WEEK 2 Sya ban 1435 The Importance of Niyyah (Intention) in Islam

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1 Sultan Fatih Mosque, Islamic Centre of Newcastle, 3-5 Victoria Street, Mayfield NSW 2304 ABN: For Donations: Islamic Centre of Newcastle Incorporated BSB: ACC/No: WEEK 2 Sya ban 1435 The Importance of Niyyah (Intention) in Islam Dear Friday Jemaah blessed by Allah, Let us renew our resolve to strengthen our takwa towards Allah s.w.t. He is the One who gives live and we will definitely return to Allah. Thus, obey all of Allah s commands and avoid what He has prohibited upon us to achieve success in this world and the hereafter. My khutbah this Friday is on

2 The Importance of Niyyah (Intention) in Islam Dear Friday Jemaah, There is no doubt that dying as a martyr in Alláhs Cause, learning Beneficial knowledge and teaching it and spending rnoney in Alláhs Cause are some of the best righteous deeds. However, if our intention behind performing any of these acts is for the sake of other than Allah, they all will become invalid, and we will earn the Fire! Allah says in Al-Qur an: Whosoever desires the life of the world and its adornments, to thern We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein, and they will have no dirninution therein. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire." (11: 15,16) Dear Brothers and Sisters, The intention can be defined as the essence of the deed and its supporting pillar. It is the foundation for every action and it is one of the conditions which have to be fulfilled in order for the deed to be complete.

3 The Prophet (PBUH) said: 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] So, Dear Friday Jemaah blessed by Allah We must always remember that Allah (swt) Knows all of our actions and He (swt) Knows what is in the deepest corners of our hearts. We must always work to the best of our ability and not expect anything in return for what we do except the contentment of our Lord. We should strive to rid our hearts even of the feelings of self-satisfaction that we get from our works. So we should dedicate all of them completely to Him (swt). And even for physical exercise which a muslim does as a habit, when it is with the intention to strengthen his body in order to obey Allah (SWT), the physical exercise itself becomes an act of worship and the Muslim gets rewarded for it.

4 Imam Bukhari narrated a hadits that even for the bite of food which the Muslim puts in the mouth of his wife there will be a reward granted by Allah (SWT). And In another Hadith, even for an intention which the person can t complete, the Prophet (PBUH) said: The one who intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, he will get rewarded for it as if he did it. And if he does it, his reward will be multiplied ten times. (Muslim, 130) Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also said, Whoever asks Allah (SWT) for martyrdom with sincerity, Allah (SWT) will put him at the level of the martyrs in paradise even if he dies in his sleep. (Muslim) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Ibn Rajab said that An act that is not done sincerely for the sake of Allah may be divided into parts:

5 The first is that which is solely for display (riya`) such that its sole motivation is to be seen by others in order to achieve a goal in the profane world, as was the case of the Hypocrites in their performance of prayer, where Allah described them as: "When they join prayer, they go lazily [with the purpose] of displaying [themselves] to the people." (An Nisa : 142) At other times, an action might be partially for the sake of Allah and partially to display one's self in front of the people? If the desire to display one's self arose at the origin of the action, then the action is vain? Al-Nasa`i reported that a man asked the Prophet (S), "What is your opinion of one who fights [in the way of Allah] seeking fame [in the profane world] and reward [from Allah]?"? The Prophet (S) replied, "He receives nothing by way of reward from Allah'? The Prophet (S) repeated this three times and then said, "Allah accepts no deeds other than those that are performed solely for His sake and by which His face is sought."? Ibnu Rajb continued, If one's intention is corrupted with something other than the desire to display one's self, e.g., to earn profit whilst on a jihad in the path of Allah, such an intention reduces one's reward from jihad, but does not negate it entirely? Muslim reported in his Sahih that the Prophet (S) said that "Soldiers in the path of Allah attain two-thirds of their reward immediately when they obtain booty

6 [from the enemy], whereas they receive their reward in its entirety when they obtain nothing from the enemy." Dear Friday Jemaah, You might have a question: What happens if we were to change our niyyah while performing an action? To answer this, Ibn Rajab says that according to the ulama' if the niyyah at the end of the action matches the beginning (i.e. doing the action for the sake of Allah), then any changes in the middle of the action will be forgiven or does not matter, insha Allah. However, if the niyyah at the end does not match the beginning, i.e. we do the action for other than the sake of Allah, then we must repent (taubah). Related to this topic of Niyyah, I d like to quote the words of Imam Ali (RA): Transliteration: Akhlis lillahi amalaka wa ilmaka wa bu dhoka wa akhdaka wa tarka wa kalamaka wa sumtaka Which means: Purify your work, knowledge, anger, acceptance, refusal, speech and silence for the sake of Allah. And Ibn Katsir said in his Tafsir (explanation) of the Quran, There are the two conditions that ensure the acceptance of any righteous act: it must be performed for the sake of Allah alone and according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.

7 Our actions are undermined by our intentions - whether they are good intentions or bad intentions. Therefore we should always check our intentions before we do or say anything to make sure that the action is for the sake of Allah. Remember, Allah (SWT) does not look at the outside picture of the human being. Rather, Allah (SWT) looks at the inside which reflects the person s true nature. Dear Brothers Blessed by Allah, That is my khutbah on the importance of Intention (Niyyah) which emphasises ikhlas (sincerity - to be truthful and honest to Allah alone, performing an act solely for Allah's sake whereby no other witness except Allah is sought). Before I end my first khutbah, I d like to remind you that in a couple days we are coming to the middle of Sya'ban (nisfu sha ban). Various Islamic scholars have recommended special worshiping during the night of 15th of Shaban. This is based on the saying (Hadith) of prophet Muhammad, the meaning of which is that during the night of 15th of Shaban, Allah will say "is there any person repenting so that I forgive him, and any person seeking provision so that I provide for him, and any person with distress so that I relieve him, and so on until dawn." reported by Ibn Majah. On the Night of 15th Shaban, after Maghrib or Isha prayer it is traditional practice to read Surah Yasin and make special supplications for good health, protection from calamities and increased Iman.

8 According to tradition, this night has special blessings that are directed towards the faithful. Therefore, as much as possible, this night should be spent in worship and total submission to Allah Almighty. Also, fasting is recommended on the day immediately following this Night, i.e. the 15th day of Shaban. Dear Friday Jemaah, May Allah (swt) make the months of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan, and May Allah (swt) help us all to realize that at the end of the day nothing matters except sincerity to Him (swt).