The true value of worship, and whether it is accepted, depends on the purity of intention, said Shah Abu Nasr Nesaruddin Ahmad Hussain, the Pir of Sarsina Darbar Sharif and amir of Hizbullah. If the intention is not solely to please Allah, he said, the lessons and spiritual benefits of worship are lost.
He made the remarks as chief guest on Wednesday (21 October) at an Isale Sawab and prayer gathering held to mark his visit to the Mirkundi Darussunnat Salehia Dinia Complex and Dr Yasir Hasan Sheikh Hafizia Madrasa in Bandar, Narayanganj. The gathering was organised by people of the village at the Eidgah ground next to the Mirkundi graveyard.
The first and most important condition of any good deed is ikhlas, or sincerity of intention, the Pir said. The Prophet (peace be upon him) declared that the reward for a deed depends on its intention. When showing off, a desire for worldly fame or arrogance enters worship, its true purpose cannot be achieved, however much hardship is endured outwardly.
The core lessons of worship are taqwa, self-purification and the building of character, he said. Without sincerity of intention, people may be deprived of those lessons.
People today pay more attention to the outward form of their deeds than to the purity of their hearts, the Pir said. Unless the heart is kept free of hasad (envy), kibr (arrogance) and riya (showing off), worship becomes mere custom, and it becomes hard to bring positive change to individual and social life. He urged people to purify their intention before starting any good work.
The gathering began after the Asr prayer and continued late into the night. Other speakers included Maulana Md Hemayet bin Taiyeb, organising secretary of Bangladesh Jamiyate Hizbullah; Maulana Md Mamunul Haque, deputy principal of Sarsina Darussunnat Jamea-e-Nesaria Dinia; and Maulana Md Mohebbullah Al Mahmud, who travelled with the Pir.
At the end of the gathering, the Pir of Sarsina led the final prayer for guidance and unity for the Muslim ummah and for peace and welfare for the country and the nation.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report