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Explanation of Chapter 2: On Intention from Imam al-Haddads The Book of Assistance

Notes from a seminar by Ustadh Usama Canon (10/25/08)

Intent ions are the bases of deeds; according t o t hem your deeds wi th either be good or ugly, sound or

unsound

Soundness that what you are doing is according to the guidelines of the Quran & Sunnah Sound Deed done according to quran & sunnah and done with ikhlas (sincerity) Sincerity Intention purely for the sake of Allah - intention not mixed with anything else Sincere Inetention when you go out to actually perform the deed you do it only for the Sake

of Allah; Renewing intention before doing the deed is better than sincerity alone.

The foundation for all actions are their intentions Islay by definition is that which is on your limbs

o Hadith of Jibreel What is Islam? (5 pillars all actions, done with your limbs outwardly)

Deeds are only according t o int entions. Each man has that which he intended

This hadith is half of Islam Deen is either outward (actions), or inward (intentions) Outwardly, people may look good, but inwardly it is very foul. Very common nowadays. This hadith is one third of all knowledge of the deen Deeds are done by:

o The heart intentionso The tongue what you sayo The limbs what you do

This hadith enters into over 70 chapters of fiqh Need niyyah (intention) before you do the action

o i.e. salat, sawm, hajj, zakah Intentions are a vehicle

Whoever migrates for Allah and his messenger, then it is for Allah and his messenger,

Whoever migrates for the dunya or to get married, than he did it for that

You must, therefore, utter no word, do no action, and decide no matter without the intention of

drawing nearer to God

However, the state of our species is to say, do, and decide things without even thinking about it. Drawing Nearer to Allah

o None of you will enter jannat by your deeds alone, not even the prophet, unless Allahenvelopes you in his mercy

o No one can ever fulfill Allahs rights over oneself

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Allah has given us so many different ways to worship himo Ibadato Everyday actions with sincere intentions

1. Eating with the intention to preserve life (fard kiffayah), or gain energy to doother ibadat, etc.

2. Studying Medicine with the intention to fulfill fard kiffayh (even though this isprobably already overly filled :P)

3. Studying Secular knowledge with the intention to get a job. (see next)4. Work- with the intention to gain halal income to provide for yourself and your

family; to free yourself of being dependent on others

5. Meet people interact with others with the intention of acting as anambassador of Allah

You are either making dawah, or others are making dawah to you6. Meet friends with the intention to be in good company, or to make your

friends happy

Actions most beloved to Allah (after fulfilling obligations) is makingother Muslims happy

7. Doing chores at Home with the intention of serving your family Whosoever glances at their parents in a way that pleases them, Allah will grant them the

reward of a Hajj

Means of Rizq (Provision)

Taqwa (fear of Allah) Tawakkul (Trust in Allah)

o Whoever Trusts in Allah He will provide for them Salat Sadaqa (Charity) Istighfar (Seek Forgiveness) Taharruq (working)

A behavior should not belie its int entions

Intentions do not affect sins If you do not object to something haraam you are sharing in the sin

o Object ing t o Something1. Have to know that what you are objecting to is haraam by the consensus of all

scholars (that theres is no legitimate difference of opinion over)

2. Have to know that objecting to the thing is not going to bring about a greaterharm

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3. Have to believe that there is benefit in objecting to ito Enjoin good and f orbid evil

Whosoever among you sees evil, he must change it w/ his hand, or w/ his tongue, or w/ hisheart and that is the least of iman

Cannot do a good deed with bad intentionso i.e. dating for the prupose of dawah is haraam

IMPORTNT GAGE: if you find impetus for a good deed and you dont find it from the shariahand sunnahit could be wrongly motivated (from shaytan)

Keep intentions pure and good when doing even good deeds:o Seeking knowledge

To learn to please Allah To remove ignorance from myself and others To preserve the deen To show gratitude to Allah for the blessing of health and intellect

o Reciting the Quran To commune with Allah To extract knowledge from the Quran To benefit those who are listening

Quran is not background Music listen to it and pay attentiono Dont raise your voice over Quranic recitation (or the azan)o When playing a Quran CD only pause at the end of an ayah

A Man, when he decides to do something, does one of three things:

1. He decides and acts - GOOD2. He decides but fails to act when clearly able to do so - BAD3. He decides and intends to do something, but at the present time is unable to do so. This person receives the reward equal to the one who commits the act

o Do not just be a go to school, get married, live life, buy things ,and die person!!! o Make the intention to do big things!!!o We should all make the intention to memorize the Quran even if we are memorizing

little by little consistently and die without memorizing it as long as we had the

intention and were working towards it we will die as a hafiz

o Moreover, If you make the intention to do bad things it is as if you have done it!!!

Final Advice: Always be in a state of tawbah (repentful) or shukr (grateful t o Allah)