The importance of Niyyah (intention) in Islam

In Ramadan, we often focus on trying to complete as much Ibadat (acts of worship) as possible in order to maximise the amazing benefits of this month, however before we focus on all the acts of worship that we will inshallah do, it is important to focus on Niyyah (intention) which is sometimes overlooked however is key to all the reward we will gain inshallah in this month.

The Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w) said “Truly, the deeds are only according to the intentions, and to every man is that which he has intended”. Intention is the foundation of a deed and so needs to be sincere and done truly for Allah. If a deed is done out of other intentions such as impressing someone, this deed becomes invalid. We need to purify and make sure that our acts of worship are only to please Allah to make sure that this Ibada is counted. This is especially important for deeds that we continuously do in our lives such as praying or wearing hijab. I started to realise that I had come to wear the hijab out of habit after wearing it for a while without consciously remembering Allah and it felt just like any other clothing item. So, by regularly renewing the intention to wear hijab purely to please and worship Allah, I made sure that I inshallah gain access to all the reward.

Niyyah is not something that has to necessarily be said aloud but could also be to do with the state of the heart as this is where sincere intentions lie. If a heart is pure and filled with love for Allah, then every deed that they do will have the right intention because that person would crave to please Allah alone. Therefore, paying attention to the state of our hearts and consciously trying to purify it, is extremely important. A pure heart and sincerity in intention can be formed by constantly reflecting on the creations of Allah and all the blessings he has given you. This in turn can also give you rewards from actions that would not normally be considered to give reward. For example, when a person is eating and then reflecting about how Allah created this food and thanking him for it, they will inshallah get the reward for eating this food. Just saying Bismillah and Allahmdulliah at the start and end of eating can achieve this if the person is sincere and actually intending to thank Allah. While making dhikr it is also important to be conscious and actually think about what you are saying rather than just making dhikr out of habit. Another example is while studying, if you intend to use your knowledge in the way of Allah, everything that you learn you will inshallah gain reward for. Subhan'Allah, Allah makes it so easy for us to gain hasanat.

Ibn Al Jawazi illustrates this: The heedless one says Subhan' Allah (glory to Allah) out of habit. As for the conscious one, he is constantly thinking about the wonders of creation… and this thinking drives him to say Subhan'Allah”.

Inshallah this has led you all to think more about Niyyah and we all get rewarded abundantly by Allah for everything we do during this month.