way out

of darkness, ignorance, doubt and scepticism. This is why Allah

called His Book, "Light".

 

Al-Bukhari and Muslim have reported on the authority of

Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (saw)

said: "Truly, Allah will not take away knowledge by snatching it

away from people, but by taking away the lives of the people of

knowledge one by one until none of them survive. Then the

people will adopt ignorant ones as their leaders. They will be

asked to deliver judgements and they will give them without

knowledge, with the result that they will go astray and lead

others astray."

 

When 'Ubadah ibn as-Samit was asked about this hadith he

said: If you want, I will tell you what the highest

knowledge is, which raises people in rank: it is humility."

 

He said this because there are two types of knowledge.

The first produces its fruit in the heart. It is

knowledge of Allah, the Exalted - His Names, His Attributes, and

His Acts - which commands fear, respect, exaltation, love,

supplication and reliance on Him. this is the beneficial type of

knowledge. As ibn Mas'ud said: "they will recite the Qur'an, but

it will not go beyond their throats. The Qur'an is only

beneficial when it reaches the heart and is firmly planted in

it."

 

Al-Hasan said: "There are two kinds of knowledge:

knowledge of the tongue, which can be a case against the

son of Adam, as is mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet (saw):

'The Qur'an is either a case for you or a case against you'(8),

and knowledge of the heart, which is beneficial knowledge. The

second kind is the beneficial kind which raises people in rank;

it is the inner knowledge which is absorbed by the heart and

puts it right. The knowledge that is on the tongue is taken

lightly by people: neither those who possess it, nor anyone

else, act upon it, and then it vanishes when its owners vanish

on the Day of Judgement, when creation will be brought to

account."

 

Notes: 1. Al-Bukhari and Muslim 2. Al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Qadar,

11/499. 3. This is illustrated in a hadith recorded by Imam

Muslim in his Sahih, in which it is related on the authority of

Abu Dharr that the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and

grant him peace, said, "You will receive the reward for sadaqa

even when you have sexual intercourse with your wives." The

sahaba said, "Will we really be rewarded for satisfying our

physical desires?" He replied, "If you have haram intercourse,

you will be committing a sin; similarly, if you have halal

intercourse, you will be rewarded." Imam an-Nawawi said, "This

hadith clearly shows that permissible actions become acts of

obedience if there is a good intentino behind them; sexual

intercourse becomes an act of worship if it is accompanied by

any one of the following good intentions: keeping company with

your wife in kindness, as Allah ta'Ala has commanded; hoping to

hae, as a result of intercourse, good and righteous offsping;

guarding your chastity and that of your wife; helping to prevent

haram lustful glances or thoughts, or haram intercourse; and any

other good intention." 4. Tahdhib al'Asma' li-Nawawi, 1/173. Abu

Ishaq ash-Shirazi once entered the mosque to have something to

eat, as was his custom, and then realised that he had dropped a

dinar. He retraced his steps and found it lying on the ground,

but then left it where it was, saying, "Perhaps it is not mine;

perhaps it belongs to somebody else." 5. Sahih, Ja'mi 'l-'Ulum

wa'l-Hikam, p. 19. 6. Al-bukhari and Muslim. 7. Muslim,

21/17. 8. Muslim, Kitab at-Tahara, 3/99.