Lack of intentions:
When the people who are considered religious come out to perform the Faraaidh like five times daily Salah, or fasting or paying Zakat then they usually don’t do this out of show. Most people, however don’t also evoke their intentions causing their ebaadaat (worship) to become aadaat (habits).
Sinful Intentions:
On the other hand, when these people start to perform optional acts of worship like Nawaafil Salah, Awaabeen, Ishraaq, Dhuhaa, Tahjjud, or they start to recite the Quran regularly then Shaitan comes from another angle. Even though the concentration and devotion that is required in these optional acts are usually missing these people start to dream of name and fame. They start to think that people will call them pious, friends of Allah and people of high status.
Both of these conditions are wrong.
How to Rectify our Intentions:
The method of rectifying our intentions is mentioned in the hadith where Jibraeel (عليه السلام) asked the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم), “What is Ihsaan?” He answered that, “You should worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and if you are not seeing Him, He is seeing you.”
If someone is seeing Allah, how beautiful he would worship Him and with how much sincerity he would do such? Like if an employee is seeing his boss looking at him, will he do a bad job? No. He would make sure he does it with the best of his ability. Similarly, we all know that Allah sees everything, so it is necessary that when we do anything we keep this in mind. Before we commence our Salah we should visualize that Allah is looking at us. Before we recite the Quran we should envisage that Allah is watching us. We should do this in all our acts of worship. Then it will slowly come into our habits as well, like eating and sleeping, where we will also do these things with sincerity and the intention of pleasing Allah.
For this we need to make an effort. We have the misconception that these things come automatically, this is wrong. We have to strive hard, make mujahadah and lots of effort to achieve the state of Ihsaan and true sincerity.
May Allah help us to rectify our intentions.
(Adopted from “Hadith ke Islaahi Madhaameen” by Sultanul Aarifeen Hazrat Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri Saheb, May Allah preserve him.)
