J for Jannah

I'm sure we all know what jannah is. Paradise, obviously. Our sole goal in this life.

So in this post, I've decided to tell you guys a story about a certain Jewish rabbi in the city of Madinah: Abdullah ibn Salaam.

He once told the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, 'Listen, I am the most famous scholar (rabbi) among my people.' 'Bring them (the Jewish people) in, let me hide behind the curtain, and ask them about me.' So the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم did what he said; Abdullah hid behind the curtain, and the Prophet brought some of the people from Banu Qaynuqa', and he asked them, 'What do you say about Husayn ibn Salaam (his name before he accepted Islam)?'

I for Intention

Intention: نيّة (Niyyah)

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، فَهجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْه

"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." (Muslim and Bukhari)

Intention in Arabic is نية. Sincerity in every action we do is vital, because Islam does not allow us to carry out any deed irresponsibly. And hence, we should have sincerity in whatever we do. And this sincerity is called our intention.