Values: The Importance of the Truest Heart Intention and the Manifestation of Itqan

Values: The Importance of the Truest Heart Intention and the Manifestation of Itqan.

written by Pn. Yusaini Bt Yusof

A value is normally understood to be a thing towards which a society has affective regard or even strong belief in its goodness or otherwise. If society has positive affection or strong belief that something is good or beneficial to society, then such a thing is considered to have a positive value. The value system comprises not only the values upheld by the society but also the criteria and manner in which society justifies its belief or affection for something.

Islamic value system emanates from its world view which is underlined by the three fundamental principles of Tawhid, Vicegerency (Khilafah) and Justice. This worldview provides the paradigm which necessarily governs the Muslim belief system, character and behaviour in all his actions.

Shariah provides the framework within which the Islamic value system takes place. Shariah has been the same since its revelation and has to be applied to all Islamic societies for all ages. Whilst the value system of other societies may change over time and space, the Islamic value system remains unchanged for all times and places. The Islamic value system is for the benefit of the entire human race and therefore has universal applicability.

The Islamic values which emanate from the Islamic world view are compatible to man’s needs in this world as the preparation for his life in the hereafter. Such system of values cannot depend on norms and practices of societies which tend to be situationally specific and changing over time depending on societal standards and acceptance. The transcendent nature of Islamic values is in tandem with the basic principles of human existence hence are said to be universal in nature.

At the heart of the value system is a man’s intention. Having the correct and truest heart intention has always been a fundamental principle in Islam. The intention determines whether a particular action is praiseworthy or blameworthy. Intention is the soul of a deed which provides its meaning. A deed is sound if the intention is sound, and a deed is wicked if the intention is wicked. It is also true that we shall achieve what we intend to achieve for we shall focus all our efforts on that very intention/objective. A praiseworthy intention and purpose are the driving force in the heart towards a deed that is in accord with a sound goal of bringing about benefit or repelling harm. 

In essence, intention in Islam is simply the will that directs a person towards performing each deed for the sake of Allah and to fulfill His commands. Fundamentally, Islam requires a person to submit himself/herselfwhole-heartedlyand fully to Allah, as Allah commands:

 “Say o mankind: Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are [all] for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.” [Al-An`am 6:162].

In Islam, the religious rituals (relationship between man with Allah) and the mundane (relationship between man and his fellow human beings) realms of life are inseparable, as Islam is a complete way of life. We shall be rewarded not only for our religious rituals (prayer, fast, zakat, hajj etc.) but shall also be rewarded for daily activities, as long as:

(a)  our intention is correct;  and

(b)  our actions are consistent with the Shariah.  A deed is not transformed by a pious intention into an act of obedience unless it was something permissible under the Shariah in the first place. Hence, a forbidden act can never become an act of obedience under any circumstances whatsoever.

It is a blessing that pure intention allows one’s entire life to become an act of worship.  A person can turn everyday activities into acts of worship by purifying his or her intention and sincerely seeking Allah’s pleasure through these activities.  Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said:

“Helping a person or his belongings onto his mount is an act of charity.  A good word is charity.  Every step taken on the way to performing prayers is charity.  Removing an obstacle from the road is charity.” [Sahih Bukhari].

Earning a living can be rewarded as well.  The Companions saw a man and were astonished by his hard work and they lamented: “If only he was doing that much work for the sake of Allah…” and Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) replied:

“If he is working to support his small children, then it is for the sake of Allah.  If he is working to support his elderly parents, then it is for the sake of Allah.  If he is working to occupy himself and keep his desires in check, then it is for the sake of Allah.  If, on the other hand, he is doing so to show off and earn fame, then he is working for the sake of Satan.” [al-Mundhiri, as-Suyuti].

One may gain reward even for the most natural acts, if of course they are accompanied by proper intention. The same can be said for the most mundane acts like eating and sleeping.  These can become worship through sincere intention and deliberate obedience to Allah.

Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated that he heard the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said:

“All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” [Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim].

This hadith is indeed one of the greatest sayings of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), as it sets a very important principle in the religion of Islam. By virtue of this hadith and many other Quranic verses, Muslim believe that in order for any action to be accepted and thus rewarded by Allah, it must be done with purity of intention and for the sake of Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) has also said: “Certainly, Allah does not look at your shapes or wealth. But He only looks at your heart and deeds.”[Sahih Bukhari]. Looking at the hearts is looking at the intentions, for it is the intention that is driving and motivating force behind the deed.

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) has further said: “He who seriously considered doing a good deed but did not do it, will have one good deed recorded for him.” [Sahih Muslim]. Just seriously considering doing a good deed is a good deed in itself by which one is able to earn reward.

Further, Islam does not value rituals for the sake of rituals, especially when they are performed as a habit and have no influence on one’s heart and course of life. This means that if our rituals do not have any influence on our day-to-day life, they have no value. Similarly, when we do our daily duties with sincerity and faith expecting Allah’s reward, they become important acts of worship. Allah says: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the angels, and the book, and the messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and give zakah [obligatory alms]; to fulfill the contracts, which you have made; and to be firm and patient in pain [or suffering] and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.” [Al-Baqarah 2:177]

Having discussed the importance of the truest intention, it is relevant to continue with a brief discussion on Islamic teaching on execution or implementation of action (amal). For the purpose of this short article, the writer has decided to only discuss the value of Itqan from Shariah perspective. Islam teaches us that no discipline, be it religious, studies, business or any other economic activities can gain success unless it is managed and implemented with quality. Quality management and implementation means skillful and efficient administration of affairs. In contemporary developed world of today a progressive idea of quality management had reached up to the idea of zero-defect management. It means there is almost no defect at all in its plan, supervision, strategy, and actions or implementation and ultimately in production. Being human, all of us have our own limitations and perfect production may seem ideal. Nevertheless, with comprehensive analysis, preparation and process, all risks should be adequately mitigated and challenges could be effectively addressed. We learn from our mistakes under the concept of muhasabah and structure improvements having analysed the learnings based on experiences while planning based on all the relevant knowledge.

The so-called zero-defect management and implementation is not something new in Islam. The Islamic view on quality work and optimal performance lies in the concept of itqan. The Arabic word itqan is a word used to indicate the level of quality work. The best English translation of itqan is “to arrange and dispose of things in a scientific and artistic way in order to obtain the most perfect results.” An Arabic synonym for itqan is ihkam (to do something with wisdom). The word “wisdom” (hikmah) and its derivatives are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in no less than three hundred places. This is the simplest and clearest indication of Islam’s concern for doing quality work.

Comparing this Islamic definition of itqan with the common English language definition used today, we would find that there is no exact English word that can reflect the meaning if itqan. For example, the English word “precision” is often used for sciences, whereas the word itqan can apply to work in all fields. Taking the English word “complete” as another example, we find that this word too is not equal to itqan. This is because things may be complete but not artistic or beautiful, which is implied in itqan. Furthermore, the words “precision” and “complete” are purely mechanical and do not have the spiritual connotations of itqan.

Itqan embodies the concept of conscientiousness. Conscientiousness in a working situation refers to discretionary behaviors that go beyond the basic requirements of the job in terms of obeying work rules, attendance, and job performance (Redman and Snape, 2005). In other words, conscientiousness means the painstaking obedience to organisational rules and procedures, even when no one is watching. Yen and Neihoff (2004) argues that those employees who are more conscientious will stay informed with up-to date knowledge about products or services offered by the organisation. Conscientiousness emphasises on responsibility and dedication with the underlying motive to take the initiative to engage into those behaviors that are good for the organisation. Conscientiousness affects important work outcomes (Goldberg et al., 2005). Theoretically, conscientiousness may be an important predictor of workplace behaviors because it provides direction and association that are necessary to produce targeted behaviors (King et al., 2005). The foregoing discussions are consistent with the value of itqan in Islam. In summary, itqan carries the meaning of the attitude of being careful, conscientious, meticulous, hardworking and excellent in carrying out responsibilities and tasks and action with itqan combined with the intention of implementing something ultimately for the sake of Allah is indeed praiseworthy.

Let us pray that Allah provides us continuous guidance and a heart that is pure – a heart that is fully aware of our role in this world as Khalifah hence all our actions shall be for the sake of Allah. Having such truest heart intention must be accompanied with amal at the level of itqan, in shaa Allah.

Written by;

Pn. Yusaini Bt Yusof

Director & Head of Shariah

CEO Office

Prudential BSN Takaful Berhad (PruBSN).