Actions Are But By Intentions

As-salam alaikum my beautiful sis!

I hope this meets you in the best of iman and health in sha Allah.

Something happened.

I saw a post online.

I’ll be honest, I got triggered. But, alhamdulillah, those emotions eventually led me to reflect on my own journey and life experiences getting closer to Allah; my own journey trying to be a better muslim.

I realised that I’m a softie (actually I already knew this lol), but I also realised something that I often forget a lot - only Allah truly knows our intentions. As humans, we need to extended grace to one another. Truly.

The word “journey” may not always sit right with some. And maybe that’s because people can use this word as an excuse for not even trying. The idea that everyone is on a journey may cause these people to become negligent of their duties towards Allah. This is true and absolutely valid, but also, on the flip side of things, everyone is truly on a journey - whether we realise it or not.

Everyone has a varying level of sin(s) that they struggle with and trials that they have to go through. Would it then be fair to judge someone struggling with a sin that Allah protected you from? Would it be right to look at others with arrogance just because you may never understand what inner struggles they have to go through to get closer to Allah? Some, Allah made the path easier for. Others, Allah allowed them to struggle just a little more. Allah knows what each soul can bear. Everyone is on a journey to The Creator, and your journey, sis, to Him, is quite unique and special.

As a perfectionist, who is striving to become a retired perfectionist (can’t wait lol, in sha Allah), I would say that the idea of sin is something that is easier for me to grasp in theory than it is to grasp in understanding and practice. Innately, I want to be someone that is free of flaws, sin, and all that which displeases Allah. But the reality is that I’ll never be. Why? Because I’m human, and so are you.

This newsletter is not to justify sin nor encourage delaying repentance, but to reassure you that Allah knows your struggles, your flaws, and your intentions - your deepest and sincerest intentions. With every sin you fall into, repent, leave the sin, and replace it with a good deed in sha Allah. If you fall into it again, repeat the same cycle. Whatever you do, don’t give up on the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah.

Allah Himself tells you this in His book, “Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 39:53). Do not label yourself as unworthy because of something you’re struggling with. Comfort yourself with the words of Allah, and please, do not expose your sins. Strive to keep them private in sha Allah.

So, how do intentions play into this?

It was narrated that 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said: "Actions are but by intentions, and each man will have but that which he intended. Whoever emigrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, and whoever emigrated for the sake of some worldly gain or to marry some woman, his emigration was for that for which he emigrated." Grade: Sahih (Darussalam). Reference: Sunan an-Nasa'i 3437.

This hadith conveys and emphasises to us that every deed that is done for other than Allah will be rewarded with the intention that was behind that deed. If we are doing good deeds for praise, recognition, or acceptance, we will get it, but nothing more. That’s scary. May Allah protect us from wrong intentions, ameen.

Whatever it is that you do, remember that on the Day of Judgement, it's just going to be you alone in front of your Lord. If you focus on what everyone says, good or bad, you risk jeopardising your sincerity and purity of heart. Our intentions become poisoned when we do things other than for the sake of Allah. If we’re so focused on appearing as our usually flawed perception of a righteous woman i.e. someone without sin, we’re only going to spend a long time miserable, ending up far far away from Allah.

I also want you to look at this hadith from the angle of a sin you’re struggling with, in sha Allah. What are your intentions? Do you intend not to commit that sin, but you end up falling into it because of human weakness? Or are you arrogant or making excuses for yourself?

Maybe you struggle with hijab for example. Whether it is wearing the hijab the correct way or even wearing it at all. Look at your intentions behind it - is it something you’re genuinely struggling with? Maybe due to your upbringing, desires, fear of people’s judgement, personal struggles etc.? Or is it something you’ve refused to do out of arrogance?

Then, look at these two things - how can I work towards pleasing Allah? Am I being sincere to Him?

After reflecting on your intentions, why it is that you’re struggling with this sin, and taking those two questions above into consideration, make du’a and take action. Start with small changes. After Allah, you know yourself best. Based on my very short life experience, I try to tell people to start small with anything new or huge that they want to do. Why is this? Because tiny drops make a mighty ocean. Every tiny effort you make honestly makes a huge impact. A small movement in the right direction is better than no movement at all. Also, sometimes, it can be daunting to do things in one go. Not only can we become overwhelmed along the way, we may also struggle to maintain that new habit because we didn’t put any structures in place to accommodate this change.

Sis, if you’re struggling with hijab, Allah sees the effort you made to dress a little bit more modestly than you usually would today, even if it is not yet islamically modest. If you’re struggling with drinking alcohol, Allah sees the effort you made to restrain yourself to drinking only once this week because you’re trying to quit, rather than your usual daily dose maybe. If you’re struggling with music, Allah sees the effort you made to listen to one less song today. If you’re struggling with the five daily prayers, Allah sees the effort you made to pray even just fajr today.

Allah sees it all. He knows.

Whatever it is, Allah sees you. Most importantly, Allah sees and knows your intentions. Again, I am not justifying or promoting sin, but rather reminding you that, you, my beloved sister, are human, and you are on a journey towards gaining closeness to your Rabb. Do not give up, do not lose hope, keep trying till your last breath, in sha Allah.

No matter how “bad” it looks like from the outside, Allah knows where you started, and He knows where you’ll end. Ask Him to keep your heart occupied with pleasing Him and being sincere to Him.

If you have these - pleasing Allah and being sincere to Him, you have all you need in sha Allah. Allow yourself to enjoy this journey towards Him. Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t settle for complacency or not wanting to be better either. Strive to better, but know that you will stumble along the way. Those stumbles are only there to shape your journey even more beautifully, in sha Allah.

May Allah grant you ease my beautiful sis, grant you a righteous end, and reward you immensely, ameen.

Fi amanillah - I leave you in the care of Allah.

With love,

Latifah.

Founder, Tifah & Co.