Why are you doing this?
Lesson # 5 “When you renew your intention, Allah renews your strength.”
Bismillah.
I was lying in a hospital bed when the fog began to clear — not just the fog of illness, but the fog of routine.
For years, I’d been walking through life with good intentions… somewhere. I knew I loved Allah. I knew I wanted Jannah. But the why behind my daily actions had gotten buried under habit. Everything had become… automatic. Robotic. Even my du’as felt like checkboxes.
And it wasn’t until everything was stripped away — my health, my energy, my ability to perform “as usual” — that I began to really see it.
I wasn’t asking myself the deeper questions anymore.
Why am I doing this? For whom?
What am I really seeking?
Routine vs. Reflection
Since coming home, I’ve been quietly rebuilding my life by asking one simple question:
“What is my intention?”
Not just with acts of worship.
With everything.
I love carrots. But now I ask:
Am I eating this because I enjoy it?
Or can I upgrade my intention?
Yes — carrots are part of a balanced diet. That diet gives me the strength to worship Allah better. That worship is the purpose of my life. Suddenly, even a carrot becomes worship. Even a snack becomes sacred.
It sounds small. But stopping throughout the day to reset my intention has brought a kind of ease I didn’t expect. Things flow differently when you begin with sincerity. The Quran recitation that felt heavy becomes lighter. The rest that felt like wasting time becomes healing. Because when your intention is aligned with Allah, He adds Barakah to what you do.
Tawheed and the Illusion of Control
This practice of intention pulled me back to something deeper: Tawheed.
We try so hard to control everything.
We set goals. We make plans. We visualize how the year will go. I remember thinking:
“2025 is going to be an amazing year.”
Instead, I spent the last week of 2024 in a hospital bed. Then five and a half weeks in the hospital. Then months in rehabilitation. I had one day of January outside the hospital.
That wasn’t the year I imagined.
But it was the year Allah chose for me.
And when your heart understands Tawheed — not just with your mind, but with your hheart— you can’t be dissatisfied with what Allah chooses. You begin to see the hidden wisdom in your interruptions. You begin to trust the detours. You stop chasing your own outcomes and start chasing His pleasure.
That’s the power of intention. It reminds you:
You are not the master. You are the servant.
And servanthood is not weakness — it’s the greatest kind of freedom.
The Lesson I’m Carrying Forward
So now, I ask more. I pause more. I intend more.
I’m not trying to make everything perfect.
I’m just trying to make everything purposeful.
Because when I set my intention for the sake of Allah — even if the action is small, even if the day doesn’t go to plan — there is Barakah. There is clarity. There is peace.
And I’m reminded again:
Allah loves those who are mindful of Him.
Hit reply and let me know how you intend on upgrading your intentions?
Journal Reflection:
What are three things you do every day that you could upgrade with a renewed intention?
Are there areas in your life where your actions feel robotic or routine?
What does it look like for you to live with Tawheed at the center?
Much love,
Nour Cauveren