Sincerity in Islam means to worship Allah out of true faith
in Him. It means to do good deeds for Allah’s pleasure. Sincerity is about what
is in your heart. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sincerity as: “honesty
of mind: freedom from hypocrisy.”
He who truly knows Allah will love Him, worship Him and show
Ikhlass (sincerity) towards Him.
Ikhlass (sincerity) is like Jannah (Heaven) for a Mu’men. It
is the soul of the pious and a secret between Allah and His slave. Ikhlass
thwarts evil thoughts and Shaytan’s (Satan) whispers to the slave. It means
directing all of your actions to Allah and no one else. The Mu’men must not
seek the pleasure of anything or anyone except Allah. He must never seek praise
or tributes from people, but always expect rewards from only Him alone.
An example of pure ikhlass can be seen in the actions of
Ayoub As-Sakhtiyani who used to perform Salah all night long. He did not tell anybody
about it and when the morning came, he used to act as if he had just woken up
from sleep.
To have Ikhlass means one perfects and completes an action
in the best manner possible. It is the dearest trait in this world. It is to
single out Allah with your intention when carrying out acts of worship through
continuously observing only Allah alone. What is done for Allah’s sake alone is
rewarded, but what is done for others beside Allah goes in vain and is lost
into thin air. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘The reward of deeds
depend upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to
what he has intended. So whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or for a woman
to marry, his emigration will be for what he emigrated for’ (Narrated by
al-Bukhari).
The status of Ikhlass
Ikhlass has a very prominent status in religion; it is
unequaled by any other trait. Deeds are only accepted by Allah if they are
performed with Ikhlass. Allah reminds us in numerous ayat of the Qur’an about
Ikhlass. Some of these ayat are: ‘They were not commanded except to worship
Allah, (being) sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth’ (Al-Baiyinah:
5).
Allah (mighty and majestic is He) says: 162- Say: ‘Indeed,
my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of
the worlds.’ 163- ‘No partner has He. This I have been commanded, and I am the
first (among you) of the Muslims’ ‘ (Al-An’âm: 162-163).
Allah (mighty and majestic is He) says: ‘(He) Who created
death and life to test you (as to) which of you is best in deed’ (Al-Mulk: 2).
He also says: 2- Indeed, We have sent down to you the Boo,
(O Muhammad) in truth. So worship Allah, (being) sincere to Him in religion. 3-
Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion (Az-Zumar: 2-3).
Allah the Exalted says: ‘So whoever would hope for the
meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the
worship of his Lord anyone’ (Al-Kahf: 110).
Here are some quotes from
the Quran about sincerity:
Allah (swt) specifically uses the word sincere (mukhlaseen)
to describe His servants who will be rewarded:
But the sincere servants of Allah—for them is a sustenance
determined. (37:40-41)
Then see what was the end of those who were warned, except
for the sincere servants of Allah. (37: 73-74)
Allah (swt) relates sincerity to prayers and charity:
And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship
Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish
regular prayer, and to practice regular charity; and that is the Religion,
right and straight. (98:5)
We are feeding you for the sake of Allah. We do not expect
from you any compensation or thanks. (76:9)
Allah warns us about
insincerity:
So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their
prayers—those who want to be seen (of men), but refuse (to supply) neighborly
needs. (107: 4-7)
O Believers! Do not make your charity worthless by reminders
of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of
men and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day… (2:264)
The purpose of life’s hardships is to test our sincerity:
Do the people think that they will be left alone on saying,
“We believe,” and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them,
and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.
(29:2-3)
Allah judges us based
on sincerity:
Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in
your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts, and He is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Forbearing. (2:225)
There is no blame on those who are infirm, or ill, or who find no resources to spend (on the Cause), if they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger: No ground (of complaint) can there be against such as do right: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (9:91)
References/Sources:
https://www.with-allah.com/en/meaning-of-al-ikhlas-sincerity,
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3466534/points-about-sincerity-from-quran
Jazakallahu khairan
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