How to Maximize your ROI - Return On Intentions?

Assalamu'alaikum,

I hope you're well and started the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah with a powerful set of intentions.

During these blessed days, you want to invest in as many good deeds as possible, but let's be honest, sometimes time and energy can be our biggest constraints. So here's where the "Return On Intentions" concept - ROI, can be helpful.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that sometimes a person would get the reward of the deed even if they didn't do it because they had sincere intentions.

I want to combine the above with something I learned in my old Master's degree in investment (finally getting to use it :P) and share a few tips with you to maximize your ROI (return on intentions):

• Hold onto your intentions for the long run: Just like investing in a promising stock and sticking with it, if you set a goal, like fasting all nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, stay committed and see it through.

• Mix things up: Try to have a variety of intentions. It's like diversifying your portfolio but with good deeds. Here’s a list of good deeds you can mix and match from during these 10 days:

  1. All obligatory prayers on time

  2. Fast the first 9 days

  3. Complete one recitation of the Quran

  4. Charity every day (you can automate your giving with our friends at LaunchGood Dhul-Hijjah Challenge).

  5. Two rakah tahajjud every night

  6. Offer to sacrifice an animal on day of Eid (Udhiya/Qurbani)

• Keep setting intentions: Just like you'd regularly invest a part of your income, set your intentions at the start of each of these 10 days and regularly check-in with your intentions (If you want to plan your day/week with intentions, consider getting one of our Barakah Journals here).

Growing up, my mom used to make a dua for me that goes like this:

“May Allah give you as much as your intentions!” Honestly, I used to freak out at that dua. But you know what? It taught me something important - while working hard is vital, having the right intentions is what really counts.

Salim Bin Abdullah once wrote to Umar Bin Abdul-Aziz, saying, "Know that Allah helps a servant according to their intention. So whoever's intention is sincere, Allah's help will fulfill his intention. And if his sincerity decreases, Allah's help will decrease accordingly."

Let's make the most of these ten days by setting intentions to do our best and asking Allah for the highest ROI (return on intentions) in this world and the next. Ameen.

Sincerely,

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