A commitment of intent

Bismillah.

'A commitment of intent' - that's how Camilla Leyland, a Muslim revert, defined relationship from the perspective of Islam - quoted from The Daily Mail: Why are so many modern British career women converting to Islam? A very inspiring read indeed. MashaAllah. May God make them stay true to the deen. InshaAllah.

I thought the phrase 'a commitment of intent' was profound and true not just for human relationship but also relationship with the Divine. As a matter of fact, it describes the fundamentals of every deed that a Muslim does - forming a niyyat (intention) and having a sense of  responsibility to keep to the niyyat. Two key words there - commitment and intent.

Another famous British revert Kristiane Backer put it very simply and accurately, that in Islam "Everything is done to please God." She's right as in the maxim: Ilahi anta maqsudi, wa redhoka matlubi. 'Lord, You are my goal and your mercy is what I aim for.' 

Thanks to Camilla Leyland, I was reminded of my own commitment of intent - Lisan al-Din. I recalled the moments when I had been strongly inspired to blog in the name of  Lisan al-Din - a publication which Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi had started in 1912.  No doubt it was khatir Rabbani - a Lordly whispering, because anything which is good comes from Him noneother. Alhamdulillah.

One of my guides said we should just initiate something and let Him finish it. In other words, start doing it and then let God takes care of the rest because it is Allah 'who creates us and everything that we do.' (Qur'an: As Saffat 96). And this Quranic verse, O son, I don't simply copy and paste. I learned and it's embedded in my heart. InshaAllah. Another relevant quote I happen to learn from watching tv tonight was by Tok Kenali, a famous Islamic scholar and saint from Malaysia. He said:  "What is knowledge? Knowledge is what is engraved in the heart." Likewise, intention. We should keep a genuine intention engraved in the heart and commit to it. And we do that for the sake of seeking His pleasures, not for our own pleasures InshaAllah.

O son, may Allah make our intention as pure as those who are mukhlisin (sincere) and may He grant us the tawfik (strength) to commit to it. Ameen Allahumma ameen.

Shaykh Ahmad Al Alawi
(1869 - 1934)

Pic credit: Meziane of Haqqani Fellowship