
The Aid of Allah is Tied to Ones Intention
Chapter 1
Salim ibn Abdullah wrote to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz giving him the following advice: “Know that the aid of Allah for His servants comes in relation to their intention. So whoever’s intention is complete, then the aid of Allah for them will be complete. And the one whose intention is deficient, then the aid of Allah for them will be less.”
Ibn al-Qayyim further notes “The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim, and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes, and fears; and failure comes to them in like manner.”
Firm Resolve
Lack of determination is a fundamental human weakness. Allah refers to it “And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will power” (20:115)
No one is entitled to anything they didn’t work for. If you want something, be willing to sacrifice, be disciplined, take the risk and work hard to get it. Allah will grant achievement to each person according to His will but also connected to the effort that the individual exerts.
“Be steadfast, like those messengers of firm resolve.…” (46:35)
Himmah refers to strong will, the force of decision and aspiration. Willpower gives you the energy and endurance to deal with challenges, the ability to persevere in the face of setbacks, and the strength to tolerate conflict or stress that might otherwise make us run away from goals or projects we care about.
If one desires to get something done, his ‘will power’ will push him in the direction of availing its tools and resources. Take for example a hungry person who does not have food for one day. His intense desire to eat will strengthen his will to acquire food, would urge him to perform a great search for it and maybe invent a thousand and one tricks to get to it. If you care enough about something you will do what it takes to get it done.
Success is therefore driven in part by grit, determination and ambition. The Quran clarifies “and that man shall have nothing but what he has striven for” (53:39). Man cannot attain any success without effort and constant striving. And when the real scales of justice are established by Allah on the day of judgement, a person will not have anything to their advantage except of the sincere efforts that they had made in this life.
Nothing is Ever Wasted
Pour your heart into your work and life but leave the rest to Allah. Invest your efforts in the journey but let go of your attachment to the outcome.
Even if one did not achieve the desired results in this life we are reminded that no good deed is wasted if it was done for His sake “Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.” (12:90)
One of Allah’s Names is Ash-Shakoor: He is Appreciative of what you do, no matter how small, and He rewards it abundantly.
The victorious before us would brave any storm of hostility without the least hesitation and trained themselves to endure patiently all the difficulties and hardships that would inevitably come their way on the path to victory. They knew to work hard even if they never saw the fruits of their labour, because they knew that every drop of sweat was recorded with Ash-Shakoor and would never let it go to waste.
Allah will not betray the hopes of His slaves or cause their hard work and efforts to be lost or wasted. Every iota of effort he or she spends towards the test of this life, will be securely recorded, multiplied and accounted for towards the ultimate victory in the Hereafter.
“[And it will be said], ‘Indeed, this is for you a reward, and your effort has been appreciated.’” (76:22)
The nature of grit ensures that it is not casually obtained — but its rewards are clear.
Actively Seeking Tawfeeq from Allah
We must actively seek tawfeeq (The ability/opportunity to achieve success) from Allah in all our affairs by sincerely doing as much as we can and asking Him for His help. Like the Prophet Shu’ayb said: “I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my tawfeeq is not but through Allah” (11:88)
Tawfeeq is a blessing of Allah with which He enables us to achieve our aims. Contrary to the traditional way of thinking, Allah’s tawfeeq is not something which will hit you by ‘chance’; rather, it is something you “acquire” by making conscious efforts towards it.
Allah gives tawfeeq to those who really mean what they say, those who struggle to please Him, those who work hard to find the way to do things which He loves. “And those who strive for Us — We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good” (29:69)
With patience, determination and tawfīq from Allāh subnānahu wa ta’ālā we will be able to utilise our lives more productively.
The Habits We Groove Become Who We Are
A disciplined person is willing and able to give up short-term pleasure to achieve long-term gains. Of course, becoming disciplined requires you to have daily habits.
Changing our habits to improve can be a painful process. It must be motivated by a higher purpose, and by the willingness to subordinate what you think you want now for what you know you want later. While improvement in your habits and actions is a life-long process, the desire to achieve it can thus be sparked in a moment.
While some people have pitiful habits, like gossiping and binge watching; others have powerful ones, like studying and exercise. Look at yourself deeply and identify the excuses that you cling to, the bad habits that derail you and then really focus on removing them from your life.
Progress comes from establishing smart systems and habits
Start with tiny changes and little adjustments that push you in the right direction. When you do the minor acts repeatedly and consistently, you create a series of successes for yourself. These small feats add up, and motivate you to challenge yourself.
Your willpower works like a muscle — it needs to be trained, developed, and maintained. The only thing that can defeat Himmah is a lack of it.
You can serve Islam by having the correct resolve and a sincere intention, for Allah blesses an action that is done sincerely for His sake alone, even if it is little. Start by asking Allah to use you in the service of His religion and give you the ability to add tremendous value to the Ummah for generations to come.
