All About Intentions

 

Narrated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him), reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The deeds are considered by the intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration will be for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration would be for what he emigrated for”.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Intentions are the roots of every action. It reflects the underlying motives of why we plan something or do what we do. An intention is an aim or purpose, something you plan to do or achieve. Setting intentions is empowering. Instead of feeling like a victim of circumstance, you become the conscious creators of your days and your life

Intentions involve the emotions you hope and intend to feel about a particular thing or situation in the future. When you set an intention, it provides accountability and allows you to take control of your personal choices and life. It’s about being proactive in your own life, by purposely choosing how you want to live it.

Importance of intentions in Islam

The phrase Fi Sabillilah is mentioned repeatedly in the Quran, which translates as “in the way of Allah”.

When we do anything for the sake of Allah, with an intention to gain His pleasure, to please the Almighty alone – it takes away a lot of burden from our hearts and minds.

To live for Allah, and Allah alone, adds a beauty to life that no worldly circumstance can tarnish. The believer who lives for the sake of Allah is unaffected by outside circumstances. Nothing can rattle the inner peace and calmness he feels from the strong connection with his Creator. It adds zest to life, as each day is a new chance to better yourself and make your Rabb happy with you. It stimulates movement towards the better, in all aspects of life, for you want to return to God striving to improve yourself as much as possible.

How to set intentions

1. State you intention. Deciding to do something is enough as intending to do it. But to be able to clearly understand what benefits you want to achieve from that act you have to state the intentions. It could just be in your heart, in your mind, on paper, on your visual board, anywhere. But, make sure you express them – vocalise them or write them down or just state them in your heart and mind. This helps you to not miss out on any of the benefits that you could attain.
2. Be clear. It’s very important to know why you have decided to do what you want to do. For eg, if you decide to start eating healthy – your intent could be many things. To lose weight, to look a certain way, for a certain occasion, for better health, for better lifestyle etc. But, doing it for the sake of Allah so that your worship is benefitted with a healthy body, a calm mind and a peaceful soul – this makes the whole point of the act of dieting – spending time energy money on it – for the sake of Allah – a form of worship.
3. Set positive intentions. It’s important to understand that the intentions you set will have an impact on your mindset and vice versa too. The mindset you have towards your intentions will have an impact on the way you do things as well. Hence, it’s very important to set positive intentions – that speak of abundance, that speak well of Allah, that expect good results for you in this life and in the akhirah.
4. Keep them simple and doable. Instead of working on intentions for life, for the future, for years and months later, you could start working on intentions that you have for the daily activities that you already do. While setting intentions for them you will now work from a place of abundance, you will purify those daily tasks, expecting good things for yourself with those intentions. This way you are working on achieving micro habits which in turn will help you in setting lifelong healthy habits.
5. Believe in achieving those intentions. Shift your mindset to ABUNDANCE by being aware of Allah, working on tawheed and understanding Allah through His names and attributes. This will help you know how much you can rely on Allah and the effect having these intentions will bring in your life.

Benefits of purifying intentions:

1. First of all, it saves us from sinning. Obviously, nobody would do anything harmful or hateful and say it was for the sake of Allah.
2. It makes our living more mindful. We tend to live life purposefully by knowing or understanding the consequences of our actions.
3. Also, every act you do in life – from waking up in the morning to eating, working for a living, cleaning, taking care of parents or in-laws, kids, household chores, taking care of pets – every action you do, if you do it for the sake of Allah – this act becomes an act of worship.
4. By setting intentions on your actions, you expect the rewards for it only and only from Allah alone. So, it removes the burden of having unrealistic expectations from people – which is one of the main reasons for deteriorating mental health.
5. It helps you understand that one act could bring in multiple benefits. And hence could be a great motivator to get better or strive for excellence for the sake of Allah.

How working on my intentions helped my Mental health

اِنَّ صَلوتِي وَ نُسُكِي وَ مَحْيَايَ وَ مَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ

My prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death, are for Allah the Lord of the worlds.
Sura al-An’am, verse 162

When I started my journey in the way of Allah, I was amazed at all the positive changes it brought in my life. Not only in the way I live my life, but my mental and physical health too.

My self-discovery and healing journey has answered a lot of my questions and also made me very aware of my thoughts and the way I perceive life. It has helped me understand who I am – my core beliefs and values.

Setting intentions has helped me distinguish between waswas and actual negative thoughts. It has helped me understand what is important to me and my life right now and focussing on what’s in my control and what is not.

This journey has brought me out of the victim, always complaining mode to actually take control of my feelings and emotions and work through them.

My intentions behind starting this Blog.

To understand our purpose on Earth and know why we have been created by Allah swt has really simplified life for me. I was so dazzled with the calm and tranquil it brought to my life that I wanted everyone around me to experience it in their own lives.

Hence, this blog is my way of sharing my personal experiences. Hoping that it creates awareness of how important mental health is and that Islam is truly a way of life.

Every word I write here is for the sake of Allah, to gain His pleasure, to show gratitude to Him to have opened the doors of His Mercy and guide me to this path of healing.

I also intend to put everything that I have come across that has helped me immensely – in one place, categorised and a structured manner so that it becomes easier for anyone who is on their self-help journey.

And to empower every woman that comes by, to let you know that if I could get out of my dark hole, so can you.