" Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

background

This hadith was said by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, at the time when a man emigrated from Makkah to Madinah during the Hijrah for the sake of marrying someone and not for the sake of Islam.

It is considered to be one of the greatest hadiths in Islam.

Nitasha Salim

Creative Writing

Grade 7/8 Mrs. Gunnlaugson

Mark 100%

Intentions/Niyyah

I slowly extended my hand towards the donation box, making quite a big deal out of it, in the ladies prayer hall. I had heard people gasping in surprise, as they noticed I was releasing a $100 bill into the box. I smiled to myself, making sure no one saw my grin. I had to admit, I was enjoying the positive attention.

The following day when I came home from work, I was extremely tired. Taking my socks off, I stretched my feet on my comfy couch. I knew I had little time to prepare myself for teaching the Muslim children about Islam; the classes took place at the mosque. Even though I had much better things to do, I didn’t really have a choice; my parents had signed me up to be a volunteer teacher, without telling me. I put on my hejab, my socks and shoes, grabbed my keys and jumped right into the car. I had reached the mosque 10 minutes early, so I decided to review the lesson I was going to teach the kids. It was about intentions…

The students started to arrive soon enough. I explained to them that an intention was called ‘niyyah’ in Arabic. I told the children that your actions are judged by your niyyah. I also explained that an intention was a motive for doing something, and for whatever good we do in this world, our niyyah should be for Allah (SWT). A student then asked me, “Do you always do that, I don’t”? “I am not so sure”, I replied. Another student said, “My mom says that you shouldn’t tell someone to do something that you don’t do yourself.” That really touched me. The rest of the class went by in a blur.

Nothing that anyone had ever said influenced me like what those children had said. One child was relating to me, and another one had pointed out that what I was doing was wrong. After rereading the lesson a few times, I figured the only way I was going to change my intentions was by improving on my humility skills. I also knew that it might take a while to get the concept right. I went on with the plan. Whenever I found myself doing something wrong, I struggled within myself to correct it, and rewarded myself when I resisted temptations. Examining my intention making skills a week later, I noticed dramatic change.

I had never thought I’d be thanking my parents for secretly registering me for teaching, but that night I did. When it was time for Friday prayer, I secretly donated the $100 bill. In that week’s Islamic class I hugged the two children who had changed my life without knowing it, handing them each a lollipop. I noticed how much these changes were making life easier, and thanked Allah (SWT), that night. J

By: Nitasha Salim