Aslam

intention is basically not fruitful or beneficial, because if a man's hand touches the head of an orphan unmindfully, softness of his mind does not increase and its effect does not fall in mind. Therefore God- worship without Niyyat (intention) or without application of mind brings no reward while Niyyat followed by action brings reward. The Holy Prophet said : There is written one reward for one who intended to do a good deed but could not translate it into action. The object of cow or animal sacrifice is not to shed blood but to turn away the mind from the temptations of the world for incurring the pleasure of Allah. This reward is attained owing to the object of Sacrifice. For this reason the Holy , Prophet said : There are people at Medina who shared with us the rewards of Jihad (holy war) although they did not actually join it. The reason is that they had pious intention to join it but could not do so owing to satisfactory reason.

ACTIONS RELATING TO INTENTION

These actions can mainly be divided into three classes Sinful actions, pious actions and lawful actions.

(1) Sinful actions. If the intention is good, a sinful act does not turn to a virtuous act. If you backbite a man to please another, if you give to a beggar the food of another person, if you make gift of illegal property to construct a mosque, bridge or such charitable object, you will not absolve yourself from the sinful act although your intention is good and pious. To intend to do a pious action with an illegal thing is also sin. If he does out of ignorance, he will be guilty of ignorance as acquisition of learning is compulsory upon both males and, females. The Holy Prophet said: An ignorant man cannot raise the plea of innocent.

(2) Pious actions. If there is no pious or good intention in a good act, there is no reward. If there is any other intention but to please God in a devotional act, it is a sinful act, but if there are many intentions including one to please God, rewards also multiply. For instance, to keep sitting in a mosque is a good act but it admits of many intentions - (1) to hope for sight of God as mosque is considered as a house of God where God can be seen, for the Holy Prophet said : He who keeps sitting in a mosque, meets with God. (2) to wait for the next prayer, for the Prophet said that he who waits for prayer will get the same reward as that of a man who has prayed, (3) to keep the bodily organs from

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sinful acts. (4) to concentrate all thoughts upon Allah, (5) to be engaged in the remembrance of Allah. (6) to enjoin good works and prohibit evils, (7) to get benefit from those who fear Allah. So there might be many good intentions in a pious act and rewards also increase according to the number of such intentions.