...call upon Him (Allah) making your devotion sincere, such as He created you in the beginning, so shall you return." (Q7:29)
Imagine that some kind of outer space aliens are observing human activities in the world. What would they see? Men behind giant desks poring away at papers and books, some dropping bombs on others or pumping bullets into their bodies. Men in faithful devotional exercises and others hewing woods, picking pockets and more howling at the top decibels of their voice at the stock and open markets..What would be the aliens conclusion? Busy lots! It would not be a wrong conclusion for indeed
"We have created man into toil and struggle". (Q90:4).
Powerful as the aliens' observatory might seem to be that sees minutest details of life on earth, yet one thing would surely escape their sight - that each of these human activities is not without an end,
"verily, (the ends) you strive 'for are diverse" (Q92:4).
The end for which an action is carried out is also its test.
A man once approached a blind beggar holding a coin "I am going to stone (pelt) this nagging blind man today" he said to himself. He hurled the coin at the beggar but it missed the target and landed in his begging bowl. "Thank you, may Allah reward you" the blind beggar duely prayed as he heard the sound of the coin in his bowl. If the blind man's prayers were accepted, what will be the rewards of the man whose intention was to hurt? The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) said:
"works will be rewarded only in accordance with intentions, so each man will receive only according to what he intended" (Bukhari & Muslim).
In the sphere of religion, a man could be seen in the outward exercises of devotion but
"when they stand up to worship, they perform it languidly and to be seen of men, and are mindful Of Allah but little" (Q4:42)
and the Prophet said:
"when a man gets up for prayer and strives to make beautiful his prayer because people are watching him, that is secret shirk"
He could be seen very particular about the details of other pillars of Islam - fasting, zakaat, hajj and other noble endeavours such asjihadfi sabilillah. He could be in the vanguard of feeding the poor and donating the highest at religious and humanitarian functions.
These ordinarily are noble and meritorious services to and they duely praise and pray for Allah's reward for the man of God; but all these would come to naught if they are not accepted by Allah.
Acceptance or otherwise of human actions is hinged on the intention behind each of those actions.
Right before it is carried out, a clear intention has been formed for an action deep in the recesss of the heart. But
"whether you hide what is in your heart or reveal it..." (Q 3:29)
al-Baseer (the All-Seeing) is aware and He will reward accordingly. Rasulullah said:
"whatever you spend seeking the pleasure of Allah. even a morsel of food that you put in the mouth of your wife, will bring its reward" (Bukhari& Muslim),
Similarly, all actions and strivings not intended for the good pleasure of Allah will be in vain.
By an array of good deeds, a man can gain the mercy and pleasure of Allah and ultimately end up in Paradise
"well pleased and well pleasing to Him (Allah)" (Q89:28).
Through the same process of deeds, by simple alteration of intention, the same man can be rejected by Allah, earning his wrath and ending in
Hell. If for instance a man's actions were for show and to get praised by men, on the Day of Resurrection
Allah will tell him:
"Go to those for whom you were showing off in material world and see if you can find reward from them" (Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
Pure and noble intention is so crucial in Islam that by it a man reaps bountifully where he didn't even sow.
If a man sincerely intends a good deed but lacks the means to carry it out, the Merciful Allah records for him the reward of doing that particular action. Anas (R.A), a companion of the Prophet (PBUH)said: "we were returning from the campaign of Tabuk with the Prophet (PBUH) when he said:
"there are people left behind in Madina who were with us in spirit in every pass we crossed and every valley we traversed They were kept back by some disability. They are your partners in reward" (Muslim).
A believer who hopes in Allah's reward and pleasure is required to scrutinise his heart at the onset of an action as well as in the course of it for intentions do change midstream. If your intention is other than Allah's pleasure, set it right first if you must get it right in the end!
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited