Intention and Sincerity
Volume 4: Things That Save
The source text argues that human felicity in this world and the Hereafter is attainable only through knowledge and worship, yet these must be built upon the foundations of intention (niyya), sincerity (ikhlāṣ), and truthfulness (sidq). The text's central thesis is this: A deed without intention is futile weariness; intention without sincerity is riyā (ostentation); and sincerity without sidq (truthfulness) is an empty claim.
Summary
The source text argues that human felicity in this world and the Hereafter is attainable only through knowledge and worship, yet these must be built upon the foundations of intention, sincerity, and truthfulness.
Sections
A. Intention: The Soul and Compass of Deeds
Intention is defined in the text as a quality and act of the will of the heart, standing between knowledge and deed. Intention is a condition for an action to count as "worship."
- The Three Conditions of Intention: Knowledge (knowing), Will (willing), and Power (acting). A person cannot will what he does not know, nor can he perform (voluntarily) what he does not will.
- Its Being Better Than Deeds: Based on prophetic hadiths, it is emphasized that the believer's intention is better than his deed, because intention is an act of the heart, and the heart is the "shepherd" and "foundation" of the body.
- Its Effect on Categories of Deeds:
- Sins: Intention cannot transform a sin into worship. Backbiting to please someone, or building a mosque with unlawful wealth, is not legitimized by intention.
- Acts of Obedience (Worship): A good intention can multiply the reward of an act of worship many times over. For example, when a person enters the mosque, he may earn many rewards by intending not only the prayer but also visiting Allah, waiting for the next prayer, and keeping his limbs from the unlawful.
- Permissible Acts (Daily Matters): Ordinary actions such as eating, sleeping, or applying pleasant fragrance become worship through intentions such as "gaining strength for worship" or "following the sunna."
B. Sincerity: Purifying Deeds
Sincerity is explained in the text through the simile of milk in its pure state, separated from blood and impurity. It means cleansing deeds of every kind of "mixture" (association) other than Allah's pleasure.
- Ostentation and Hidden Polytheism: The greatest obstacle to sincerity is riyā (showing off). The text notes that riyā is sometimes very hidden; even beautifying one's prayer merely because "someone is watching" undermines sincerity.
- The Soul's Share: The degrees of sincerity are determined by whether, while worshipping, one secretly expects praise, desires esteem in society, or fails to aim solely at Allah's beauty beyond the desire to escape Hell or enter Paradise.
- The Condition of Deliverance: It is emphasized that Satan is ineffective only against "sincere servants."
C. Truthfulness (*Sidq*): Being True in Reality
Truthfulness (sidq) is not merely refraining from lying; it is the orientation of one's entire being toward truth. The text defines six degrees of sidq:
1. Truthfulness in Speech: The tongue's speaking the truth and avoiding ambiguous expressions (except in necessity). 2. Truthfulness in Intention and Will: The intention's being unmixed at the beginning of the deed. 3. Truthfulness in Resolve: When one intends a good deed, there being no hesitation or weakness in the heart. 4. Truthfulness in Steadfastness to Resolve: Fulfilling one's word/decision even when conditions change and the soul finds it burdensome. 5. Truthfulness in Deed: The outward appearance (ẓāhir) being in harmony with the inner state (bāṭin); a person possessing a spirituality deeper than he appears. 6. Truthfulness in Spiritual Stations: Arriving at the reality of stations such as fear, hope, love, reliance, and asceticism. (For example, one who truly fears Allah should tremble as one who fears a sultan trembles).
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Conclusion: The Determinative Power of Intention over Deeds
The source text shows that religious life is not merely a matter of formal rules; the true determinants are Intention in the heart, the purity of that intention which is Sincerity, and the truthfulness of that purity in every domain which is Truthfulness (Sidq). A believer's greatest struggle is the effort to deliver his deeds from the soul's hidden desires and Satan's stratagems and make them "pure." As stated in the document, "Deeds are upheld by intentions."
Key concepts
- Knowledge (*ʿIlm*)
- Knowing what is to be willed. A person cannot intend what he does not know.
- Will (*Irāda*)
- The heart's turning toward what it finds suitable for its aim.
- Power (*Qudra*)
- Setting the limbs in motion to realize what has been willed.
- Truthfulness of the Tongue
- That what is reported corresponds to reality.
- Truthfulness of Intention and Will
- There being no motivating force in the deed other than Allah.
- Truthfulness of Resolve
- The determination toward a good deed being complete and uncompromising.
- Steadfastness to Resolve
- Remaining true to one's word when conditions change and the soul's lusts flare up.
- Truthfulness of Deed
- The outward appearance (*ẓāhir*) not indicating something absent in the inner state (*bāṭin*).
- Truthfulness in Religious Stations
- Arriving at the reality of stations such as fear, hope, love, and reliance.
- Pure Intention
- An intention made solely for Allah's pleasure, into which no other intention has entered.
- Sincerity (*Ikhlāṣ*)
- Purifying and clarifying deeds of every kind of impurity (ostentation, self-interest, etc.).
- Truthfulness (*Sidq*)
- The correspondence of speech, intention, and deed with one another and with reality; truthfulness.
- Ostentation (*Riyā*)
- Performing worship or a good deed so that people may see and praise it; showing off.
- Resolve (*ʿAzm*)
- Firm decision and strong will to perform an action.
- Permissible (*Mubāḥ*)
- Daily actions in which there is no religious prohibition, which can be turned to good through intention.
- Truthfulness in Spiritual Stations
- Spiritual states such as fear, hope, and love not remaining mere words but reaching their reality.
- Evasion (*Tawriyya*)
- The art of concealing the truth by redirecting one's words without uttering a lie.
- Self-Admiration (*ʿUjb*)
- A person's approving of his own deeds or his own sincerity, assigning merit to himself.
- The Truthful One (*Siddīq*)
- A person who has reached the highest degree in the station of truthfulness, being entirely true in essence and speech.
Study questions
What is the fundamental principle explaining that deeds depend on intentions?
Deeds acquire value only according to intentions. A person has only what he intended. A deed without intention is futile weariness; intention without sincerity is riyā.
Can a good intention transform a sin into worship?
No. Intention cannot remove a sin from its sinful status. Ignorant approaches such as giving charity from another person's property do not turn the action to good even if the intention is good.
What is "second-degree *riyā*," one of the hidden afflictions that cloud sincerity?
It is a person's beautifying his prayer on the pretext of being an example to others and encouraging them to good. This is in fact a deception of the soul and a hidden riyā.
Is intention within a person's voluntary choice?
No. Intention does not arise by force or by saying "I intend" with the tongue. It is a spiritual opening that comes to the heart. If the heart is filled with love of the world, it is difficult to form a valid intention for worship there.
Who is called a "*siddīq*"?
One who has advanced in all or most of the six degrees of truthfulness (sidq), being one in essence and speech.