It is a khāṭir (passing thought) or an item that comes from an angel. (Küt, I, 126)
Intention (niyyah), will (irāda), and determination (qaṣd) are similar terms with the same meaning. Intention is a state and attribute of the qalb (the heart). It encompasses two situations: knowledge and action. Knowledge precedes action, for knowledge is the foundation and condition of action. Action comes after, as it is what arises from knowledge. Thus, every action—meaning every voluntary movement and stillness—is only completed by three things: knowledge, will, and qudra (power). A person cannot will what they do not know (cannot desire it); they must necessarily possess knowledge of what they are to do. One cannot act upon what one does not will; one must will it. Intention consists of the intermediate attribute, that is, irāda. Irāda is the qalb's orientation toward what it deems suitable as a goal, whether now or later. (Iḥyā', 90)
They asked, "What is the key to intention?" I replied, "It is yaqīn (certainty)." To those who asked about the key to yaqīn, I said, "It is tawakkul (reliance upon God)." Then they asked about the key to tawakkul, and I answered, "It is khawf (fear)..." (Gunye, II, 125)
Intention is the beginning of action. Action is realized in accordance with it. According to one group, the most important thing required of the murīd (aspirant, disciple) at the outset is to enter the path of the Sufis, to adorn oneself with their ḥāl (spiritual states), and to associate with these people for the sake of Allah. For the murīd to enter the path of the Sufis means to abandon his own state and time.
At the beginning of his sulūk (spiritual journey) on this path, the murīd needs to make his intention firm. The soundness of intention means that it distances him from the claims of the nafs (the lower self). Everything the nafs desires from the pleasures of the dunyā (world) continues until it brings him to the state of being a sincere servant of Allah. (ʿAwārif, 312)
According to the people of khawāṭir (passing thoughts), a khāṭir comes to the qalb. According to those who govern the qalb, this is called a hājis (first prompting). If it returns to him again, it becomes irāda. Irāda assists its possessor in attaining what is desired. If it returns a third time, it becomes ham (concern). This only returns for a significant matter. If it comes a fourth time, it becomes ʿazm (resolve). This only returns when it has reached the state of firm decision. If it returns a fifth time, it becomes niyyah (intention). This is the intention from which the existing act that has begun originates. Between the orientation toward the act and the act itself, qaṣd (determination) emerges. It is a sacred attribute shared by the Lord and the servant. (Latā'if, 65)
Intention means determination (qaṣd); that is, the qalb's resolve. (Būstān, 8)
Intention is one of the divisions of kasb (acquisition). Intention is the most preferable of these divisions, for, unlike the other two, it is worship in itself. Speech and action can be corrupted by riyāʾ (showing off), but intention cannot be corrupted in this way. (Būstān, 10)
Intention is the inclination and orientation of the nafs toward what is beneficial for it now or in the future. (Qudāma, 389)
Action is the effort of the body for Allah's sake, while intention is the effort of the qalb for Allah's sake. (Bughyah, 22)
The first khāṭir, which they call hājis... is also called the initial facilitating cause... When it is realized in the nafs, it is called irāda... If it is repeated a third time, it is called ham... On the fourth, it is called ʿazm... When one turns toward the goal, it is called qaṣd... When one begins the act, it is called niyyah. If a prompting is not from an act, it is called ilhām (inspiration), or a gift, or ladunnī (divine) knowledge... (Jāmiʿ, 27)
Intention is built upon four things: qaṣd (determination), ʿazm (resolve), irāda (will), and mashīʾa (volition). All of these have the same meaning. Intention has two forms with respect to the qalb: one is the presence of good alertness in the qalb; the other is ikhlas (sincerity) in an act done for Allah, seeking reward and riḍā (contentment with God's decree) from Him. (Jāmiʿ, 41)
point/nuqat-circle
A circle is something that has a gate. The point at the center of the circle is the meaning of ḥaqīqa (inner reality). The meaning of ḥaqīqa is that from which neither the manifest nor the hidden disappear; it is that which does not accept forms. (Tawāsīn, 198)
He mentioned the points. The point is the origin. It does not increase, decrease, or perish. The denier remained in the outer circle. Not seeing me, he denied my state. He called me a heretic. He spoke ill of me. The one in the second circle thought I was a divinely inspired scholar. The one who reached the third circle thought I was lost in delusions. But the one who reached the circle of ḥaqīqa forgot me and became absent from seeing me. (Tawāsīn, 199)