Purifying the Heart: Imam Hasan’s (AS) Lesson on Sincere Intention

Occasion of reflecting on this hadith: 25 Rabi al-Awwal, the anniversary of the peace agreement of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS)

Introduction

On this occasion, we can reflect on a beautiful saying attributed to Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), in which he teaches us about the power of a heart that seeks only Allah’s pleasure.

امام الحسن المجتبی (ع): أَنَا اَلضَّامِنُ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَهْجُسْ فِي قَلْبِهِ إِلاَّ اَلرِّضَا أَنْ يَدْعُوَ اَللَّهَ فَيُسْتَجَابَ لَهُ

Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS): “I guarantee that whoever has nothing in his heart except seeking Allah’s pleasure, and then calls upon Allah, his prayer will be answered.” (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 43, p. 351)

Educational messages of this hadith for teenagers and youth

1. Purify Your Intention

Make your intention sincere for Allah’s pleasure in everything you do, big or small.

Practical Challenge: Before starting an important task, pause for a few seconds and remind yourself: “I am doing this to please Allah.”

2. Keep Allah’s Pleasure as Your Highest Goal

Seeking Allah’s pleasure does not cancel your other goals; it can stand at the highest level of your intentions, from studying and success to earning a living, supporting your family and helping others.

Practical Challenge: When setting a goal, ask yourself how it can also serve Allah’s pleasure and the good of others.

3. Let Your Intention Improve Your Actions

When your intention is truly for Allah, it should also improve the way you act, because we cannot sincerely seek Allah’s pleasure through something wrong.

Practical Challenge: Before making a choice, ask: “Would this action still be right if I say I am doing it for Allah?”

4. Take Care of Your Heart

Your heart becomes truly valuable when it is filled with the light and pleasure of Allah, rather than being attached to anything besides Him.

Practical Challenge: Each day, take a few quiet minutes to check what is occupying your heart most: Allah, or money, popularity, appearance and other worldly things.

5. Seek Worldly Goals for Allah’s Sake

Whatever you seek in this world, seek it with the intention of pleasing Allah, not merely for worldly gain.

Practical Challenge: When studying, working or planning your future, connect your goal to a good purpose such as serving your family, helping others or earning halal income.

6. Reflect on Your Choices

Take some time to think about your actions and important decisions: how much are they really guided by the desire to please Allah?

Practical Challenge: At the end of each day, think about one important decision you made and ask yourself: “How much did Allah’s pleasure guide me?”

7. Do Good Without Needing Applause

A good action becomes more meaningful when you do it even when nobody notices or praises you.

Practical Challenge: Do one helpful thing every day for a week without telling anyone about it afterwards.

8. Do Not Let Other People Choose Your Goals

Your life should not be controlled by trends, friends or social media; choose goals that you can honestly place before Allah.

Practical Challenge: Write down three goals you currently have and ask yourself, “Would I still want this if nobody knew that I achieved it?” Change one goal if your answer is no.

9. When You Are Hurt, Choose a Better Response

When someone insults, rejects or disappoints you, seeking Allah’s pleasure means not allowing anger or revenge to control your next decision.

Practical Challenge: The next time someone upsets you, wait at least ten minutes before replying to a message or reacting, and choose a response that you would not regret later.

10. Make Your Private Life Match Your Public Life

Sincerity means trying to be the same good person when you are alone as you are when people are watching.

Practical Challenge: Choose one small act of worship or good behaviour that you normally do only when others are present and practise it privately every day for seven days.

Educational messages of this hadith for parents

1. Seek Allah’s Pleasure in Raising Your Children

In raising your children and making decisions for them, make seeking Allah’s pleasure your main intention.

Practical Challenge: Before making an important decision about your child, pause and ask yourself: “Am I choosing this mainly for my child’s good and Allah’s pleasure?”

2. Teach Your Children About Allah’s Pleasure

Explain to your children why seeking Allah’s pleasure should guide our decisions and behaviour.

Practical Challenge: When your child faces a choice, ask: “Which choice do you think would please Allah more?” and discuss the answer together.

3. Re-examine Your Intentions

Reflect on why you do things for your children: is it to impress relatives, compete with others, fulfil your own wishes, or seek Allah’s pleasure?

Practical Challenge: Once a week, choose one thing you have done for your child and honestly ask yourself what your real intention was.

4. Teach Children to Ask “Why?”, Not Only “What?”

Instead of focusing only on whether a child has done something correctly, help them understand the intention behind their actions.

Practical Challenge: Once a day, when your child does something good, ask: “Why do you think this was a good thing to do?” Listen to their answer without immediately correcting them.

5. Praise Character More Than Achievement

If children are praised only for high marks, money or success, they may learn to seek people’s approval rather than Allah’s pleasure.

Practical Challenge: For one week, deliberately praise qualities such as honesty, kindness, patience and sincerity more often than grades, awards or achievements.

6. Help Children Find Allah’s Pleasure in Everyday Life

Sincerity should not be limited to worship; studying, helping at home, earning money honestly and caring for others can all become meaningful when done for Allah.

Practical Challenge: At dinner each evening for one week, ask everyone in the family to name one ordinary action they did that day and explain how it could become an act done for Allah.

Educational messages of this hadith for imams and teachers

1. Teach with a Sincere Intention

Teach and guide others with a sincere intention to seek the pleasure of Allah.

Practical Challenge: Before every sermon, lesson or public activity, take a moment to renew your intention and remind yourself that your purpose is to serve Allah and benefit His people.

2. Teach the Hierarchy of Goals

Explain to your audience the importance of seeking Allah’s pleasure as the highest goal, while keeping other goals and purposes beneath it.

Practical Challenge: When discussing an everyday goal such as education, work or family life, show your audience how it can be connected to the higher goal of seeking Allah’s pleasure.

3. Teach Intention Before Performance

Before asking people to do more good actions, help them understand why they are doing them and whom they ultimately want to please.

Practical Challenge: Begin one lesson, sermon or class this week with a simple question: “Why are we doing this?” Give people a minute to think about their own answer.

4. Create Opportunities for Unseen Good Deeds

People learn sincerity when they experience the value of doing good without receiving public recognition.

Practical Challenge: Introduce one private act of service in your class or community programme where participants can help others without their names being announced.

5. Reduce the Pressure of Public Recognition

Excessive emphasis on awards, titles and public praise can unintentionally shift people’s attention from Allah’s pleasure to people’s approval.

Practical Challenge: In your next programme, recognise good behaviour by highlighting the value of the action rather than repeatedly praising the individual who performed it.