Niyyah fī al-Inkār
Definition
The niyyah — intention — behind the act of forbidding evil is as important to its spiritual validity as the act itself. Al-Ghazali insists that the obligation must be discharged out of genuine concern for the person committing the wrong and for the community affected by it — not out of the ego's pleasure in moral superiority, not out of personal enmity, and not out of the desire to be seen as a champion of right. The person who corrects others to elevate themselves, or who enjoys the exercise of moral judgment for its own sake, has corrupted the act even if the content of their correction is accurate.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Niyyah fī al-Inkār.
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"then to correct it through action after understanding the essence of truthfulness and sincerity, which are the servant's means to salvation and deliverance. We will discuss the meanings of truth and sincerity in three chapters. Chapter One: The Reality of Intention and Its Meaning In this chapter: Explanation of the virtue of intention Explanation of the reality of intention Explanation of how intention is better than action Explanation of the superiority of actions related to the self Explanation of how intention is beyond choice Explanation of the Virtue of Intention"
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 37: The Book of Intention, Sincerity, and Truthfulness · playable in the free preview
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"The correction of intention is achieved through two things: singling out the intended purpose and focusing one's concern entirely on it. The essence of this is the unification of intention and purpose. If one's intention or purpose is divided, it is not correct. The شَيْخ previously expressed this as "an intention that motivates discipline, frees from hesitation, and calls for avoiding rewards." Thus, connection at this level is through this intention."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Volume Three
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"Some of the predecessors said, "A small deed can be magnified by a great intention, and a great deed can be minimized by a small intention. Dawud Al-Tai remarked, "The righteous one with concern for piety, even if all his limbs cling to the world, his intention will return him to a righteous intention someday. The ignorant one is the opposite." Thawri noted, "They would learn the intention for an action just as you learn the action itself."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 37: The Book of Intention, Sincerity, and Truthfulness
Appears in
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