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On
Intentions and Actions
From
Islamic perspective our actions can fall in one of three categories and our
intentions have different implications for each of them.
By
Khalid Baig
The hadith about intentions
is so important, some scholars have expressed the opinion that it encompasses
fully one third of Islamic teachings. Also, it is one of the most remembered
and quoted ahadith and one that is frequently quoted in its original Arabic
even by non-Arabic speaking Muslims. There is hardly a Muslim who has never
heard it. While all this attention to its words is superb, unfortunately we
have not done as much to understand its implications and let that understanding
inform our actions.
From Islamic perspective
our actions can fall in one of three categories and our intentions have different
implications for each of them. In the first category are the religiously mandatory
acts or the voluntary acts of worship (like voluntary salat). In the second
category are the permissible acts that include most of the mundane activities
in life, like eating, drinking, sleeping, earning a living, and raising a family.
The third category consists of prohibited acts.
The most direct application
of this hadith is to the first category. It tells us that such deeds must be
performed for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah for even the slightest corruption
of our motives could destroy them. The five pillars are the prime example of
such deeds. For example if a person offers salat (ritual prayers) to be recognized
as a pious person, he has not only destroyed his salat, he has committed the
unforgivable sin of associating partners with Allah. For he was praying for
the sake of others. The same is true of Hajj, and Hijra, and Jihad, and charity,
etc, etc..
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A
believer is fully aware that this sincerity and purity of intention are
his most important assets, for without them his most generous donation
may bring nothing but disaster.
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The Qur'an explains it further
through a beautiful simile. It compares the case of two persons engaged in what
would appear to be identical acts of charity. Both spend money to help the needy.
One does it purely for the sake of Allah; the other has the goal of getting
a good name from it. "You who believe, do not cancel your acts of charity
by [making] any reproach or scolding like someone who spends his money simply
for people to see it while he does not believe in God and the Last Day. He may
be compared to a boulder covered with some soil, which a rainstorm strikes and
leaves bare. They cannot do anything with whatever they have earned. God does
not guide such disbelieving folk. Those who spend their wealth seeking God's
approval and to strengthen their souls may be compared to a garden on a hilltop;
should a rainstorm strike it, its produce is doubled, while if a rainstorm does
not strike it, then drizzle does. God is Observant of anything you do."
[Al-Baqarah 2:264-265 (Translation by Irving)].
Charity is an important
example because here the chances of corruption of our motives are especially
high due to the very nature of the act. We deal with other people who may thank
and recognize us and we may begin to love and seek that appreciation. What is
more, we may brush aside any qualms by assuring ourselves that the publicity
is only meant to inspire others.
If we keep this background
in mind, we can begin to see the now nearly routine practice of holding a fundraising
dinner --- by the Muslims living in the West ---- very differently. It is obvious
that this is not a Muslim institution; they borrowed it from their host countries.
And they did so without much thought. For here are its underlying ideas. First,
a nice dinner in a nice restaurant is a way of putting people in the mood. Second,
advertising each donation is a means of inspiring others as well as rewarding
the donors. Third, high-pressure techniques, like putting people on the spot,
are quite productive.
Each of these elements is
poles apart from Islamic teachings. A Muslim gives out of concern for his hereafter,
not by being lulled into giving by posh surroundings. He knows that the reward
for his donation depends upon the sincerity with which it is given and not its
monetary amount. He is fully aware that this sincerity and purity of intention
are his most important assets, for without them his most generous donation may
bring nothing but disaster. A person with such concerns would be very leery
of going to a fundraising dinner with his donations. An entire community of
such people would be very reluctant to hold such an event in its present form.
That despite remembering,
and often repeating, the words "innamal aamalu bin niyyat" (Actions
depend upon intentions), the Muslim communities in the West (with the notable
exception of Islamic religious schools) have shown little qualms about this
borrowed fund raising practice, shows that somehow we have lost sight of its
message.
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We
can turn every moment of our life into an act of worship through a change
in our intentions.
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In fact often times this
hadith is invoked in a twisted manner; with reference to the third category
of deeds (the prohibited acts), for example. When we commit a mistake, we try
to assuage our guilt feelings by assuring ourselves that we meant no harm. For
our failures or shortcomings, we have the satisfaction that our intentions were
good. In the worst case we may interpret the hadith to suggest that the ends
justify the means. We need to remember that sheer good intentions do not repair
a bad act. If we do not perform our salat or sacrifice or hajj correctly, mere
good intentions will not make them right. The extreme case is that of justifying
a known prohibited act based on good intentions. "It is like playing games
with the religion," says Maulana Manzoor Naumani. He goes on to add that
such an act could tremendously add to one's burden of sin.
With regard to the second
category (permissible mundane acts) our intentions have a potential for turning
them into acts of worship. This is also an aspect we ignore to our own loss.
For here is the possibility of turning every moment of our life into an act
of worship through a change in our intentions. For example, when a believer
goes to his place of work with the intention of fulfilling his religious responsibility
to provide for his family and earn halal living, he may be engaged in
the same physical activity as the next person but his outlook is very different.
And so is his reward!
Through this small effort
we could really be living for a higher purpose. And at a higher level.
[reproduced with permission
from www.albalagh.net]
Date/Time Last Modified: 6/18/2002 8:04:35 AM
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