'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
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{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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Praise be to Allaah.
Intention (niyyah) is an important matter, as it isthe spirit of deeds
through which deeds become valid, as the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Actions are but by intentions and each
person will have but that which he intended." Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(1) and Muslim (1907).
The intention turns permissible deeds into acts or worship, hence we
should pay attention to it and make it for the sake of Allaah, free
from any element of showing off.
It should be noted that intentions are of two types:
1 – Obligatory intention, without which an act of worship is not
valid, such as the intention in doing wudoo', praying, paying zakaah,
fasting and doing Hajj. This intention is something that no one can do
without. If a person doeswudoo' to pray, touch the Mus-haf or in order
to be pure (taahir), he has formed the intention. Intending to pray or
intending to remove impurity is forming the intention when doing
wudoo'.
When a man stands to pray, knowing that this is Zuhr prayer, for
example, and he intends to offer the prayer and gets up to do it it,
then he has formed the intention. It is not essential – and in fact it
is not prescribed – to sayout loud, "I intend to pray Zuhr prayer"
etc, as some people do. This was not narrated from the Prophet(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the placefor the intention
is in the heart.
Similarly, if a person decides at night that he will fast on the
followingday, then he has formed the intention of fasting. In fact,
his eating sahoorshows that he is intending to fast.
It is difficult for a personto forget to form the intention in such cases.
2 – The second type of intention is that which ismustahabb in order to
attain reward. This is what some people forget, which is to keep the
intention in mind when doing permissible things, so that they will be
acts of worship, such as eating, drinking and sleeping with the
intention of strengthening oneself todo acts of worship, as the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "You
willnever spend anything that you spend for the sake of Allaah, but
you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel of food that you put in
your wife's mouth." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (56).
Mu'aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I sleep and I get up
(to pray at night), and I seekreward for my sleep as I seek reward for
my getting up. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4088).
He (may Allaah be pleased with him) sought reward for his sleep just
as he sought reward for his getting up to pray at night, because he
intended by sleeping to gain strength to do acts of worship.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said inal-Fath: What this means is that he sought
reward by resting just ashe sought reward by striving, because if the
intention in resting is to enable one to do acts of worship, one
attains reward. End quote.
What helps to keep this intention in mind is deliberating, thinking
and not being hasty. So you should think about what you are intending
to do, take stock of yourself before acting, think about whether it
ishalaal or haraam, then look at your intention: what do you want from
this? Every time you takestock of yourself and think before acting,
this will remind you about forming the intention, until it becomes
second nature and a habit that you adopt, so that you will not enter
or exit, eator drink, give or withhold, without having an intention in
doing so, thus most of your time will become times of worship.
We ask Allaah to help us and you to do that.
And Allaah knows best.
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