Intentionality in Our Daily Lives: Ramadan and Beyond - Tariq Musleh

Event Notes:

“We give meanings to things, but we expect things to give meaning” 

Hadith: "Innamal a'malu binniyat” Actions are judged by intentions

Reframe our perspective so that we look at ourselves the way Allah looks at us

• Judgment has a negative connotation but in Allah’s sense it is positive 

  • Allah does not look at your physical body and other features (how we tend to analyze ourselves) but instead looks at our hearts and our actions 

• How do we reframe our perspective? Have a grounded belief so that we can acknowledge our intentions for our actions, View ourselves the way that God looks upon us with Love and channel that into the spirit of intentionality, understand that there is a purpose/final destination 

• Ramadan? Everyone is in a different place spiritually and physically, thus the beauty of intentionality is that it silences the opinions of others for us and insists we create our own path 

How can we be intentional in Ramadan?

• Imam Ghazali

  •  Ramadan is a season we silence the body to listen to the soul

  • Levels of fasting: 

    • The fasting of the common people

    • The fasting of the elect

    • The fasting of the elect of the elect

• While fasting, think about the following: Am I fasting because I might as well? Have I been coping with food/coffee? What is my intentionality in the output of god?

• Taqwa: intentionality in the pursuit of connectedness to God 

• Understand that our efforts will always be imperfect and try to learn about what possible things can you hold onto and what can you let go of 

• The spiritual standard of Ramadan may be exhausting but it can help us cope with saddness, frustration, and worry as well by helping us learn to sit with stress and tolerate that stress

Ibadah = an action done in the pursuit of Allah 

• We have ritualistic worship being the extent of worship, as we do simple tasks we should remind ourselves we are doing this for the sake of Allah 

• Example of the Sahabah of the Holy Prophet (SAW): Abu Bakr (ra) found eating a fruit and crying at the experience of it compared to us nowadays: How many meals have we had numbingly?

  • Try to think about the number of things Allah willed to happen for the meal to be sitting in front of you and the benefits it will do for you are all an act of worship 

Ramadan… and beyond?

• Intentionality may feel close to overthinking how do we navigate that?

  • Daily check in- doing a daily check in with myself and with Allah:

    • Pouring your heart out to Allah: be intimate and vulnerable —critical part with intentionality is being in the company of Allah SWT

    • Having conversation with ourselves: start from your head all the way to your feet: what positive thoughts/ judgements did I have today? Then go to eyes, what blessings did I look at today that I was appreciative of/ harmful to me? Mouth: call to account what kind of blessings did I verbalize today? Etc.