Niyyah
النيةDefinition
Niyyah is the interior orientation of an act — what the act is truly for, in the deepest layer of the heart's motivation. The famous hadith 'Actions are judged by their intentions' is the cornerstone of al-Ghazali's entire chapter. He notes that most people have a surface intention (they intend to pray, to give charity, to fast) but rarely examine what lies beneath: why they are doing this, what they hope to get from it, whose approval they are seeking. The practice of niyyah purification involves descending through the layers of motivation until one reaches the deepest layer and asks: is this, ultimately, for God? He is honest about the difficulty: reaching a pure niyyah in every act is the work of a lifetime, not a single resolution.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
5 books in the library
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