Misdirected Intentions by Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
A person could intend to ask Allah alone and put his reliance in Him alone, yet in matters that Allah does not love, rather detests and prohibits. Such a person may be sincere in his asking and relying but he is not sincere in his worship and obedience and this is the state of many of those who commit false practices amongst those who claim spiritual unveilings and carry out various machinations that contradict the command of Allah and His Messenger. Many of these ask Allah for help to do what they desire, but because these deeds do not conform to the order of Allah and His Messenger they attain some temporal benefit but their end will be evil indeed! Allah, Exalted is He, says,

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ كَفُورًا

«And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except Him (Allah Alone). But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful.»[Surah an-Isra 17:67]

وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنسَانَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَائِمًا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَا إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّ مَّسَّهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

«And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying down on his side, or sitting or standing. But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on his way as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him! Thus it seems fair to the Musrifunthat which they used to do.» [Surah Yunus 10:12]

Another group of people desire the obedience of Allah and His Messenger but they do not fully implement tawakkul and asking His help. These people will be rewarded for their good intentions and for their actions of obedience, however they will meet with disappointment in what they desired due to their failure to actualise tawakkul and asking His help. This is why these people are often tried with weakness or despair sometimes and self conceit on others; if his desire is not fulfilled it is because of his weakness and perhaps he falls into a state of despair, if his desire is fulfilled he thinks it to be because of his strength and ability and therefore falls into self conceit. He could even become so confident of himself that he thinks that his desire will definitely be met, yet face disappointment, Allah says,

لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّـهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ ﴿٢٥﴾ ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّـهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّـهُ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

«Truly Allah has given you victory on many battle fields, and on the Day of Hunain (battle) when you rejoiced at your great number but it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you, then you turned back in flight. Then Allah did send down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquillity and reassurance, etc.) on the Messenger (Muhammad Peace and blessing be upon him), and on the believers, and sent down forces (angels) which you saw not, and punished the disbelievers. Such is the recompense of disbelievers. Then after that Allah will accept the repentance of whom He will. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.» [Surah At-Tawba 9:25-27]

Source: “Relief of Distress – An Explanation to the du’a of Yunus” (P. 71-73)