Ramadhan Intentions

By Rafet Khaliq

‘Good intentions are the most beautiful of secrets’ Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA)

As the fourth Caliph of Islam and cousin and son in law of Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him), Ali exemplified sincerity and selflessness in his actions and unwavering devotion to Allah. The statement ‘good intentions are the most beautiful of secrets’ resonates deeply with the teachings of the life of Ali Ibn Talib (RA). Pure intentions were often unseen but profoundly impactive. Ali's humility and piety serves as a reminder that beauty of one’s intentions lies not in the public recognition but in their alignment with divine principles. Embracing these ethos can enrich our spiritual journey and foster a deeper connection with Allah leading to a more harmonious and compassionate existence.

The why of what we do:

Ali Ibn Talib (RA) beautiful example lead me to think, if we were to consider last year’s Ramadhan and think back at what we did, going back to the why, addressing our intentions…how much of our tasks, zikr, ibaadah etc are to please our Almighty Allah as an immediate purpose for any acts of worship?

We get caught up in task focused worship which can be seen as chores rather than worship and pleasurable steps to please Allah SWT in which we can attain reward.

If we were to go back to our whys for intentions for Ramadhan, how many of the following resonate when it comes to ibaadah?

• It’s what we do during Ramadhan
• Everyone is doing extra Ibaadat, I feel left out if I don’t.
• I had some goals during Ramadhan and want to achieve them.
• I go to Tarawih to catch up with friends and pray together.
• I want to beat last year’s goals.
• Iftaaris are a good time to get together with family
• I want to please Allah SWT / do it for the sake of Allah SWT.

If we were all to have chosen the last point in all that we do– I want to please Allah SWT / do it for the sake of Allah SWT for all our ibaadah then we’re doing great! Allah SWT will reward us with whether we achieve our intentions or not! In fact, if we were to make our sincere intentions but not achieve them, we will then receive the reward as if we fulfilled the act…and if we were to have fulfilled the act then we receive 10 times the reward, it’s a win win!

However this isn’t always the case, some actions get frizzled in the process by focused outcomes going into autopilot ‘I need to complete my Qur’an’ or ‘I must pray my Zohr’ and give less thought and weight to the intentions behind the action. If we go by focused outcomes, along with unprepared intentions then will we get rewarded? 

When we look at one of Imam Nawawis forty hadith one of which is ‘Actions are only (judged) by intentions (niyyah), each person shall be rewarded for that which he intended’ (Bukhari, Muslim). The intention which is the Niyyah refers to the spirit of doing deeds through which they may become religiously valid – sincere intentions turn permissible deeds into acts of worship. This process also highlights the connection between the physical actions and their spiritual consequences. Even though nobody else may understand us, and sometimes we are not correct in our actions even when our intentions were good, Allah SWT knows our true intentions and knowing this helps to bring peace within ourselves.

How to get to your Why…

To uncover the core purpose of a project, leaders often employ the ‘Keep Asking Why’ method. By repeatedly posing the question, ‘Why are we doing the project?’ and continuing to delve deeper with subsequent inquiries, typically four to seven times, the essence of the endeavour gradually reveals itself. This systematic approach enables a thorough understanding of the underlying motivations and goals driving the project forward.

If we were to reframe such acts of worship as ‘I have a meeting with My Lord and want to please Him with my prayer’. Our attention and presence during our prayer keep us focused on the intentions we made originally which is to please Him.

The Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said ‘In our body there is a lump of flesh, if it is good, the entire body will be good, and if it is corrupted the entire body becomes corrupted, and that is the heart’ (Sahih Bukhari). Clearly the state of our hearts has a domino effect on our intentions. We must ensure our hearts are in a healthy state as we set our intentions. Our heart and mind are interconnected therefore what we intend will influence our thoughts then our actions.

If we keep this process of sincere intentions as a key weight in our lives then before we decide to get together with a group being part of a he says she says crowd, you may rethink your input or even your presence in that conversation – Is being part of that conversation for the pleasure of Allah SWT – especially during Ramadhan reaffirming our intentions can impact our actions – who or what we need to avoid becomes an act of worship – perhaps for one person it is avoiding Netflix, for another it may be to avoid the gossipy neighbour who keeps you up to date with the whereabouts of everyone. Whatever it is let's rethink – will this action be pleasing to my Lord?

Let’s make some shifts this Ramadhan so we're adding weight to the anchor, the anchor being our intention - Author of ‘Living with intent’ – Mallika Chopra said ‘Personally, I have found that when I state an intent, it provides an anchor for me. Being purposeful, we will often make choices and look for opportunities to achieve- it provides that anchor in our thinking and decision making’.

When we tell our brain we intend to do something, our brain then looks for opportunities to fulfil it, when you live with intentional living it gives purpose, focus, drive, motivation, lifts the energy, the eagerness to achieve, productivity increases, and you work more efficiently.

One action, multiple intentions:

Intention can be filtered through every act that you do, the energy that goes in, impacts the journey you want to go on. Let’s take when a person goes out to work for example, why are they working? Of course, we all need money to survive but how can me make it more intention based to gain more rewards…

Shifting the focus on why you work and align it with pure and certain intention as the starting point focusing on some of the points below.

• to please The Almighty
• to earn a halal income
• to provide food for the family
• to serve others/colleagues/clients/public
• to make a positive impact on society
• to give in charity

One thing can have multiple intentions as the Sahabahs and Sheikhs did to gain multiple rewards.

The ripple effect of good intentions can impact our overall existence and as earlier mentioned a more harmonious and compassionate existence just like Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA). 

Our intentions can be filtered into everyday life, reminding ourselves regularly and we can attain rewards by just making sincere heart centered intentions. Maybe when you wake up, think, how I am going to please my Lord today…

#becomeyourbetterself

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