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Is having multiple intentions a form of laziness? And is it a pretext for a quantitative decrease in acts of worship if it becomes a system followed in all acts of worship?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Multiplicity of intentions is a great door to earning reward and merit, and it indicates the alertness of the servant's heart and his eagerness for good. It does not contradict worship; rather, it motivates it. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali explained that the multiplication of فضائل (virtues/فضل) occurs through an abundance of good intentions. A single act of obedience can be intended for many good deeds, and the person will receive a reward for each intention. He gave the example of sitting in the mosque and mentioned eight intentions that one observing i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) can have, such as visiting Allah, awaiting prayer, restraining hearing and sight, focusing one's concerns on Allah, dedicating oneself to the remembrance of Allah, imparting knowledge, benefiting a brother in faith, and abandoning sins out of shame before Allah. In conclusion, this is a way to multiply intentions, and it can be applied to all acts of obedience and permissible deeds. Through it, deeds are purified, and good deeds are multiplied."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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