بسم الله الرمن الرحيم
Praise be to Allah who exalted the rank of the people of sincerity and highestly raised their affairs in this world and the Hereafter, and may blessings and peace be upon the one who was given complete sincerity in his speech and actions, may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him. As for what follows:
For indeed, it is no secret to anyone the great rank that sincerity has with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is therefore sufficient to show its importance, status, honor and level that it is a condition for the acceptance of a person’s actions. So when the servant is not sincere to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, his actions will not benefit him even if he prostrates night and day, or give money (dirham and dinar) in charity.
Sincerity is the essence of the deen, its core and heart. Some said: “Sincerity is a secret between Allah and the servant, it is not know by an angel so he could write it, nor a demon so he could spoil it, nor by desire so it could divert it.
The righteous knew its status and prestige, so they exerted in their endeavors to attain it and their lives were consumated for it. It was not easy to obtain it, nor was it easy to reach; rather, it was and still is one of the most difficult things for them and it is so. Yusuf ibn Hussayn said: “The most glorious thing in the dunya is sincerity. I strived hard to remove showing off from my heart but it would come back in another form”
Imam An Nawawi said: “I did not find anything more hard on me than my intention because it would always change. And by Allah, we are not in a better situation than our messenger ﷺ and he is the master of those who are sincere and the leader of the righteous and the example of the pious, he would call his Lord by saying: “O you who turn the hearts, make my heart fixed/firm on your religion.” Reported by At Tirmidhi. He would also say: “Oh you who divers the hearts, establish my heart on your obedience.” Reported by Ibn Asakir.
Talking about sincerity is talking about the deen, and if a man was to spend all his life in learning, teaching and attaining it, it would be from the best things to occupy your time with and consumate your life for. This is why the predecessors gave it very much attention. Ibn Abi Jamra (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “I wished there was from the jurists those who only taugh people about the intentions behind their deeds and would sit to teach them about intentions”
Whoever contemplate the condition of the people, and perhaps some of the righteous among them would know that they have been overtaken from where they don’t perceive, and showing off entered into their hearts from where they do not expect, and here lies the disease and the place of affliction. Who among us today does not rejoice from being praised? Who among us is not sad when and if he doesn’t hear praises after doing a good deed? Or after doing an act of worship? Who among us is not alarmed and bored when he is advised and when he is reminded? As if he had attained perfection in his worship, his obedience, his dealings and his manners!! We are afflicted with self amazement, arrogance and rejection of the truth, and showing what we have not been given.
Don’t these reasons necessitate to spend some time for this important topic and this serious matter? Yes, by Allah, they are.
These are some things which by the Will of Allah will help you, to obtain sincerity. I remind myself and my brothers of them perhaps with Allah’s Will they will help us to establish ourselves on sincerity and avoid what opposes it of showing off, pride, self amazement and arrogance, because unless one restraints his desires, they will cause him to perish.
And what a truthful statement: “If a person give his soul whatever it desires … and doesn’t deny it, it will yearn for all types of falsehood”
And which falsehood is greater than showing off and giving partners to Allah, The Mighty and The Most High in worship and righteous actions when Allah says: “Verily, I have no need of any partners. Whoever performs a deed in which he associates another besides me, I will abandon him and his shirk.” Reported by Muslim.
As for the causes that helps in attaining sincerity:
1- Knowing the fruits of sincerity, it’s virtues, and it’s status with Allah, The Mighty and Majestic. Allah ordered with sincerity in his statement: “So worship Allah alone by doing religious deeds sincerely for His sake only” Surah Az Zumar v.2. And sincerity is the basis and key of the call of all the Mesengers of Allah, peace and blessings be upon them, “And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone” Surah Al Bayyinah v.5.
In sincerity, there is preservation from trials and tribulations, and safety from evils. The prophet of Allah, Youssouf, who was subjected to a great trial which the solid mountains are moved by when he was tempted by the wife of Al Aziz and the women of Egypt with their wealth, status and beauty, so that he would fall into obscenity and fall into fornication and is a single young man in whose blood and his soul is youthfulness and the desire of men, and with all these, he was preserved and saved and the reason is sincerity as Allah said: “Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of sincere slaves.” Surah Youssouf v.24.
And among the fruits of sincerity are it’s great reward in the Hereafter and it’s high status. As Allah said: “Except the chosen slaves of Allah (those who are sincere). For them there will be a known provision (in Paradise). Fruits; and they shall be honoured. In the Gardens of delight (Paradise)” Surah As Saffaat v.39-42.
2- Supplication to Allah The Most High seeking His aid, The Mighty and Majestic, for whoever relies on his own knowledge will go astray, and whoever entrust himself to his intelligence will deviate. The Prophet ﷺ would supplicate to Allah by saying: “O you who turn the hearts, make my heart fixed/firm on your religion.” Reported by AtTirmidhi. He would also say: “Oh you who divers the hearts, establish my heart on your obedience.” Reported by Ibn Asakir.
And a supplication he taught his companions and his ummah after him is in his statement: “O people, beware of this shirk (polytheism), for it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant. Then the one whom Allah Willed should speak said to him, How can we beware of it when it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Say: “O Allah, we seek refuge with You from knowingly associating anything with You, and we seek Your forgiveness for that which we do unknowingly” Reported by Ahmad.
3- Contemplating the texts that warn against the lack of sincerity and also the texts which shows its evil consequences in this world and the hereafter. In this world, the person who shows off will not go far, he will be inevitably exposed as the hadith says “If anyone wants to have his deeds widely publicised, Allah will publicise (his humiliation). And if anyone makes a hypocritical display (of his deeds) Allah will make a display of him.” Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim.
Al-Hassan Al Basri said: “A servant never hides a secret (i.e. an evil secret) except that Allah makes it apparent on his lips and his face.”
And he could be subject of an evil ending during his death, may Allah protect us from it. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Similarly, a person may do deeds of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the Fire and enters the Fire” Reported by Al Bukhari.
Most of the scholars mentionned that this hadith refers to a person who shows off, he neglected sincerity and wasn’t causious about showing off until the result was an evil ending. We ask Allah for safety.
As for the punishment of showing off in the hereafter, it is a strong promise and a sure torment. The one who shows off is firewood and fuel for the hellfire. Allah, The Almighty said: “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.” Surah Al Furqan v.23
In the narration about those who will be thrown in the fire of hell, their acts of worship and their actions were different although their goal was the same. So the first was a mujahid, the second gave charity and the third was a reciter of the qur’an but they all do it for the people and not for Allah. They therefore deserved to be firewood for the hell fire.
4- Knowing and learning it. Also, beeing aware of it’s opposite which is hypocrisy. Whoever looks and ponders will see that many people are ignorant of hypocrisy so they indulge in it. They felt into its traps and means without realising. This is why the pious predecessors (may Allah be pleased with them) had meanings and scales that defined when a person was sincere or not. Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Sincerity is when you are the same in private and in public”. He also said: “The hypocrite have three signs
(a) He is lazy when he is alone. If he is alone, he is not serious on performing the prayer except in a rushed way in which he mentions Allah only a little. He does not perform voluntary prayers. He is permanently negligent and acts of obedience are heavy on him.
(b) He is active when he is amongst people. In public he is serious during prayer, and he does it in the best manner without lacking. If he was in public he wept, is affected and wails. But when alone with Allah, his eyes never shed tears.
Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to us while we were discussing the Dajjal. The Prophet said, “Shall I not tell you about my greater fear for you than the Dajjal?” We said, “Of course!” The Prophet said, “It is hidden idolatry, that a man stands for prayer and beautifies his prayer when he sees another man looking at him.” Reported by Ibn Majah n°4204
(c) He does more when he is praised and less when critisized. This is because he acts for the people and not for Allah, The Almighty and this is dangerous.
5- Not liking the praise of people and not feeling happy due to their compliments like many have become. Their greatest concern and the prize for knowledge. To understand the severity of this, look at what Al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) mentionned on how subtle showing off is and how some of the righteous have been plagued by it without realising. He said: “And more hidden than that is for the person to hide his act of obedience not wanting them to become apparent, and is not happy when they are”
Unfortunately, you will find one who love when others give him the salam (he doesn’t initiate the salam out of pride). He wants others to rush and with reverence, to praise him, to be quick in executing his needs, to make easy for him buying and selling, to make space for him. And whenever someone doesn’t do all these, it is heavy on his heart and he feels excluded as if he deserves respect for the acts of obedience he supposedly did and excerted for Allah.
6- To give Allah his due esteem and glorification. To turn entirely to Allah, The Almighty so that hope is only from Him. Only fearing and asking him. And to know that Allah is aware of what the heart wills and the chest hides. And that, He, The Mighty and Majestic knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. The servant should also know that he must give precedence to the pleasure of Allah The Almighty above whoever else’s displeasure because whoever takes care of what is between him and Allah, Allah will take care of what is between him and the creation. Mujahid said: “When the heart of the servant is content with Allah, Allah makes the heart of the believers content with that person”
And glory be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds.
Written by
Dr. Mohammed Dawi Al Usaymi
For the original arabic version
Al Ibaanah TT 