Hadith 1/40 - Intention

Hadith 1/40 - Intention
1) Actions are judged by intentions


Our actions are undermined by our intentions - whether they are good intentions or bad intentions.
Therefore we should always check our intentions before we do or say anything. We must make sure
that the action is for the sake of Allah so that it is accepted by Allah and that we will be rewarded for it,
insha Allah.

This can be seen in the shahadah :
· "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah" is the ikhlas - ensuring that we do things for the
sake of Allah and Allah alone.
· "I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah" - the Sunnah is the manifestation
of the Quran - the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is our example, our best model to
follow. Following his Sunnah in our ibadah, Akhlaq (ethics), and Muamalat (dealings) ensures
that we are acting in accordance with the Shariah.

Imam al-Harawi states that there are 7 types of self-desires:-
i. To make oneself appear good in the hearts of others
ii. To seek the praises of others
iii. To avoid being blamed by others
iv. To seek the glorification of others
v. To seek the wealth/money of others
vi. To seek the services or love of others
vii. To seek the help of others for oneself


Ibnu al-Qayyim says: Any action we do is subject to three defects:
i. Being conscious that others are observing our actions
ii. Seeking a return (benefit/reward) for the action
iii. Being satisfied with the action
Examples:
· If we go to the masjid for the salah and we are early, arriving before the Imam and
finding a place in the first saff, we should not be proud of ourselves and think of
ourselves being better than others. We should praise Allah for enabling us to go to
the masjid and for being able to perform the salah without any difficulties.
· After every salah, we should tell ourselves that we could have performed it better and
try to improve in our next salah.


What happens if we were to change our niyyah while performing an action? Ibn Rajab says according
to the ulama' if the niyyah at the end of the action matches the beginning (i.e. doing the action for the
sake of Allah), then any changes in the middle of the action will be forgiven or does not matter, insha
Allah. However, if the niyyah at the end does not match the beginning, i.e. we do the action for other
than the sake of Allah, then we must repent (taubah).


There are four things that contradict ikhlas:
i. Ma'siat - committing sins - this will weaken our ikhlas
ii. Shirk - associating others with Allah
iii. Riya' - performing an ibadah with the intention of showing off to others
iv. Nifaq - hypocrisy

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