بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Intention is an alchemic prescription that can turn base dirt into noble
gold. The hadith says ""All actions depends upon intentions.''
It is sometimes interpreted to mean that good intentions justify bad
deeeds too and turn sins meritorious. This is entirely wrong. Sin is
always is a sin, no matter how noble the intention may be. For
instance if someone breaks into a house to steal with the intention of
giving away as alms whatever he would steal, he would be a thief
deserving the prescribed punishment. His good intentions would not
earn any merit nor would his sin be pardoned.
What this hadith means is as follows :
1. A good deed earns merit only if done with right intention. For instance
prayer would earn merit only when one prays only for Divine pleasure : if
one prays to impress others, then, instead of earning merit, it would
earn punishment.
2. The second interpretation is that all lawful deeds actually earn neither
merit nor punishment, but if these are done with good intent, they
become acts of worship and earn merit. Eg : eating is lawful, but if one
eats with the intention that food shall give energy to one, to spend in
the service of Allah, the act of eating would earn merit. Similarly if one
eats with the intent that his physical body too has its rights and dues
which include nourishment through eating or if one eats with the intend
of getting pleasure and taste and of thanking Allah for these, the eating
becomes an act of merit.
There is no lawful deeds in this life, which if done with good intent, does
not become an act of merit.
A few instances shall elucidate the point further :
a) Honest earning, whether by trade or service or industry or agriculture,
if done with the intend of rightly fulfilling the duties enjoined by Allah
toward oneself and one's family.
Then if one further intends to spend whatever he may save after fulfilling
the needs of himself and his family in helping the poor and in other
similar good deeds, he would earn further merit.
b) When a person engaged in learning intends to serve the humanity
through his knowledge he would go on earning merit as long as he
remains engaged in acquisition of knowledge. Eg : A student of religion
may decide to propagate the faith, a medical student to alleviate human
suffering due to disease, an engineering student to serve his people
through his specialized knowledge etc. all these acts would becomes
acts of merit because of which motivates the doer.
c) A man, knowing that sustenance and subsistence is the responsibiltity
of Allah which He shall fulfil without fail, engages in a particular profession
or vocation with a view to serve humanity, his profession would earn him
merit.
d) If one dresses in finery not to show off his status or wealth, but to
afford pleasure to others, it is an act of merit.
e) If one treats his children with love because it is a sunnah of our
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , it earns him merit.
f) If one does the household chores because this too is a sunnah as our
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم helped in the housework, its
merit rewards in the Afterlife.
g) Loving conversation with wife and children is a sunnah and the
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has so ordained, hence
such an act is also meritorious if done to follow the sunnah.
h) Hospitality to guests, if shown in pursuance of sunnah is an act
of merit.
i) Planting a sapling or plant in the house so that it may one day be of
use to some man or animal and please the onlooker would be a good
deed.
j) If a woman dresses herself in beautiful raiment and wears ornaments
and adorns herself to please her husband and if a man remains clean
and neat to please his wife, both are good deeds.
k) If a watch is kept to know prayer timings and to realize the value of
time which is intended to be spent in good deeds, it is an act that earns
merit.
These are a few common examples from everyday life which can earn
much merit for the doer, Imam Ghazali has rightly observed in his Ihya'-
ul-'ulum that there is no lawful action in human life which, if done with
the right intent, cannot be changed into an act of merit.
Easy good deeds by
Mufti Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Intention is an alchemic prescription that can turn base dirt into noble
gold. The hadith says ""All actions depends upon intentions.''
It is sometimes interpreted to mean that good intentions justify bad
deeeds too and turn sins meritorious. This is entirely wrong. Sin is
always is a sin, no matter how noble the intention may be. For
instance if someone breaks into a house to steal with the intention of
giving away as alms whatever he would steal, he would be a thief
deserving the prescribed punishment. His good intentions would not
earn any merit nor would his sin be pardoned.
What this hadith means is as follows :
1. A good deed earns merit only if done with right intention. For instance
prayer would earn merit only when one prays only for Divine pleasure : if
one prays to impress others, then, instead of earning merit, it would
earn punishment.
2. The second interpretation is that all lawful deeds actually earn neither
merit nor punishment, but if these are done with good intent, they
become acts of worship and earn merit. Eg : eating is lawful, but if one
eats with the intention that food shall give energy to one, to spend in
the service of Allah, the act of eating would earn merit. Similarly if one
eats with the intent that his physical body too has its rights and dues
which include nourishment through eating or if one eats with the intend
of getting pleasure and taste and of thanking Allah for these, the eating
becomes an act of merit.
There is no lawful deeds in this life, which if done with good intent, does
not become an act of merit.
A few instances shall elucidate the point further :
a) Honest earning, whether by trade or service or industry or agriculture,
if done with the intend of rightly fulfilling the duties enjoined by Allah
toward oneself and one's family.
Then if one further intends to spend whatever he may save after fulfilling
the needs of himself and his family in helping the poor and in other
similar good deeds, he would earn further merit.
b) When a person engaged in learning intends to serve the humanity
through his knowledge he would go on earning merit as long as he
remains engaged in acquisition of knowledge. Eg : A student of religion
may decide to propagate the faith, a medical student to alleviate human
suffering due to disease, an engineering student to serve his people
through his specialized knowledge etc. all these acts would becomes
acts of merit because of which motivates the doer.
c) A man, knowing that sustenance and subsistence is the responsibiltity
of Allah which He shall fulfil without fail, engages in a particular profession
or vocation with a view to serve humanity, his profession would earn him
merit.
d) If one dresses in finery not to show off his status or wealth, but to
afford pleasure to others, it is an act of merit.
e) If one treats his children with love because it is a sunnah of our
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , it earns him merit.
f) If one does the household chores because this too is a sunnah as our
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم helped in the housework, its
merit rewards in the Afterlife.
g) Loving conversation with wife and children is a sunnah and the
eternally blessed Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has so ordained, hence
such an act is also meritorious if done to follow the sunnah.
h) Hospitality to guests, if shown in pursuance of sunnah is an act
of merit.
i) Planting a sapling or plant in the house so that it may one day be of
use to some man or animal and please the onlooker would be a good
deed.
j) If a woman dresses herself in beautiful raiment and wears ornaments
and adorns herself to please her husband and if a man remains clean
and neat to please his wife, both are good deeds.
k) If a watch is kept to know prayer timings and to realize the value of
time which is intended to be spent in good deeds, it is an act that earns
merit.
These are a few common examples from everyday life which can earn
much merit for the doer, Imam Ghazali has rightly observed in his Ihya'-
ul-'ulum that there is no lawful action in human life which, if done with
the right intent, cannot be changed into an act of merit.
Easy good deeds by
Mufti Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani
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