why is it that people this forgetful about having their intentions and their actions, be able to match so that they can avoid deception and guilt?
share your thoughts about what are the causes of this inconsistency? & why are people unable to feel the necessity for harmony in their intentions and their actions?
best,
Dushwari
Re: Intentions and actions
Peace
Adam (AS) was created and as his life was being put in to the body he rose to sit up. He sneezed and said "Alhumdulillah" and God said, "Verily, man is impatient"
Intentions should be married to our actions, but often we find our actions take 'zina' with our intentions.
Our intentions should stem from our fitra and the actions have a bearing on our nufs. The fitra and nufs are part of us, if we draw our intentions from our fitra we will harmonise with our nufs which is observed by harmonised actions. If we however, draw our intentions from our nufs then we create a feedback loop with our nufs and we lose our yardstick called the fitra.
Re: Intentions and actions
indeed actions ought to be married to actions, lawfully and binding. most people dont see that.
it is a great point brother psyah. the nature and the brought up of men has the decisive bearing on actions being reliable and honest.
verily, nafs is indeed tied to intentions and intentions to actions.
otherwise, people will remain in the loop of what they want and what they dont want now when they have it, hurting someone else while getting away from one's earlier intention.
and the actions eat away at the person's unreliable nature, disturbing everything in the life of such a person.
what is the solution to such a person's inability to be solid and concrete in confidently taking an action and then intending to own up its consequences without doubts?
best,
Dushwari
Re: Intentions and actions
yes intentions & actions should hv harmony.......
BUT personally for me...they don't.......my actions say something else while i intend somethingelse... **sigh**
Re: Intentions and actions
at least you admit to it, sara_87.
that is noble, at least you dont appear to be falsely covering that to deceive others and your self.
& then you can try to have harmony between both actions and intentions after that.
best,
Dushwari
Re: Intentions and actions
what is the solution to such a person's inability to be solid and concrete in confidently taking an action and then intending to own up its consequences without doubts?
best,
Dushwari
Peace Sister
1) Recognise the issue - (this has been done here)
2) Conform to hadith advice:
a) Regular Prayer - This prevents sin ... e.g. prayer requires soberness, i.e. drunken state prayer should be avoided, therefore to pray regularly alcohol would need to be avoided. However, Prayer protects from most sins.
b) Don't let emotions run too high ... anger should be curbed and so should utter infatuation, all extreme forms of emotion deny the consciousness of remembering Allah (SWT) if we don't remember Allah (SWT) then we are going to remember something else.
To protect from anger - Say Auzdubillahi Minashaitanirajeem
c) Evil eye, jealousy etc can should be saught protection from also. The 4 quls are useful for this, with meaning understood.
d) Utilise advice in Qur'an for patience - Seek to dwell on a decision to establish the best course of action. Delay something bad and seek to fulfil something good. Be patient with outcomes.
e) Fasting - this deprives the human from fuelling the nufs - the elements attached to the nufs are ... the stomach, the sleep, the tongue or mouth ... Fasting reduces the sleep time and keeps us hungry this will reduce the energy to talk and when fasting we should avoid these also consciously as well as unconsciously through the physical experience.
f) Taking oneself to account - Each night one should punish oneself by guilt if one has erred, and one should thank Allah (SWT) if one has done something good. One can punish the nufs by preventing it from gaining its fuel. i.e. to go silent, to not eat, to stay awake in ibadah.
Our actions usually don't marry up with our intentions because we have not been patient enough to think things through.
Method of thinking things through:
1) Present the issue at hand
2) Look for Islamic context backed by Qur'an or Sunnah
3) Find recourse to action within ones heart and play out scenarios to access possible likelihoods, but don't dwell on this as that will be a hinderance, follow the idea that good things should be done quickly and any excuse found to delay a bad thing.
4) Make an educated decision with a du'a
5) Do Istikhara for guidance in your decision that has been made
Now how is it possible for anyone to seek Allah (SWT)'s support in a decision that goes against His Law? for example ... so this should help inshaAllah ... and may Allah (SWT) give me understanding and ability to utilise my own advice - Ameen.