You know, during the preparation of this blog, there was a time I was really broke and a thought came to me: why not quickly finish this, publish a book and make money (and maybe fame) from it?
This was not the initial intention, of course. I have been compiling my musings for a while to enhance the quality of thoughts and writing. Profit also never came into it because the idea was just to facilitate our relationship with the Qur’an and Allah. I also realised the potential such thoughts had to taint my intention to simply share and perhaps, negatively influence my writing.
Did I decide to forfeit my writing because of that negative thought? Nope. Instead, I tried my best to finalise my preparations on time and blog instead of publish (which was my initial plan and which I still hope to do). I recognised the whisperings for what they were and prayed for Allah to purify my intentions.
Shaytan will always try to pollute whatever good purposes we have and turn it against us. Just because we have an impure thought now should not negate our intentions in our eyes. We are all constantly battling with our nafs (soul) to attain that level of balance with Allah as our guide. We are all, without exception, a work in progress so when our thoughts turn south, we should steer in back north and keep purifying our intentions.
So, if you are planning to use the hijab because it looks good framing your oval face or because people compliment you when you do, use it anyway and keep praying for Allah to rid your heart of those vain desires. If it is time for salaah and you are simply going to pray because your friends are, go with them anyway but remember to make du’a that Allah purifies your intention during the prayer.
By saying you won’t embark on acts of ibadah until your intentions are pure is simply selling yourself short. These are whispers from Shaytan putting self-doubts in our minds and casting a pall on our light.
Make every stumbling block a stepping stone and Allah will guide you the rest of the way, in sha Allah.
Anchor with Keidi 