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Writer's pictureQylah Umm Jannah

What’s Your Motive?

As salaamu ‘alaykum السلام عليكم

Whether it’s prayer, school, work , taking care of loved ones etc, there’s a motive for it. EVERYTHING we do has a reason behind it. This motivation is present for whatever it is that we do in life.

Why is this a topic of discussion? Because this is attached to something far greater; It’s called Intentions. This matter of intentions is the very driving force behind our actions.

When something of good is made apparent to others, you’ll often hear a person ask “what was your motivation?” We should ask ourselves this pressing question each time we do something especially when it comes to worship. Our intentions can make or break us. For sure if our intentions are correct then that which follows will be correct. However when we have corrupt intent, this is only self trickery. As we may think we are fooling others, but we are really fooling ourselves.

One of the amazing things about intention is that , it’s something that is so private and so unknown. No one ever knows what a persons true intent is for anything except , Lord of the worlds Allaahالله. Likewise we never know what another persons intentions are nor should we assume. This knowledge of what is within our hearts is with Allaahالله alone.

We have an internal struggle that we go through with our own intentions. We may begin with one intention then get shifted to an entirely different one. People , environments, and influences, these can be a few factors that play a role in shifting our intentions so we must always be on guard to protect the intent.

Consistently seeking the help of Allaahالله with sincerity is key in assisting with our intentions . Because ultimately how sincere you are to wanting to please Allaahالله , is connected to the intention we place in our efforts.

But what should our intentions be? Our purpose in life is clear, to worship Allaahالله alone. Allaahالله says “And I created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” The Holy Quran 51:56 . So then in the case of our purpose in life, our intentions should always be in line with fulfilling this purpose. We should make the intent that whatever we are about to embark upon is for the pleasure of Allaahالله .

It’s so easy to lose sight of the reasoning behind our efforts. This life is temporary and we don’t realize that at times; this causes us to lose focus. We must keep our eyes on the prize which in this case is Jannah. Keep in mind all those who will be bankrupt on the Day of Judgment from SAYING that they had good intent and were sincere however, Allaahالله exposes their REAL intentions for that of fame , fortune, praise from the people etc .

This life is like living in an airport , we are here for some time waiting on the next flight to take us to our final destination . The airport is not the place where we settle nor is it our final destination. We utilize the airport to aid us in getting to where we need to be. This holds true about this life, it’s just utilized to get us a good position in the hereafter. Soon, much of what we put emphasis on in this life won’t be so important anymore. All that will be of benefit to us will be our deeds. Those efforts that we put forth and the intent that was attached to those efforts. This is why intentions are very crucial . We must examine and renew them until we expire. It’s a never ending assessment that if taken serious can benefit us in the next life In shaa Allaah ان شاء الله .

In staying focused on these aforementioned things, we can gain success in this life and the next. We just need to refrain from trying to please others and show off. Or giving our all to a destination that is quickly fleeting . Show off to Allaahالله . Know that he is watching us, He hears and sees all that we do and say.

I leave us with the statement from our prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhee wa sallam:

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhee wa sallam: said: “Actions are only by intention, and every man shall only have what he intended. Thus he whose hijra was for Allaah and was for Allaah and His Messenger, his hijra was for Allaah and His Messenger, and he whose hijra was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his hijra was for that for which he made hijra.” Sited in Bukhaaree & Muslim

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