Murāqaba al-Niyyāt
Definition
Muraqaba al-niyyat — watching over the intentions — is al-Ghazali's most important practical prescription for the disease of riya: the continuous, vigilant monitoring of what is actually motivating each act of worship as it is being performed. This is not the same as obsessive doubt about whether one's worship is accepted; it is the active discipline of checking whether the heart is actually oriented toward Allah or has begun to orient toward the imagined audience of observers. Al-Ghazali recommends beginning this practice in the private acts of worship (night prayer, secret sadaqa) where riya has no social fuel — learning to be genuine when alone is the foundation for being genuine in public.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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