What Intention Should One Have When Working or Producing Academic Material?

Question: What intention should one have when working or producing academic material?

Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner, thank you for your very important question.

Allah Most High says in the Qur’an, ‘And they were only ever commanded solely to worship Allah, making religion sincerely His’ (Qur’an, 98:5).

Work, be it in the office, at school, or at university, is also a form of worship and should be done with excellence and sincerity. One’s intention should not be that people are impressed with you personally, but rather that you do something useful, and that you achieve the worldly goals that you need (a high grade, a raise, etc.).

When you write in order to express how great you are in your own eyes, then that is pride and conceitedness, and it is haram. ‘Do not walk proudly on the earth. Indeed, you will never tear open the earth, nor attain the height of mountains’ (Qur’an, 17:37).

Otherwise, you should try and do the best that you can to achieve success in school or live in a material way. There is nothing wrong with achievement.

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid Dingle

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language