how to have the right intentions

[syed1]

So through out many of the forums here a similar idea seems to be inherent in many of the responses/comments which is that one, in what ever act or thing that he or she is doing, should do it with the intention to please Allah.. so in essence, everything, every step in this life, its ultimate result should be to seek the pleasure of Allah...


now I have a general questions, how does one make a positive intention to please Allah in, for example, working towards becoming a CFA or an accountant. What intention should one be making, if the goal for example, is monetary gains or success in monetary terms. What intention does one make??

For me, I wish to gain monetary success and a long with other reasons of what I may do with the money, I have had a positive intention, for example, to donate it or to build a mosque (Inshallah) given my financial circumstances...


But the main questions is: what kind of intention does one make when pursuing something which is really only beneficial in this world...?

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

So through out many of the forums here a similar idea seems to be inherent in many of the responses/comments which is that one, in what ever act or thing that he or she is doing, should do it with the intention to please Allah.. so in essence, everything, every step in this life, its ultimate result should be to seek the pleasure of Allah...


now I have a general questions, how does one make a positive intention to please Allah in, for example, working towards becoming a CFA or an accountant. What intention should one be making, if the goal for example, is monetary gains or success in monetary terms. What intention does one make??

For me, I wish to gain monetary success and a long with other reasons of what I may do with the money, I have had a positive intention, for example, to donate it or to build a mosque (Inshallah) given my financial circumstances...


But the main questions is: what kind of intention does one make when pursuing something which is really only beneficial in this world...?

Asalaamu Alaikum,

“Verily actions are judged by intention.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

It is crucial that we purify & correct our intentions before doing any acts of worship. This is because we may have other underlying intentions in our hearts without even realizing it. Like for e.g. we may have in our hearts that we fast because we don’t want to look bad in front of our family or friends or because others fast etc.

So before doing any good deed we need to align & focus our intention to ONLY pleasing Allah. By doing this we will increase the sincerity in our worship & acts of virtues & by having better intentions when doing any good act is a means of earning greater rewards for whatever good deed we are doing.

Ibn Al-Mubaarak said:“Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention.”

Even daily routines like eating, drinking, sleeping, waking up, traveling etc can be a source of great reward by having the right intentions. Having good Intentions is easy & great rewards can be gained without making any hard physical effort. By just spending a couple of seconds having the right intention in our hearts we can turn a whole day to a day of worship. It is like turning dust into gold.

Even our jobs and careers can be a source of great reward. As long as we do our best and intend in our hearts to work and earn as was the Sunnah and because we were created to be able to earn our bread. On top of that to spend our money on our familys daily needs and and to give to charity for the sake of Allah. All other reasons why we want to earn money is love for the world. If Allah gives a person wealth then that person is being tested and it is likely he will be accountable for many things that he spent his money on.

The more money we have the more accountable we wil be on the day of judgement. That is why it is better to be poor than to be rich. As the poor will not be so accountable for the little money they had whereas those with wealth will tremble on the day of judgement knowing they wasted so much of what Allah had given them.

So we should not have careers to make excess money for no reason but to financially look after ourselves and our families and to leave something for our children and to give to charity for the pleasure of Allah. All other pursuits are simply love for the dunya which is the most harmful thing that can happen to a Muslim. Having love for the world and its riches is a disease in our hearts which we must get rid of. This disease will eat away at us until we are consumed by it and consequantly we will suffer a greatloss. That is why we must shun the love of the worlkd in our hearts and instead fill our hearts with yearning for the hereafter and to meet Allah and to see his beautiful face.

May Allah enable us to always have the best of intentions. Ameen