20th RabiʻII 1447H |
Assalamu'alaikum, |
A few weeks ago, I asked our Barakah Effect course students to practice a simple exercise. Before every action, they needed to pause and ask themselves, "How can I please Allah SWT through this?" |
A brother shared his struggles with this exercise a few days later: |
"To be very honest, the exercise itself has been quite jarring. My wife asked me to buy a chicken roll for my daughter the other day, and I simply went thinking 'Wife's request', 'Daughter would love it'...it seemed too much to think [how to please Allah through this?]" |
I loved his honesty and decided to give him a detailed response. |
But before I share my response to him, I want to share that even asking yourself this simple question, "What's my intention for this next action?" already sets you apart from 99% of people who go through life on autopilot, never once questioning the intention behind their actions. |
Upgrading Your Intentions for Buying a Chicken Roll |
So let me break down what I shared with him. It's based on the hierarchy of intentions framework that I cover in the Barakah Effect book. |
Take his example: getting a chicken roll for his daughter. |
He could have a level 1 intention: "What's in it for me?": |
"I'm getting the chicken roll to make my wife/daughter happy (so they'll leave me alone, or I'll have peace at home)." |
Or he could upgrade to a level 2 intention: "What would people think of me?": |
"I'm getting the chicken roll so my wife/daughter will think I'm a good husband/dad (reputation management, essentially)." |
Or he could upgrade to level 3 intention: "How will this make me feel?": |
"I'm getting the chicken roll because it feels good to provide for my family. I want to be a good dad/provider, and I don't care if they appreciate it or not." |
Most personal development gurus would stop here. They'd call Level 3 "intrinsic motivation" and pat you on the back. |
But we're not most people. We're believers seeking Barakah and Allah's pleasure. |
Enter the Spiritual Intentions for Buying a Chicken Roll |
This is where it gets interesting. Let's level up by adding the akhira perspective to that same chicken roll purchase experience: |
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us that the best among us is the one who is best to his family. Another hadith tells us that putting a morsel of food in your spouse's mouth (and by extension, feeding your family) is sadaqah.
|
Suddenly, that chicken roll isn't just food. It's an investment in your akhira! |
But wait, there's an even higher level. This is where you act purely for Allah's pleasure: |
You recognize Allah as Al-Razzaq (The Provider) and see yourself as His instrument in providing for your children. What an honor! You overflow with gratitude for the countless blessings that enable you to easily buy a chicken roll for your family: no fear of hunger, poverty, or war. This gratitude itself becomes an act of worship.
|
Do you see what just happened?! |
We took a small errand and transformed it into a Barakah-filled experience that connects you to your Creator and elevates your spiritual state. |
Of course, the above feels like "too much thinking." You're rewiring years of automatic programming. You're fighting against a culture that has stripped the sacred from the mundane. |
Your Mission This Week (Should You Choose to Accept It) |
Pick ONE routine activity. Just one. Maybe it's: |
|
For this ONE action, practice moving up from Level 1 intention to purely doing it for Allah's sake. Start wherever you are, then consciously try to upgrade it by one or a few levels. |
Once you master upgrading the intention for small actions, you'll start bringing this spiritual consciousness to other areas of your life. You'll start thinking "What's the intention for my next meeting?" or "Taking that trip" etc. Before you know it, you're living what we call the Barakah Culture lifestyle, where every mundane moment carries the potential for Divine connection. |
May Allah accept our small efforts and multiply them beyond our imagination. |
Sincerely, |
|
P.S. I don't know about you, but this newsletter is making me crave a chicken roll right now :P |
P.P.S. Hit reply and tell me what's ONE mundane action you're going to spiritually upgrade this week? |
No comments:
Post a Comment