The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), said: “Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended. So the one whose ‘hijrah’ (migration) was to Allah and His Messenger, then his ‘hijrah’ was to Allah and His Messenger. And the one whose ‘hijrah’ was for the world to gain from it, or a woman to marry her, then his ‘hijrah’ was for what he made ‘hijrah’ for.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Many scholars began books with this Hadith. Imam Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy upon him, commences his book of Hadith (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) with this Hadith and explains that every action that is done without seeking Allah’s pleasure is invalid and devoid of reward.
It can be said that the entire religion revolves around this Hadith. Imam Ash-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy upon him said, “this Hadith constitutes a third of all knowledge.”
Muslim scholars differ in opinion as to the limits of the Prophet’s saying: ‘actions are by intentions’. Many of the later scholars are of the opinion that the limit is that the action is made correct or acceptable with the intention. What is meant by this is that a legislated action needs an intention. As for habitual actions such as eating, drinking, dressing, etc., they are not in need of an intention.
Some say ‘actions’ here is to be understood in its generality; therefore, nothing is exempt from it. Others relate this as the saying of the majority, meaning the majority of the early scholars. This occurs in the words of Ibn Jareer At-Tabari, Abu Talib Al-Makki, and others from the early scholars, may Allah have mercy upon them. Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “I like that for every action, from prayer, fasting or charity or any action of righteousness that there be an intention preceding the action. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: ‘actions are by intentions’, and this is taken for every matter.”
Fadl Ibn Ziyad, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “I asked Abu Abdullah (Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him) about the intention in action, how should it be? He, may Allah have mercy upon, him said: ‘One should concentrate on himself when he intends to do an action, not doing it for the sake of people (showing off).’”
It is possible that the limits of the saying, ‘actions are by intention’, are that the action is good, corrupt, acceptable, rejected, rewarded, or not rewarded according to the intention. Therefore, this statement informs us of the Islamic ruling concerning this: the correctness or incorrectness of the action is in accordance with the correctness or incorrectness of the intention.
The saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, after this: ‘and for everyone is what he intended’ informs that one cannot gain anything from his action except what he intended. So if he intended good, he gets good. If he intended evil then he gets evil. This second statement (of the Hadith) is not merely reiterating the first, because the first statement points to the fact that the goodness or corruptness of the action is according to the intention necessary for that action to exist. The second statement points to the fact that the reward of a person for his action is according to his good intention, and that the punishment for his action is according to his evil intention.
Scholarly definition of the word ‘Intention’:
1. To distinguish different types of worship, one from the other. Like distinguishing Noon (Zuhr) Prayer from Afternoon (‘Asr) Prayer, or distinguishing the fast of Ramadan from other fasts, or distinguishing actions of worship from actions of habit: like distinguishing bathing from impurity from bathing for the purpose of cleanliness.
2. To distinguish for who or what the action is done: is it for Allah only, for other than Allah, or for Allah and others than Him?
The meaning of ‘intention’ in the speech of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and the Salaf (righteous predecessors) was used generally to carry the meaning of ‘desire’. In the Qur’an, the word ‘desire’ is often used to describe an intention, as in Allah’s Saying (which means): “…Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter…” [Qur’an 3: 152]
In other verse Allah Says (what means): “Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments…” [Qur’an 11: 15] And Allah Says again (what means): “And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life...” [Qur’an 18: 28]
Sometimes intention is described with the word ‘seeking’ as in Allah’s Saying (which means): “But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High.”[Qur’an 92: 20] And (which means): “…and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah…” [Qur’an 2: 272]
Regarding the second meaning of intention, there are numerous examples from the ‘Sunnah’ and the statements of the ‘Salaf’. To mention a few:
The Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “People will be gathered upon their intentions.” [Ibn Majah] He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, also said: “Mankind will be resurrected upon their intentions.” [Muslim] Another Hadith says: “Verily those slain on the battlefield will be resurrected upon their intentions.” [Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, also said: “For the ones whose concern is this world, Allah will scatter his affair, and place poverty between his two eyes. He will not get from the world except what is written for him. For the one whose intention is the Hereafter, Allah will gather for him his affair and place contentment in his heart, and the world will come to him willingly.”[Ibn Majah]
Zayd Ash-Shami, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Verily I like to make an intention for everything I do even if it is eating and drinking.”
Sufyan Ath-Thawri, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “I have not treated anything more difficult than my intention, because it keeps changing.”
Ibn Al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “May be a small action is made great by its intention, and may be a great action is made small by its intention.”
The three above-mentioned sayings were reported by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya in his book The Sincerity and the Intention.
Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, said that the foundation of the religion is upon three Hadiths:
1. “Verily actions are by intention.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
2. “Whosoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not part of it then it is rejected.” [Muslim]
3. “The Halal (lawful) is clear and the Haram (prohibited) is clear.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Islam teaches us to perform good actions, stay away from the forbidden actions and stop at the doubtful matters. All of this is perfected upon two matters:
Actions must be done correctly, according to the teachings of Islam, and seeking the Pleasure of Allah, Almighty.
Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyadh, may Allah have mercy upon him, said about the Saying of Allah (which means): “He who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed.” [Qur’an 67: 2]
Who is sincere and correct in it? If the action is sincere and incorrect, then it is not accepted. Likewise if it is correct and not sincere then it is not accepted. It is only accepted when it is both sincere and correct. It is sincere when it is for the sake of Allah, and correct when it is done according to the teachings of Islam.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
How excellent lawful wealth is in a righteous person’s hands!
Some of the Ahaadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), are quite terse yet convey a multitude of meanings, and this is no surprise since they were produced by the one who was given the keys of eloquent speech and wise sayings. Some of his statements serve as fundamental principles, general rules, and just standards. On every given topic, there are Ahaadith that are considered all-inclusive fundamental principles under the heading of which all the respective subtopics fall. Some of these terse Ahaadith address the topic of wealth, establishing the correct Islamic viewpoint on wealth and setting fixed criteria for dealing with it and ways of disposing of it.
One of these is the following Hadith, which was narrated on the authority of ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him: “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, sent for me, commanding me to pack my clothes and arms and go to him. I did what he asked and came to him while he was performing ablution. He looked at me from head to toe then said: ‘O ‘Amr, I want to send you in charge of an army so that Allah will bless you with spoils, and I will give you your lawful share of the spoils.’ I said: ‘I did not become Muslim in pursuit of wealth; I became Muslim out of the desire for embracing Islam so that I would be with the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam!’ He said: ‘O ‘Amr! How excellent lawful wealth is in the hands of a righteous person!’” [Ahmad and Al-Bukhari. Abu ‘Awaanah, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Haakim, Al-Albaani: authentic]
According to its very wording, the Hadith clearly states that wealth is praiseworthy if it is lawfully gained and in the hands of a righteous person. The lawfulness of wealth means that it is pure and earned through lawful means, and the righteousness of the owner means that he uses his lawful wealth in what benefits him and his community. He fulfils the Rights of Allah with regard to his wealth by paying the obligatory Zakat on it and may spend it in charity voluntarily. This is a praiseworthy attitude towards wealth, as evidenced by his saying “How excellent lawful wealth is…” In the same vein, another Hadith lauded wealth when it is lawfully earned and rightfully spent. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “This wealth is sweet (alluring); whoever earns it lawfully and spends it rightfully, then what excellent help it is!” [Al-Bukhari] In this case, wealth is an excellent means for a Muslim to fulfil the due rights over him, uphold the ties of kinship, relieve the distressed, and spares himself from the humiliation of begging for money, as well as all the other benefits of wealth. The Shari‘ah texts that laud wealth and commend richness should be interpreted in this light.
By the same token, the Hadith indicates the gravity of the affliction when wealth is in the hands of a wicked, corrupt person; he withholds the Rights of Allah with regard to his wealth, and therefore, it becomes a destructive tool incurring his own destruction and a means of causing mischief on earth. Such a person may also combine the sin of acquiring wealth unlawfully with that of wastefulness. This meaning was stated by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, in the second part of the previously-cited Hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him: “...and he who obtains it wrongfully is like one who eats but is never satisfied.” [Al-Bukhari] This is in addition to having a gluttonous soul and a heart overcome by the Fitnah (temptation) of wealth. The Shari‘ah texts that dispraise wealth, warn against extravagance, and encourage asceticism and renouncing greediness for the worldly pleasures should be interpreted in this light.
This Hadith and the other supporting ones about the enjoined attitude towards wealth – like the one narrated by Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, in its two parts: “This wealth is sweet (alluring); whoever earns it lawfully and spends it rightfully, then what excellent help it is! He who obtains it wrongfully is like one who eats but is never satisfied,” – they are considered a Prophetic standard and an Islamic methodology of moderation in pursuing wealth, with neither excessive asceticism nor the dispraised accumulation of wealth and exceeding the proper limits in its acquisition and spending.
These Ahaadith, therefore, direct the Muslims towards the correct viewpoint on the true nature of wealth and underline that Islam does not dispraise wealth in an absolute sense, as some Sufis claim, nor does it praise it in an absolute sense. The subject matter of the praise and dispraise here is not the wealth itself but rather the states of people in acquiring, spending, or disposing of it. Whoever seeks (lawful) wealth with the intention of providing for himself and his dependants and reforming the universe with such wealth by investing and spending it on what is good and beneficial to the individual and community, then how excellent such wealth is!
Some of the Companions were wealthy and successful traders. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was a trader, and his wealth was well spent in support of Islam and the Muslims. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “No wealth has benefited me as much as the wealth of Abu Bakr.” Thereupon, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, wept and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I and my wealth are only for you, O Messenger of Allah!” [Ibn Maajah, Al-Albaani: authentic] There were many other rich Companions whose wealth was a source of mercy and help for people and which was spent in support of the Islamic causes, like that of the third caliph, ‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, who equipped the Muslim army for the Battle of Tabook with nine hundred and fifty camels and rounded them up to one thousand with fifty horses.
As for those who seek after wealth to accumulate it and boast about it, turning it into a means to cause mischief on earth and corrupt the economy through engaging in forbidden transactions such as Riba and gambling, they contribute to the poverty and unemployment in their societies by concentrating wealth in the hands of one social class. Accordingly, wealth, in their hands, becomes a means of destruction and evil, just like Qaaroon, whose story was related in the Qur’an. He wronged his people by dealing with Riba with their wealth and claiming that he had earned and obtained such wealth exclusively by means of his knowledge and efforts! This corrupt viewpoint on wealth and the economic injustice were enough sin for him to deserve the immediate destruction that befell him. Contrary to his aspirations to dominate the earth, Allah, The Exalted, destroyed him by causing the earth to swallow him, and he will continue to sink until the Day of Resurrection. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {And We caused the earth to swallow him and his home. And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of those who [could] defend themselves.} [Qur’an 28:81]
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Answers to some soul-searching questions
The Truth constantly provides you with a clear view, helps you to treat the anxiety inside your soul. The answers for the following questions are from The Noble Qur’an.
What is the clear concept of God?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “Say: He is Allah (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” - Qur’an chapter (surah) 112.
Why has God – Allah – created me?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “And I (Allah) Created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone), I seek not any provision from them. (i.e. provision for themselves or My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or my creatures). Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, – the Most strong.” surah 51: verses 56-58.
What is the purpose of my life and my existence?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “And it is He who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in that which He has bestowed on you. Surely your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” surah 6: verse 165.
What will happen to me after death?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “O Man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord – with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, –so you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did), Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, He surely will receive an easy reckoning, And will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, He will invoke (his) destruction, And shall enter a blazing fire, and made to taste its burning.” surah 84: verse 6-12.
Is it enough to follow my parents’ beliefs or the majority of people without thinking whether they are in the right path or not?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “Or have We given them any Book before this (the Qur’an), to which they are holding fast?, Nay! They say: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps. And similarly, We sent not a Warner before you (O Muhammad) to any town (people) but the luxurious ones among them said: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their footsteps. “(The warner) said: “Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following?” They said: “Verily, We disbelieve in that with which you have been sent.” surah 43: verse 21-24.
What is the true way for salvation?
The Almighty said in the Noble Qur’an (which translated as follow): “Say (O Muhammad): “We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma’il (Ishma’il), Ishaque (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob), and Al-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya’qub (Jacob)] and what was given to Musa (Moses), ‘Iesa (Jesus) and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allah) we have submitted (in Islam), And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers” surah 3: verse 84-85.
The Almighty Allah said in the Noble Qur’an (which is translated as follows): “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut [anything worshipped other than the Real God (Allah)] and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” surah 2: verse 256.
masjid
