بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
The Niyyah of a Mu’min is superior to his action.[Tabrani]
Actions are according to intentions [Bhukari]
Niyyah (intention) is simply a conversation between us & our Allah before any action. While one is doing an act of worship, Shaytaan tries to remove our concentration of mind & heart, emptying our actions of their essence. The more ikhlaas (sincerity) we have in any work, whether deen or dunya, the more accepted it will be. If an action is accepted by Allah we will enjoy the spiritual benefits of it & Allah will grant us the rewards promised. These 8 intentions are not from the ahadith, they are from the reflections of scholars. The scholars have mentioned that these 8 intentions create an awareness of Allah, building our connection with Him. These 8 intentions will make us humble & protect us from riyaa (showing off), hence developing kushoo & sincerity within our actions. If Allah grants Tawfeeq, then we should make the 8 intentions before the action & as many times as possible during the action. At the beginning it may seem difficult but Insha’Allah with practice it will become easier & even actions like going to the bathroom will become worthy of being presented before Allah.
INTENTION NO 1:
O My Allah only you are giving me the Tawfeeq (ability) to do this action & the outcome of this action is in your hands.
Example 1: Ya Allah only you are giving me the ability to stand up for salaah, I would have not done so if you hadn’t guided me & the outcome- spiritual/physical benefits etc is in your hands.
Example 2: Ya Allah only you are giving me the ability to cook this food & the outcome- whether it comes out nice / increases the love between me & my guest is in your hands.
INTENTION NO 2:
O My Allah, I am doing this action to follow your command & to follow the sunnah of your Nabi ﷺ .
Example 1: When feeding your child, think my Nabi ﷺ would have fed his children.
Example 2: When doing the housework, think my Nabi ﷺ would help around the house & serve His family.
INTENTION NO 3:
Think of the rewards promised by Allah & His Nabi ﷺ for that action.
Example 1: My Allah becomes happy & pleased with me when I do khidmah (serve) His creation. (This could be applied when you go to work/do household chores)
Example 2: Whilst I am doing wudhu my minor sins are being washed away.
INTENTION NO 4:
O my Allah in this action you can hear me, you can see me. You know what is in my heart & you are with me.
•Whether a person praises you or criticises you, it should not affect you because you do not commit any action for anyone, you do them solely for the pleasure of Allah.
• Don’t judge yourself based on people’s praises / criticism. Allah is the judge of your actions. If Allah will be happy with you do the action & if He will be angry don’t do the action.
• This intention will help us in times of difficulties, Allah is with you no matter what. He knows. He sees. Trust the wisdom in His plans for you.
INTENTION NO 5:
O my Allah, I am not worthy & fit to do this action. Others who are doing it are deserving & they are your accepted servants. So through their acceptance in your eyes, accept my action as well.
•The last illness to be removed from the heart (through dhikr etc.) is pride. This is because it is deeply embedded in our hearts. By making this intention regularly, pride will be removed from the heart Insha’Allah
•This intention shows us the reality of who we are. We are nothing, created from an impure drop of semen. If we recognise who we are, then we will know who Allah is.
INTENTION NO 6:
O my Allah, I am doing this action only for your pleasure, so give me the ability to please you & save me from your anger.
•When teaching Children, start with this intention & then gradually over the years add the other intentions
INTENTION NO 7:
O my Allah accept this deed of mine & make it a means of guidance for me & for the whole of humanity until Qiyamah.
• When doing any deed, don’t just think me, me, me. Our deeds, the good & bad have an effect on the whole ummah. One sincere good deed can be the means of hidayah for someone across the world. Similarly it is due to our sins that the ummah all around the world is facing many difficulties. “The Muslims are like one body of a person; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and d if the head aches, the whole body aches”. [Muslim]
INTENTION NO 8:
After the action, make shukr to Allah for having done the deed, believing that only Allah by His mercy gave me the ability to do it. Then make istighfaar with regret over the short comings in the deed.
Tayyibah Tree 