Every single thing we do can be an act of worship, a form of ‘ibadah – IF, and only IF it is done with the right intention.
We can turn something simple, like eating breakfast, into a form of ibadah. How? Well if you intend to eat breakfast in order to fuel yourself for the day so that you can worship Allah (SWT) with more energy and strength. We do all these things all the time, and if we had the right intention in each instance, we could gain so much ajr by simply going to school or work, or even spending time with your family or friends. Yet, many of us are blinded by the dunya. We do things not for the sake of Allah (SWT), but because we feel like we have to, or just for the sake of doing something. Most often we are doing something simple because WE want to; we focus on our desires. We may go to school because we feel like we have to, like we have no choice, or perhaps because we feel pressured by our families.
Intention is critical, especially for us as Muslims. We face so many obstacles in our everyday lives, so many struggles. Having the right intention is the key to living and leading a good life. With all the problems and issues we experience, remembering that we are here for one purpose alone is incredibly important because losing sight and losing focus is the most destructive calamity to happen to us.
We cannot forget why we are here; why we are doing what we are doing. Once the dunya fades and the trials of this life are over, the only thing remaining will be our real life; Our eternity. And ultimately, our eternity depends on what we did in the dunya, and what we did in the dunya will not matter one bit if we had the wrong intention.