Conflicting Intentions

Assalamualaikum (Peace be upon you),

I like this Hadith or Saying of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

Actions are but [judged] by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and his Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some world benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.

I know I've mentioned this in a post some time ago, but I can't help mention it every now and then, especially when my intentions or goals seem to conflict over one another. The context of intention here is not that one intention is good and the other is wrong. Rather, it is that one intention is for Allah while the other is a worldly intention. What if these two are in conflict, and the latter, the worldly intention, feels more dominant than the intention for Allah and His Messenger.

[Note: At this point, readers of this blog who find themselves reading a near-philosophical rant is more than welcome to log off, esp. as I can't/won't give a good example...I'll pretend not to feel insulted. For those still around, you'll probably regret not logging off  :) ]

For me, alhamdulillah, I believe such conflict of intentions are rare but it troubles me when they do occur. In a world of social media (blogs, twitters, instagram, facebooks etc.), I feel there is a cause for concern, and need for heightened awareness that my (or our) intentions could be in such conflict. In others, it's possibly a sure sign that I'm thinking too much and need to stop writing blog entries, when insomnia hits.

In any case, this post/entry is an attempt to clear my head (or cure my insomnia, whichever comes first)...so bear with me...The most instinctive approach is perhaps to be aware of the conflicting intention, and act decisively. In many cases, insya Allah, such a basic approach works for me, whilst in those few minor exceptions, perhaps a prayer or two wouldn't be a bad thing. To pray that our hearts be hardened, not by violence and the negativity that life brings, but by the steely attempt to ensure that our intentions stay true to serve Allah.

After all, at times, Muslims do say "...To Allah we belong and to Him is our return." (2: 156). And so, our heart and intentions are to Allah, while other intentions may not necessarily be contradictory, they are secondary in nature.

Allah knows best. Just my thoughts (for now).

Peace,

Umar