The Power of Intention -Turning the Mundane into Sacred
“The Power of Intention – Turning the Mundane into Sacred” – Friday Reminder
Imam Yama Niazi
The Best of Actions and the Purest in the Sight of your Lord
In one hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told the companions, “shall I guide you to an action that is the best of all actions the purest in the sight of your Lord and one that raises your rank and is better than you spending in the way of Allah through gold and silver and better that you should meet your enemies in battle that they strike you and you strike them?”
They said, “Indeed oh Messenger of Allah! Tell us what is this great action!” He said, “the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah Most High.”
Indeed in another hadith qudsi – a hadith in which the prophet (peace and blessings upon him) mentioned what Allah says – he said: “I am as my servant thinks of me and I am with him when he remembers me. If he remembers me to himself I will remember him to myself. And if he remembers me in a group or gathering I shall remember him in a group and gathering better than theirs.” Meaning: the gathering of the great angels in the heavens.
Allah tells us in the Qur’an “remember me and I shall remember you.” (2:152)
The Essence of our Religion
In essence, our religion revolves around the verse from surah Fatiha (1:4), “You alone O Lord do we worship and You alone we ask for help.”
We’re with Allah in this world, we’re with Allah in the next world, we’re with Allah in our grave and we’re with Allah in our hereafter on the Day of Judgment – all that we do is about pleasing our Lord Allah.
Turning the Mundane into Sacred
Now remembering Allah often doesn’t entail that we sit from morning to evening and just recite the Qur’an or make remembrance (dhikr) all day long. Though wouldn’t that be wonderful? However, we cannot do that all day long. We have obligations towards our families, towards our parents, we have jobs, we have school and we have a lot of different things that we tend to on a daily basis. However, there is a way to convert all of these mundane simple acts, and make them sacred, make them pleasing to our Lord and Creator Allah Most High.
As when ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) described the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), she said, “he used to remember Allah in all of his states.”
So how can we remember Allah?
The Key to Transformation
We remember Allah through every action that we do. Ask yourself before you do an action, “is this for the sake of Allah? How did the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) do this? What does the sacred law (shari’a) say about this action that I’m doing?”
For example, you’re going to go to the market to bring some food for your family. You can just get in the car, go to the store and just come back and never have thought about Allah.
Or, as you leave your home you say, “I intend by going to the market to bring permissible (halal) provisions to feed my family as this is an obligation upon me. Therefore I seek your pleasure and your acceptance and your reward.” Then you go for the sake of Allah while making sure you bring everything that is permissible (halal) and good. This becomes rewarding for you! Even when we go to sleep at night; we intend to rest our bodies so that we can wake up and worship later whether it be through prayer or things like providing for our families.
Even when we go to work – we intend the pleasure of Allah. “I’m going to go seek the permissible (halal) provision for myself and my family and to support myself.” This is rewarded and this is a sacred act. There is nothing that doesn’t become sacred if it is for Allah Most High. All of this becomes sacred, all of this becomes rewarded.
