Nisbah Magazine Nisbah, Winter 2013 | Page 10

A Message... A lhamdulillah, Nur ul Ilm has reached the end of 2013, and it makes me feel honoured and humbled to see the fruits of the duas of our shaykh, Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad ‫ .دامت بركاهتم‬However with all the success and honour, I keep reminding myself of the real goals and intentions of this madrasah. Indeed we are the slaves of Allah I and the only purpose of our lives is to be in complete slavehood to the Al-Mighty. We are weak, He is Powerful. We are faulty, He is Perfect. We are needy, He is Generous. We are restricted and He is Capable. So today, I take a pause, and think. All what Nur-ul-Ilm has achieved over the years is nothing but by the grace of Allah I. and the first way to show gratitude to Him, and to gain benefit from his grace, is to correct our intentions. NISBAH 10 The Messenger of Allah e said,” Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is, what he intended.” (Bukhari and Muslim) We all are here together to achieve one goal, one purpose , one destination and that is the pleasure of Allah I. For that we have to look into our hearts. “Why are we here? Why are we studying. Since the exams are just round the corner, why are we taking these exams? What if we fail? What if we couldn’t do well? What if my teachers are not happy with me? What if my classmates think low of me? What if my parents get disappointed in me?” So many questions pop in our minds, but we also have to pause and think, “What is my intention?” As Yahya ibn Abu Kathir v said,  “Learn your intention for it is more serious than the action.” Ibn al-Mubarak v said,  “Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention.” We must be aware that Allah I knows the secrets of our hearts, and we must rectify our intentions. Surely, it is a very difficult task; while studying in the madrasah and being among our beloved friends and teachers, it is very easy to intend to seek their appreciation,