In islam, some acts, e.g.,fasting invlove both intention and act. however intentions can be considered more important than act, vice versa, in terms of many acts in islam.
In favour of this claim, intention is more important, e.g.'allah judges not your appearances, but your heart and your intention'. This suggests that god judges one by their intention, not thier act, and by having a good intention , one is a good muslim in the eyes of god. another example is shahadah, it is considered the most crucial pillar in islam and no other pillar can be established without it, shahadah is what a person thinks, hence intention. e.g, the shahadah is in the azaan(call to prayer), which is intention for a more purposeful and meaningful prayer/act.
However, act is more important for example, the prophet says: 'salah is the most important pillar, whoever abandons it, demolishes the very pillar of religion', salah is a way of showing practical devotion, if according to the prophet it is considered to be the most important, then acts are more important, as they show further devotion and submisson to god, e.g. sacrificing sleep in order to come into contact with god, this involves doing things which change your lifestyle, just for god.
Overall, intention is more important, as 'allah is closer to one than his jugular vein'hadeeth, so god knows your thoughts and your intentions, and is they are good, then your are a good muslim. Howeveract is more important, as it shows practical devotion, e.g going on hajj involves physical hardhipetc, which conveys more submisssion to god.
i agree with this becuase in the quran allah says he knows what is in the heart. if a person intentds to wake up for the voluntaty prayer at night and he dosent wake up then he still gets rewarded for it becase of his intention .
if a person gives £20 to the mosque with intentions of bigging himself up , and another person gives 10p without his right hand knowing he is the better man . his act of intentions were better.
Many muslims would agree with this claim because in hadith it says that Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein and knows your every thought, so when a muslim intends to do an action with a sincere intention to please Allah then Allah rewards that person even if they do not fulfill the intention, for example if a person intends to wake up for the voluntary night prayer but does not wake up he still gets the reward for actually waking up. On the other hand if a person does an act to increase his fame and name he will be punished by Allah instead, so here the intention is much more important than the actual act of worship.
some poeple would agree with this because they would say that there is no point in doing an act if you don't the right attention. there is hadith of prophet Muhammad PBUH saying that every deed is judged by it's inttention'. this shows that if a person who doesn't who's, intention is right and he is not happy and he feel that he is being force to do something for example giving zakah is an act of worship and it is commanded by ALLAH, so if the person is giving the money happiely then that act of worship is accepted. and also Allah is aware of your intention because is the one who is the closet to you.
however most people would disagree with this because they feel that the act is more important than worship. the reason that they would say that is because they believe that if you are doing an intention for a physical act like salah, and if you don't perform the act physicaly then there is not piont having the intention because salah has to be performed underany circumstances
For some muslims believe that the intention is more important than the act because without the intention the act cant be done for example if a muslim gave money to the mosque and everyone knew that would be like showing off but if the muslim kept that to themselves Allah would be more proud because you are the only one that knows and that intention is for Allah and the intention is pure. another example would be that if a friend gave a present to a another friend because they are rich and that friend out the this would hurt them because allah says that this is wrong because their intention wrong becuse they did this for greed
some people may argue for this claim as it has been narrated in a hadith that" every action is based on intention". people can claim it is the intention which you get judjed on as you are not doing it for society but for the pleasure of allah as it can not be seen. so even if he does not fulfill his intention and his intention was sincere allah still rewards him for it.also it has been narrated in an hadith that " give with your right hand so your left hand does no not". from this hadith we also find that it is intention which are more weighty on the scale, so if someone give £10 to the mosque and got his name read out ho people praise him, he would not get as much reward as the person who give 20p and did not get his name shouted out.... 'azeem'
In Islam worship is a very popular ritual. Muslims believe they are made to worship Allah as he is the one we are all here for.
In Islam there are different opinions o worship and intention. some Muslims will say they’re both important as each other as doing the worship is a good deed an then doing it with the right intention is even better. Some Muslims will agree an argue that action is more important than intention. There is a quote from the Qur'an which back up this statement. “Allah has made jinn and man only to worship him" This quote only talks about worship which is a form on action not intention therefore some Muslims will disagree. Some Muslims will also disagree an say that in the Quran it talks a lot about worshiping Allah so therefore worship on its own is a good deed and there is no need to have the intention.
Most Muslims may agree with the above statement. They will argue that if the intention is not there there is no need for the action as your heart is giving you the intention and you should always listen to your heart. There is a hadith where the Prophet Muhammad said “give charity with intention and give it so your left hand doesn’t know your right hand has given it.” This quote is about intention as some people give charity in the wrong way by announcing how much they are giving. However some people may disagree with this as they may say it is good to announce as this may encourage others.
To conclude most Muslims will probably agree as they will say intention is important first then action as you are doing everything for Allah an there is not point jus doing the action if the intention isn’t there. I agree with the above statement as I am a Muslim and I believe intention is just as important as action. Overall different people will have different views depending on what they believe.
many muslims would agree that the intention in worship has more importance then the act itself. this is due to the fact that the intention comes before the action. there is a hadith of the prophet stating 'every action is based on your intention' this evidence shows that all the actions such as paying charity are based on the persons intention so if the person has the intention to pay charity to the mosque and out the goodness of thier heart but they dont they will still get the reward for it but if they carry out the action they will get double the reward. also in salah when the person stands up for prayer they have to make the intention before they start the salah which shows that in this act of worship the intention has more priority as without salah the prayer is not complete.
however some muslims will go against this claim and say that it has been stated to pray salah in the qur'an this is an order from the qur'an and it must be followed by every muslim and there is no mention about the intention and its significance. so these muslims would say that since it has not been mentioned in the qur'an how do we know it is important. salah is an act of woship it is physical and people are able to see the physical actions of how they are praying. so some muslims would say that the act of worship is necessary as it can be physically seen by others and they kno what they are doing, but as for the intention it cannot be seen or heard by anyone else so the intention can be anything.
on the other hand some muslims would say that the intention is very important as Allah knows everyines intention and Allah rewards every good intention so if someones gives a gift with the intention of gaining something more beneficial and that person found out they would feel bad, similarly Allah rewards muslims based on what they intend to do so if a muslim makes the intention to pray salah but they didnt get time Allah will still reward them for this as they wre showing that they want pray.
still muslims would say that no-one can know what someones intention is as they might physically do something good but their intention is something else. so they cannot be sure of what someones intention is and they belief is that the act of worship is more important. By Sonia Khan
For Some muslims would agree with this because they they belive that intention comes from the heart and because god judges you on the intention rather than the action here is an example: - when you are paying money to the mosque many people like it to be announced to the whole mosque that they have paid but really you shouldnt be doing that at all because if you do that God doesnt really like it because you are showing off. if you keep this inside yourself then God will like it more because you are keeping it inside without announcing how much you have paid. In the Quran it quotes that " All actions are based on your intentions". this means that without your intention you can't really do your actions. this shows the importance of intention. Intention is important because it comes before action and important things come first.
Against Some muslims would disagree with this because they believe that actions are important than intetion because if action were not used then praying salah wouldnt be important because all the actions in salah have a purpose. Here is a quote from the Quran " If you cannot read salah standing up then sit, if not then laying down". This shows the importance od salah, because you are showing effort and that you are commited. sujood is one of the main actions used in salah because it shows that you are coming from the highest point and bowing down to god. It shows you are beoming closer to god when you are doing a physical action. This is important because people can see that you are commited because you are showing physical action while praying.
Conclusion In conclusion I would say that intention is important because without intention read salah. Without Intention you can't read salah because you are not commited to god and when you are not committed to god you can't read salah
some people would agree with this statement because they beleive that without the intention there is no point of preforming the action. it is reported by the prohet mohammed (P.B.U.H), " every mans deed is judged on the intention".looking at this quote it shows that the intention is more important becase atthe end it is the intention that will be judged. also people may agree with this statement because they beleive if there is no intetion invoved in the worhip, the worship does not count.E.g.doing something without an intention is diffrent to doing something with the intention because doing somethig without intention can be seen as being forced to do it. in another hadith it is reported by the prophet (P.B.U.H) "one must give with the right hand in such a way that the left hand know not of". the meaning of this is if someone gives something for the rong resons then there is no point of giving for e.g. if someone gives money to a mosque so their name can be said out allowed and evryone here the amount they have given, this is giving with a wrong intentions because you want other people to hear your name and the amount tat you have given.
on the other hand somepeople would disagree with this satement becuase they belive that the physical action is more important than the intention. they belive that without doing the physical action there is no benifit from the intention as the act hasent taken place.for e.g. if someone doesnt perform the physical action of salah they salah is not accountable thereofre some would disagree with this statement.
in conclution i think most people would agree with this satement because they beleive withouot the intention there is no benifit of performing the physicat action.
Some people will agree with the claim, with reference to the Hadith: "Allah looks not to your outward appearance or actions but He looks to your intentions and your hearts." Here, the intention is given a seat of importance above actions and so it would seem that the intention is more important than actions; since intention is what Allah looks at.
However, others will disagree with this statement, using the Hadith: "To miss Salah is to do kufr (disbelief)." Here, the warning on missing Salah is very strong and one would come out of the fold of Islam: this would be the worst thing for a Muslim. Since here there is no mention of intention, the emphasis is on the act of Salah itself. If missing this act of Salah is enough to merit one of Hell (through disbelief), then indeed action is more important since it will the determining factor.
Despite this, others will argue furthermore to agree with the claim, on the basis that it is the intention which determines whether an act is “worship” or not. This is supported by Tawheed Al-Ibaadah (Unity of Worhsip), these are the criterion for an act to be classed as worship: to worship only Allah and only for His pleasure. If then, the intention to worship is for pleasure of people, then the act of worship will be futile and only lead one to the fire of Hell: “You liar! You only read Salah so that the people will see you… so this day your home is the fire!” (Hadith). Clearly the act of worship is not enough and the intention must be correct. This then makes the intention more important than the action.
To counter this, some will still argue that the act of worship is more important than the intention. To support their claim, they use the example of a person indulged in sin, if the person makes intention to stop, but persists, this will not be enough as an excuse for him and he will be reprimanded on the Day of Judgement as to what he ate. So intention is not always more important as one who sins and makes intention to reform but does not, will be held responsible.
In conclusion, some people will agree with the statement and some will disagree. Intention is indeed what makes the act an act of worship and “Allah looks to your intentions” (Hadith). This supports the claim, laying emphasis on the intention above action. Howbeit, others will criticise this as being too vague and not considering the importance of fulfilling certain obligations, i.e. Salah and Zakah, where intention will not intervene and one will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement.
Some people may be for this statement because actually thinking about performing worship is a very big thing becasue if you didn't think about performing worship you wouldn't perform worship.Also some people will agree with this statement because in a hadith 'Allah says in the I do not look at your outward appearance but i do look at the inward intentions.Also another hadith od the prophet is 'actions are judged by Niyyah meaning that your actions are based upon yout intentions and again this signifies the importance of intentions.
some people would disagree with this statement becasue if you just think about doing something and don't physically act upon it. It is worthless.
to conclude i think most people would be for this statment because of the hadith of the prophet and also as a believer we can not question the prophet as the prophet uttered the unchanged word og God and we cant question this as this would question our belief.
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, 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.
In islam, some acts, e.g.,fasting invlove both intention and act. however intentions can be considered more important than act, vice versa, in terms of many acts in islam.
ReplyDeleteIn favour of this claim, intention is more important, e.g.'allah judges not your appearances, but your heart and your intention'. This suggests that god judges one by their intention, not thier act, and by having a good intention , one is a good muslim in the eyes of god. another example is shahadah, it is considered the most crucial pillar in islam and no other pillar can be established without it, shahadah is what a person thinks, hence intention. e.g, the shahadah is in the azaan(call to prayer), which is intention for a more purposeful and meaningful prayer/act.
However, act is more important for example, the prophet says: 'salah is the most important pillar, whoever abandons it, demolishes the very pillar of religion', salah is a way of showing practical devotion, if according to the prophet it is considered to be the most important, then acts are more important, as they show further devotion and submisson to god, e.g. sacrificing sleep in order to come into contact with god, this involves doing things which change your lifestyle, just for god.
Overall, intention is more important, as 'allah is closer to one than his jugular vein'hadeeth, so god knows your thoughts and your intentions, and is they are good, then your are a good muslim. Howeveract is more important, as it shows practical devotion, e.g going on hajj involves physical hardhipetc, which conveys more submisssion to god.
i agree with this becuase in the quran allah says he knows what is in the heart. if a person intentds to wake up for the voluntaty prayer at night and he dosent wake up then he still gets rewarded for it becase of his intention .
ReplyDeleteif a person gives £20 to the mosque with intentions of bigging himself up , and another person gives 10p without his right hand knowing he is the better man . his act of intentions were better.
Yaseen 'Yas' Ahmed
Many muslims would agree with this claim because in hadith it says that Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein and knows your every thought, so when a muslim intends to do an action with a sincere intention to please Allah then Allah rewards that person even if they do not fulfill the intention, for example if a person intends to wake up for the voluntary night prayer but does not wake up he still gets the reward for actually waking up. On the other hand if a person does an act to increase his fame and name he will be punished by Allah instead, so here the intention is much more important than the actual act of worship.
ReplyDeleteAdil Qayoom
some poeple would agree with this because they would say that there is no point in doing an act if you don't the right attention. there is hadith of prophet Muhammad PBUH saying that every deed is judged by it's inttention'. this shows that if a person who doesn't who's, intention is right and he is not happy and he feel that he is being force to do something for example giving zakah is an act of worship and it is commanded by ALLAH, so if the person is giving the money happiely then that act of worship is accepted. and also Allah is aware of your intention because is the one who is the closet to you.
ReplyDeletehowever most people would disagree with this because they feel that the act is more important than worship. the reason that they would say that is because they believe that if you are doing an intention for a physical act like salah, and if you don't perform the act physicaly then there is not piont having the intention because salah has to be performed underany circumstances
For
ReplyDeletesome muslims believe that the intention is more important than the act because without the intention the act cant be done for example if a muslim gave money to the mosque and everyone knew that would be like showing off but if the muslim kept that to themselves Allah would be more proud because you are the only one that knows and that intention is for Allah and the intention is pure. another example would be that if a friend gave a present to a another friend because they are rich and that friend out the this would hurt them because allah says that this is wrong because their intention wrong becuse they did this for greed
hena jabeen
Against
some people may argue for this claim as it has been narrated in a hadith that" every action is based on intention". people can claim it is the intention which you get judjed on as you are not doing it for society but for the pleasure of allah as it can not be seen. so even if he does not fulfill his intention and his intention was sincere allah still rewards him for it.also it has been narrated in an hadith that " give with your right hand so your left hand does no not". from this hadith we also find that it is intention which are more weighty on the scale, so if someone give £10 to the mosque and got his name read out ho people praise him, he would not get as much reward as the person who give 20p and did not get his name shouted out.... 'azeem'
ReplyDeleteIn Islam worship is a very popular ritual. Muslims believe they are made to worship Allah as he is the one we are all here for.
ReplyDeleteIn Islam there are different opinions o worship and intention. some Muslims will say they’re both important as each other as doing the worship is a good deed an then doing it with the right intention is even better. Some Muslims will agree an argue that action is more important than intention. There is a quote from the Qur'an which back up this statement. “Allah has made jinn and man only to worship him" This quote only talks about worship which is a form on action not intention therefore some Muslims will disagree. Some Muslims will also disagree an say that in the Quran it talks a lot about worshiping Allah so therefore worship on its own is a good deed and there is no need to have the intention.
Most Muslims may agree with the above statement. They will argue that if the intention is not there there is no need for the action as your heart is giving you the intention and you should always listen to your heart. There is a hadith where the Prophet Muhammad said “give charity with intention and give it so your left hand doesn’t know your right hand has given it.” This quote is about intention as some people give charity in the wrong way by announcing how much they are giving. However some people may disagree with this as they may say it is good to announce as this may encourage others.
To conclude most Muslims will probably agree as they will say intention is important first then action as you are doing everything for Allah an there is not point jus doing the action if the intention isn’t there. I agree with the above statement as I am a Muslim and I believe intention is just as important as action. Overall different people will have different views depending on what they believe.
Sheroze Iqbal
many muslims would agree that the intention in worship has more importance then the act itself. this is due to the fact that the intention comes before the action. there is a hadith of the prophet stating 'every action is based on your intention' this evidence shows that all the actions such as paying charity are based on the persons intention so if the person has the intention to pay charity to the mosque and out the goodness of thier heart but they dont they will still get the reward for it but if they carry out the action they will get double the reward. also in salah when the person stands up for prayer they have to make the intention before they start the salah which shows that in this act of worship the intention has more priority as without salah the prayer is not complete.
ReplyDeletehowever some muslims will go against this claim and say that it has been stated to pray salah in the qur'an this is an order from the qur'an and it must be followed by every muslim and there is no mention about the intention and its significance. so these muslims would say that since it has not been mentioned in the qur'an how do we know it is important.
salah is an act of woship it is physical and people are able to see the physical actions of how they are praying. so some muslims would say that the act of worship is necessary as it can be physically seen by others and they kno what they are doing, but as for the intention it cannot be seen or heard by anyone else so the intention can be anything.
on the other hand some muslims would say that the intention is very important as Allah knows everyines intention and Allah rewards every good intention so if someones gives a gift with the intention of gaining something more beneficial and that person found out they would feel bad, similarly Allah rewards muslims based on what they intend to do so if a muslim makes the intention to pray salah but they didnt get time Allah will still reward them for this as they wre showing that they want pray.
still muslims would say that no-one can know what someones intention is as they might physically do something good but their intention is something else. so they cannot be sure of what someones intention is and they belief is that the act of worship is more important.
By Sonia Khan
For
ReplyDeleteSome muslims would agree with this because they they belive that intention comes from the heart and because god judges you on the intention rather than the action here is an example: - when you are paying money to the mosque many people like it to be announced to the whole mosque that they have paid but really you shouldnt be doing that at all because if you do that God doesnt really like it because you are showing off. if you keep this inside yourself then God will like it more because you are keeping it inside without announcing how much you have paid. In the Quran it quotes that " All actions are based on your intentions". this means that without your intention you can't really do your actions. this shows the importance of intention. Intention is important because it comes before action and important things come first.
Against
Some muslims would disagree with this because they believe that actions are important than intetion because if action were not used then praying salah wouldnt be important because all the actions in salah have a purpose. Here is a quote from the Quran " If you cannot read salah standing up then sit, if not then laying down". This shows the importance od salah, because you are showing effort and that you are commited. sujood is one of the main actions used in salah because it shows that you are coming from the highest point and bowing down to god. It shows you are beoming closer to god when you are doing a physical action. This is important because people can see that you are commited because you are showing physical action while praying.
Conclusion
In conclusion I would say that intention is important because without intention read salah. Without Intention you can't read salah because you are not commited to god and when you are not committed to god you can't read salah
Imroseya
some people would agree with this statement because they beleive that without the intention there is no point of preforming the action. it is reported by the prohet mohammed (P.B.U.H), " every mans deed is judged on the intention".looking at this quote it shows that the intention is more important becase atthe end it is the intention that will be judged. also people may agree with this statement because they beleive if there is no intetion invoved in the worhip, the worship does not count.E.g.doing something without an intention is diffrent to doing something with the intention because doing somethig without intention can be seen as being forced to do it. in another hadith it is reported by the prophet (P.B.U.H) "one must give with the right hand in such a way that the left hand know not of". the meaning of this is if someone gives something for the rong resons then there is no point of giving for e.g. if someone gives money to a mosque so their name can be said out allowed and evryone here the amount they have given, this is giving with a wrong intentions because you want other people to hear your name and the amount tat you have given.
ReplyDeleteon the other hand somepeople would disagree with this satement becuase they belive that the physical action is more important than the intention. they belive that without doing the physical action there is no benifit from the intention as the act hasent taken place.for e.g. if someone doesnt perform the physical action of salah they salah is not accountable thereofre some would disagree with this statement.
in conclution i think most people would agree with this satement because they beleive withouot the intention there is no benifit of performing the physicat action.
Mohammad Naeem
Some people will agree with the claim, with reference to the Hadith: "Allah looks not to your outward appearance or actions but He looks to your intentions and your hearts." Here, the intention is given a seat of importance above actions and so it would seem that the intention is more important than actions; since intention is what Allah looks at.
ReplyDeleteHowever, others will disagree with this statement, using the Hadith: "To miss Salah is to do kufr (disbelief)." Here, the warning on missing Salah is very strong and one would come out of the fold of Islam: this would be the worst thing for a Muslim. Since here there is no mention of intention, the emphasis is on the act of Salah itself. If missing this act of Salah is enough to merit one of Hell (through disbelief), then indeed action is more important since it will the determining factor.
Despite this, others will argue furthermore to agree with the claim, on the basis that it is the intention which determines whether an act is “worship” or not. This is supported by Tawheed Al-Ibaadah (Unity of Worhsip), these are the criterion for an act to be classed as worship: to worship only Allah and only for His pleasure. If then, the intention to worship is for pleasure of people, then the act of worship will be futile and only lead one to the fire of Hell: “You liar! You only read Salah so that the people will see you… so this day your home is the fire!” (Hadith). Clearly the act of worship is not enough and the intention must be correct. This then makes the intention more important than the action.
To counter this, some will still argue that the act of worship is more important than the intention. To support their claim, they use the example of a person indulged in sin, if the person makes intention to stop, but persists, this will not be enough as an excuse for him and he will be reprimanded on the Day of Judgement as to what he ate. So intention is not always more important as one who sins and makes intention to reform but does not, will be held responsible.
In conclusion, some people will agree with the statement and some will disagree. Intention is indeed what makes the act an act of worship and “Allah looks to your intentions” (Hadith). This supports the claim, laying emphasis on the intention above action. Howbeit, others will criticise this as being too vague and not considering the importance of fulfilling certain obligations, i.e. Salah and Zakah, where intention will not intervene and one will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement.
By Ibraheem Islam
Some people may be for this statement because actually thinking about performing worship is a very big thing becasue if you didn't think about performing worship you wouldn't perform worship.Also some people will agree with this statement because in a hadith 'Allah says in the I do not look at your outward appearance but i do look at the inward intentions.Also another hadith od the prophet is 'actions are judged by Niyyah meaning that your actions are based upon yout intentions and again this signifies the importance of intentions.
ReplyDeletesome people would disagree with this statement becasue if you just think about doing something and don't physically act upon it. It is worthless.
to conclude i think most people would be for this statment because of the hadith of the prophet and also as a believer we can not question the prophet as the prophet uttered the unchanged word og God and we cant question this as this would question our belief.
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.
ReplyDeleteFrom 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,
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.
Ibn Abd-allah al Quraish at-Tharik bin Humaid