The Importantance of Intent In Islam

[snakelegs]

how important is "intent" in islam?
a question was asked about the music in video games and was told that since his intent was not to listen to the music, but to play the game - it was ok.
is it ok for a male doctor to treat women patients, since the intent is to heal?
how much can you extrapolate from the comment about the role of intent in the video game case - do you follow common sense or is it clearly spelled out somewhere when it applies and when it doesn't?

[snakelegs]

bump.
maybe this would get more response in the jurisprudence section? mod, please move if you think this would be happier there. thanks.

[snakelegs]

bump. (thud)
mod, would you please move this lonely and neglected thread :cry: to "islamic jurisprudence"? thanks.

[Goku]

Hi Snakelegs

If you mean the intention to do something, it counts. For example, if you intend to do a good deed, but forget to actually do it, Allah SWT records it as a good deed nontheless. However, if you plan to do an evil deed, but forget to do it, Allah SWT does not record the evil deed.

God SWT increases the good deeds done by 10-70 times and only records an evil deed as it is done, such is the mercy of God.

As for the video game question, im not sure.

As for the male doctor healing a female, i think its permissable if theres no one else around.

Peace.

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[snakelegs]

thanks, goku! hope for more imput.

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

The heart must be clean and honest. Allah is Pure and He only accepts pure.

"Verily, deeds are rewarded by intention. And everyone will have the reward for that which he has intended."
[A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him - Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Sincere intention is the key to the success or failure of the Muslim. All that he or she does must be for the sake of Allah and not for the chance to show off or call attention to himself or herself. If there is even a speck of pride or showing off for the people instead of doing for Allah, then the whole of the matter will be rejected by Allah on the Day of Judgment. This is due to the fact that Allah wants purity of intention and purity in deed.

[*charisma*]

Hey Snakelegs,

Sorry that this thread was neglected for two weeks!

This hadith basically explains it:

Related by Bukhari and Muslim
`Abdullah ibn `Abbas : The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, regarding that which he narrates from his Lord, the Possessor of Blessings, the Exalted, "Indeed, Allah has defined the good and the evil deeds, and then explained them. So, whoever had the thought to do a good deed, but did not do it, Allah writes it for him as a complete good deed, while if he [actually] did it, Allah writes it for him as ten good deeds, [or] upto seven hundred fold, [or] upto [even] many times [more over]. And, if he had the thought to do an evil deed, but [dispelled the thought and] did not do it, Allah writes it for him as a complete good deed, while if he [entertained the thought and] acted on it, Allah writes it as a single evil deed."

From the Quran:

Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts; and He is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing. [2:225]

Be quite sure that to Allah doth belong whatever is in the heavens and on earth. Well doth He know what ye are intent upon: and one day they will be brought back to Him, and He will tell them the truth of what they did: for Allah doth know all things. [24:64]

Regarding Adopted Children:

Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if ye know not their father's (names, call them) your Brothers in faith, or your maulas. But there is no blame on you if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. [33:5]

Peace

[Malaikah]

how important is "intent" in islam?

Hi Snakelegs.

Intention means almost everything in Islam.

It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

In the example in the hadith, the person who migrated for the sake of Allah swt will be rewarded by Allah swt, but the guy who migrated for worldly thing has no reward.

Another example, a person who gives in charity to please Allah swt will be rewarded by Allah swt, but the person how gives in charity for showing off will not be rewarded, he might even be record as a sin.

a question was asked about the music in video games and was told that since his intent was not to listen to the music, but to play the game - it was ok.

That is being way to lenient! The person should mute it if it has music, especially because there is no greater good that needs to be served, he is just playing a game!

is it ok for a male doctor to treat women patients, since the intent is to heal?

No, unless there is a serious need. Why should men treat women when the women can go to a female doctor? If it happens that a man is sick and the only person who can treat him is a female, then in cases like this, i.e. cases of extreme necessity, it is permissible. And I say extreme because not wanting to drive another 10 minutes to get to another doctor is not a valid excuse (unless of course the person will die before they get there or something extreme like that).

how much can you extrapolate from the comment about the role of intent in the video game case - do you follow common sense or is it clearly spelled out somewhere when it applies and when it doesn't?

It is not permissible for a person to sin, even if he has good intentions, unless it is a case of extreme necessity, or there is no other option, or doing anything else will be a greater evil (such as if a male doctor refuses to treat a female who is about to die- what is the greater evil? The doctor helping her or letting her die? Of course letting her die is a greater evil so he must help her).

And even then, the person should hate the sin that he is committing and enjoying it will be a sin.

Obviously playing video games does not fall under these categories. :playing:

[snakelegs]

thanks people for responding to my poor, neglected thread. i like the hadiths quoted. i too, think intent is very, very important. do we abstain from certain things because we are afraid of god, or because we want to please god?
malaikah,
this thing about the video games actually came from a reply ansar made on another thread - i was surprised by his reply, and intrigued about it.
as for the doctor issue - i know islam would take a position that saving life is all-important. in many countries, there are few women doctors. there are a lot of sicknesses that need medical attention, even tho they are not a matter of life and death - would a male doctor be allowed to treat female patients under such conditions? where do you draw the line? again, here the intent on the doctors' part is strictly to heal.
as tayyaba said, the heart must be clean and honest.

[*charisma*]

Hey,

Here's another really good Hadith that I posted some time back:

One whose intention is not pure will deserve Hell in the Hereafter. Purity of intention is essential in all deeds.

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (pbuh) saying: The first of the people whose case will be decided on the Day of Judgment will be a man who died as a martyr. He will be brought forth. Allah will make him know about His blessings (which He had bestowed on him in the World). The man will acknowledge them. Then Allah will ask him: What did you do with them? He will say: I fought in Your way until I died as a martyr. Allah will remark: You are lying. You fought so that you may be called a brave warrior. Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and cast into Hell.

Second will be a man who studied (religious) knowledge. Then he taught it to others and recited the Qur'an. He will be brought (for Judgment). Allah will remind him of His favors (showered on him in the world). He will admit them (having enjoyed them in his life). Then Allah will ask him: What did you do with them? He will reply: I acquired knowledge and imparted it and also recited the Qur'an for Your sake. Allah will observe: You have told a lie, for you got knowledge to be renowned as a scholar; and you recited the Qur'an to be marked as a Qari (one who recites the Qur'an according to the rules). Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and thrown into Hell.

Third will be a man to whom Allah had made abundantly rich and granted him every kind of wealth. He will be brought for judgment. Allah will let him know about His gifts conferred upon him in the world. He will recognize them. Then Allah will inquire: What did you with them? He will say: I left no way in which you like money to be spent without spending in it for your sake. Allah will say: You are lying. You did so to be described as generous (in the society); (It means you got your reward in the world according to your intention). Now you deserve nothing in the Hereafter except Hell). So orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged along on his face until he will be hurled into Hell.

(This Hadith is sound and related by Muslim and An-Nasa'i)

Regarding Men treating Women:

Paraphrased from here: If there is no female doctor to treat her, be it a muslim or nonmuslim, she can then resort to having a male doctor treat her providing that she has her mahram (male guardian) with her.

Women treating Men

Paraphrased from here: Women aren't allowed to treat men unless there's a mahram (male guardian) in the same room and just as sis Malaikah explained:

It is not permissible for a female doctor to treat a man except in cases of necessity, such as if there is no male doctor available to treat him, or if the matter cannot be delayed as in the case of accidents etc.

peace

[snakelegs]

i just remembered reading somewhere that once ali was about to kill a man and the man turned and spat on him so he did not. because his intention then would not have been for god, but from anger (ego).
i've noticed that it gets really interesting when you stand aside and watch your own motivations.

[- Qatada -]

Hey snakelegs.


We do deeds in order to gain the mercy of Allaah, and we fear to disobey Him the same way one would hate to disobey their lover. Especially when this lover is aware of what you're doing. So its a form of shyness to disobey Him and obey Him because you love Him and want to be with Him in paradise.



Peace. :)

[snakelegs]

would you do the same good acts if you didn't fear to disobey? with the analogy of the lover, you want to please the lover out of love, not because you are ashamed for him to see you disobeying him or fear of his disapproval.
do you know when you do (or don't do) a specific act, whether you are acting out of love of god and wanting to please him, or out of fear of hell or promise of heaven. you are seeking his mercy - from love or fear?

what do you (all) think of this quote? (from rabi'a):
"I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to God. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of God."

[- Qatada -]

Hey. :)


Ibn al Qayyim, a famous scholar said that fearing and loving Allaah is like the two wings of a bird, if one wing was to outweigh the other - then it would cause an imbalance and make the bird fall.


In christianity and judaism [who were guided once upon a time] have actually given up on the aspect of fear, and only believe in love and salvation. If a person relies on these two aspects only, they are likely to gradually give up on their obedience because the person believes that Allaah's mercy will descend upon them anyway - so they may do evil without fear of punishment for their actions.

However, in islaam we still hold onto the aspect of fear because if we turn away from the obedience of Allaah, we are liable for His punishment. Which then keeps us firmer on our islaam and submission, hence we won't transgress, harm others etc. rather we will be continous in obeying Allaah in order to gain His salvation.


A person can't plant the seeds of disobedience to Allaah and expect the fruits of paradise, nor will a person plant the seeds of paradise and earn the hellfire. This is part of Allaah's Justice and promise.


Therefore from the what i've said above, i can say that i desire to meet Allaah and the righteous in paradise out of love for them, and i fear to disobey Allaah because i don't want to be punished and worst of all be rejected by Him totally in the hellfire, with no helper or friend.



Peace.

[snakelegs]

Hey. :)

Ibn al Qayyim, a famous scholar said that fearing and loving Allaah is like the two wings of a bird, if one wing was to outweigh the other - then it would cause an imbalance and make the bird fall.

In christianity and judaism [who were guided once upon a time] have actually given up on the aspect of fear, and only believe in love and salvation. If a person relies on these two aspects only, they are likely to gradually give up on their obedience because the person believes that Allaah's mercy will descend upon them anyway - so they may do evil without fear of punishment for their actions.

However, in islaam we still hold onto the aspect of fear because if we turn away from the obedience of Allaah, we are liable for His punishment. Which then keeps us firmer on our islaam and submission, hence we won't transgress, harm others etc. rather we will be continous in obeying Allaah in order to gain His salvation.

A person can't plant the seeds of disobedience to Allaah and expect the fruits of paradise, nor will a person plant the seeds of paradise and earn the hellfire. This is part of Allaah's Justice and promise.


Therefore from the what i've said above, i can say that i desire to meet Allaah and the righteous in paradise out of love for them, and i fear to disobey Allaah because i don't want to be punished and worst of all be rejected by Him totally in the hellfire, with no helper or friend.

Peace.

thanks for your reply. maybe fear and love are not necessarily mutually exclusive? (this is a new idea for me to think about).
i don't think that not having the fear aspect - motivation by love of god instead of fear - necessarily means that you think god's mercy is automatic (tho i think a lot - maybe all? - christians believe that simply by being christian they go to paradise) but i don't see that as a foregone conclusion.
my understanding may be limited by the fact that i don't believe (or not believe, for that matter) in the afterlife. i know this was the case in another thread.

[Malaikah]

Snakelegs, it is a bit like parents, we love our parents but at the same time we fear their punishment and anger when we do wrong. Just because we fear them, doesn't mean we don't love them.

[snakelegs]

Snakelegs, it is a bit like parents, we love our parents but at the same time we fear their punishment and anger when we do wrong. Just because we fear them, doesn't mean we don't love them.

true.

[Musalmaan]

how important is "intent" in islam?

Indeed intention is not everything in islam. if it had been, then biddah have not been condemned even though it is done sincerely to get nearer to Allah.

so in order that deeds be accepted by Almighty Allah,
two things are important.
1. Intention
2.Sidq (truth, actions according to Quran and Sunnah).


if the above two points are there then it is termed as rightful action, and be hoped that Allah SWT accept it by His greatness. If any one of it lacks then it is not a rightful action.


and finally quote of Imam Shafi'i r.a,

"All humans are dead except those who have knowledge ... And all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds ... And those who do good are deceived, except those who are sincere ... And those who are sincere are always in a state of worry”

[aamirsaab]

:sl:

how important is "intent" in islam?

It varies depending on the action. e.g. if we have intention to do a good thing we are rewarded, if we do it the reward is greater. If we intend to do something negative/bad we are punished (by this I mean the action is counted as a sin) only if the action is commited.

a question was asked about the music in video games and was told that since his intent was not to listen to the music, but to play the game - it was ok.

Music is always a touchy subject. I'd go with a scholar or Imams view point since I am not sure of this particular ruling.

is it ok for a male doctor to treat women patients, since the intent is to heal?

Yes for the very reason you gave.

[quotehow much can you extrapolate from the comment about the role of intent in the video game case - do you follow common sense or is it clearly spelled out somewhere when it applies and when it doesn't?[/QUOTE]
In certain cases it is a matter of common sense. With the video game case I myself am not so sure, but cases such as physical contact for example are more common sense based. e.g. if a female is falling from a height and I am nearby, it would not be seen as a sin to hold her hand, (to lift her up/catch her etc).

It really does depend on the situation but usually common sense is used.

[snakelegs]

[quotehow much can you extrapolate from the comment about the role of intent in the video game case - do you follow common sense or is it clearly spelled out somewhere when it applies and when it doesn't?

In certain cases it is a matter of common sense. With the video game case I myself am not so sure, but cases such as physical contact for example are more common sense based. e.g. if a female is falling from a height and I am nearby, it would not be seen as a sin to hold her hand, (to lift her up/catch her etc).

It really does depend on the situation but usually common sense is used.[/QUOTE]

several years ago, there was a case in saudi arabia where some girls' school caught fire and they were not rescued because of fear that they would be caught unveiled. (even tho that would certainly not be the intent).
is it true that this would be an incorrect (and twisted - my opinion, of course) interpretation/misuse of religious law.
i was reading recently about ihsan - would "intent" be an accurate translation of this word? what about "spirituality"?
it interests me because i think "intent" is much more important than outer manifestations. (of course, i'm not a muslim).

[Malaikah]

i was reading recently about ihsan - would "intent" be an accurate translation of this word?

No, ihsan means perfect (I think). In Islam ihsan means to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you can't reach that level, then as if He sees you.

it interests me because i think "intent" is much more important than outer manifestations. (of course, i'm not a muslim).

They go hand in hand. Good outer manifestations are 100% invalid without the proper intention, and proper intention can't be truly be there is it doesn't become manifest in the persons outer actions.

[snakelegs]

No, ihsan means perfect (I think). In Islam ihsan means to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you can't reach that level, then as if He sees you.



They go hand in hand. Good outer manifestations are 100% invalid without the proper intention, and proper intention can't be truly be there is it doesn't become manifest in the persons outer actions.

makes sense.

[aamirsaab]

:sl:

several years ago, there was a case in saudi arabia where some girls' school caught fire and they were not rescued because of fear that they would be caught unveiled. (even tho that would certainly not be the intent).

I was actually thinking of this particular case when replying.

is it true that this would be an incorrect (and twisted - my opinion, of course) interpretation/misuse of religious law

I cannot speak for all muslims (since I know certain would disagree), but that is certainly the way I saw it.

[snakelegs]

aamirsaab,
thanks for your reply.

[syilla]

Just missing rahmatullah snakelegs i guess ...

[Abdul Qadir]

how important is "intent" in islam?
a question was asked about the music in video games and was told that since his intent was not to listen to the music, but to play the game - it was ok.
is it ok for a male doctor to treat women patients, since the intent is to heal?
how much can you extrapolate from the comment about the role of intent in the video game case - do you follow common sense or is it clearly spelled out somewhere when it applies and when it doesn't?

hadith narrated by Umar Al Khattab: everything is based on intention when the Most Wise judges us on The Day...Muhammad(sallallahu'alaihiwasallam) said: My ummah are forgiven for the things they do wrongly without realising it.......but beware of Bid'ah...the sufees think that by singing and dancing, they are getting close to Allah but they are not...when someone listens to nasheed instead of music and his intentions are to get reward from Allah because of it, then he's very wrong as its a bi'dah and it Incurs the Wrath of the Almighty, the Angels and [Muhammad(sallallahu'alaihiwasallam)on the day of Qiyamat]...just to give u an example...just like the christians whose intentions are clear, but they will be burnt in the hell-fire forever...