Many people think that their actions are sincere as long as they do not expect anything in return from the one that they have done some good actions. Sincere actions are actions done only to please Allah. Whenever we want to do any action, we should do it because it is the order of Allah and our intention in doing the action should be to please Allah. Allah ordered us to do certain actions and there are actions that Allah prohibits us from doing. When we do certain actions because Allah order us to do and we do not do certain action because Allah do not allowed us to do, that actions are good amals or good actions. When we do any actions because we like to do it or we do not do any actions because we do not like doing it then the actions are not good amals or good actions. In order for any actions to be regarded as good amals or good actions, it has to be done because Allah orders it and the intention must only to please Allah. Similarly, when we are not doing certain actions because Allah do not allows us to do and the intention is only to please Allah, then the action are also good amals or good actions.

Many of us are not examining our reasons and our intention in doing certain actions. We simply do the actions because we want to do it or because we saw many people are doing it. Why we want to do it and what is our intention in doing it is not clear to us. Every action must have the reasons why we want to do the action and every action must have intention or niat. Every action must have the correct intention or niat for it to become a good action. Without correct intention or niat, the actions are not good amals or good action. Good actions or good amals must have correct reasons and correct intention .The correct reasons for doing any action is because it is an order of Allah. The correct intention of doing any action is to please Allah. We have to examine our intentions and our reason for doing the amals, in the beginning, in the middle of the actions and at the end of the actions. The reasons and the intention in doing the amals must be consistence throughout the amals or actions. In case the reason and the intention change to wrong reason and wrong intention in the middle or at the end of the action, the actions or amals will not become a good actions or good amals.

We take as an example our daily action of going to work. Are we going to work because it is an order of Allah and to please Allah or are we going to work because we want to earn our living and to please our families and ourselves. Allah is our provider and none can fulfill our needs except Allah. Even though Allah provides all our needs but Allah is testing us by asking us to work in order to earn our needs. The work does not provide our needs but Allah orders us to work in order to test us. Allah wants to know, who among us is good in actions.

Allah orders us to work in order to test us, whether we believe that Allah is the provider or the work is our provider. We should go to work because we want to obey the order of Allah and our intention for going to work is to please Allah. While working, we should observe all the orders of Allah in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. When we are working because it is an order of Allah, our intention is to please Allah, and we observe all the orders of Allah while working, then our working will becomes an act of worship.

When we works because it is an order of Allah and our intention is to please Allah then we are sincere and our working is regarded as an act of worship. When we works because we like to work and our intention of working is to provides the needs of our family then our working is not regarded as an acts of worship. When our works, not regarded as acts of worship then we are not getting any rewards for the action. Instead of reward, we may be getting sins since our intention of working is not sincere. Our intention is sincere when we work only to please Allah. Although Allah promise to give us rewards when we do any good actions but our intention in doing any good action is not to obtain rewards. When we do any good action with the intention of obtaining rewards then we are not sincere.

When we do the work of dakwah to obtain iman, we are not sincere. When we do the work of dakwah because we want to correct ourselves or to have islah, we are not sincere. We are only sincere in doing any amals or actions when we do the amals or the actions only to please Allah.

Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
March 2010
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre