Brothers and sisters! In today’s khutba, I intend to share some thoughts on the topic of sincerity or ikhlas, which is an essential part of our noble deen. What is ikhlas? It is the intention to please Allah in whatever we do. A believer must be a sincere person in every aspect of his or her life. Allah has commanded us to be sincere in our deen which means in our entire life.
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Say, My prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” (Al-An’am, 6:120)
There is a hadith about a scholar, a martyr and a charitable man being judged by Allah on the Day of Judgment. As would be expected, they would be residents of Paradise because of their highly virtuous and meritorious deeds. Instead, they were thrown into the hell fire, because their deeds were done with the intention of seeking praise from the people, and not with the intention of pleasing Allah.
On the other hand, there is the story of the unchaste woman who was rewarded with Paradise for giving water to a thirsty dog. What truly got her into Paradise? Was it just her simple act? It could not have been, because the acts of the scholar, martyr, and charitable man were far greater in terms of the sacrifices they made. However, they were punished because they wanted praise from the people which they got. They were insincere in their relation with Allah. But the woman who had helped the dog did so for Allah’s sake only.
Look how the sincerity of intention elevates a person’s deeds. This is why the scholars have said that ikhlas or sincerity is the most important act of worship of the heart. The driving force of one’s acts should always be to seek the pleasure of Allah only.
Allah tells us that Iblees promised to lead all the human beings astray except those who were sincere and purified.
قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ () إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ
“(Iblis) said, ‘By Your Honor, I will lead all of them astray, except for those among them who are Your sincere worshippers” (Saad, 38:82-83).
And we are told in the story of Yusuf (AS) that he was saved from falling into the trap of Aziz’s wife, who tried to seduce him, because he was sincere and purified.
وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَن رَّأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ
“And she desired him and he would have desired her, had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord. Thus We warded off evil and indecency from him, for he was one of our servants; sincere and purified.” (Yusuf, 12:24)
The Qur’an also tells us about the story of the mother of Maryam having a beautiful private conversation with Allah. Expecting that she would give birth to a male child, she told Allah that she would pledge the child in her womb to His service. And for the sincerity of her intention, even though she gave birth to a female child, Allah accepted that female child to fulfill her mother’s pledge. And we know that Maryam (AS), mother of ‘Isa (AS) is among the best women described in the Qur’an.
We learn from the stories of the Sahaba that Khalid bin al-Walid (RA) was removed from his post as commander of the Muslim army by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA). This was not done to humiliate Khalid bin al-Walid in any way. This was done to let the Muslims realize that it was not because of Khalid’s bravery and military leadership that they won every battle under his command but it was basically because of Allah’s favor upon them. After being demoted, instead of being offended and refusing to fight, Khalid bin al-Walid fought with even more vigor. When he was asked the reason for this, he said: “I fight for Allah and not for ‘Umar.”
Even a small deed done with sincerity is extremely valuable. Once Mu’adh ibn Jabal (RA) asked the Prophet (SAW) for an advice, and the Prophet (SAW) said to him, أَخْلِصْ دِينَكَ يَكْفِكَ الْعَمَلُ الْقَلِيلُ “Be sincere in your deen; even a small deed will be enough for you.” Only Allah knows the sincerity of a person. Some scholars say that ikhlas or sincerity is a secret between the human being and Allah. Even the angels don’t write it down because they don’t know it. Reflective of this is the story of the martyr, the scholar and the charitable man that was mentioned before. The angels had written down their good acts, but it was Allah who exposed their intention behind those acts.
قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ
Say, I have been commanded to worship Allah, with sincere devotion.” (al-Zumar, 39:11)
Do we ever ask ourselves—how sincere we are in our devotion to Allah (SWT)? What does “sincere devotion” mean, and how can we determine our level of sincerity towards Allah? One way is to look within, and examine our emotions and our sense of closeness to Allah. Consider the following scenarios, all of which should raise a question: A Muslim says, “I love Allah,” but does not pray. A Muslim says, “I love the Prophet (SAW),” but is reluctant to follow the Sunnah or the Prophet’s way. A Muslim says, “O Allah, I repent”, but then defiantly persists in his disobedience. A Muslim tells his spouse, “I love you,” but then neglects her emotionally or abuses her physically. In all of these situations, there is no connection between the intention and the action. A beautiful advice from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was:
اتَّقِ اللَّهَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ “Have Taqwa of Allah wherever you are…”
Taqwa, besides its meanings of righteousness, and piety, and saving oneself from harm, also means to be conscious and mindful of Allah. When we are truly conscious of Allah we will avoid actions that are displeasing to Him. One of the great scholars by the name of Isma‘il ibn al-Husayn al-Jurjani provided an excellent benchmark for ikhlas, when he said, “Ikhlas (i.e. sincerity) is when you don’t ask anyone to witness your work except Allah.” We should all try to meet this standard. Thus, when we perform any good deed or engage in an act of worship, let us ask ourselves: “Are we truly focused on our worship?” “Are we doing this deed for Allah only?” “Are we indifferent to what others might think?”
We can pursue a variety of paths in order to boost our ikhlas to higher levels. First, we should remember that perfection belongs only to Allah. As humans, we make mistakes but we shouldn’t let this discourage us. Allah tells us through a hadith qudsi, “If you take one step towards Me, I take ten towards you.” Second, we should strive to be consistent in all our actions. Third, we should equip ourselves with self-knowledge of both our shortcomings and our deficiencies. If we don’t know our own faults how can we improve? Fourth, we should endeavor to be as trustworthy as we can with our fellow human beings by fulfilling all of our obligations at work, home and in the community. When we build trust with our fellow human beings, we build trust with Allah. Fifth, we should examine our current relationships and search for ways to improve upon them.
Have we deceived someone in the past? Is there someone we need to apologize to? No matter how much time has passed, it is never too late to improve a relationship. There may be other paths as well to boosting our sincerity. Sincerity requires right intention and right action whether the action is done in private or in public.
However, we must also keep in mind that not everything done with right intention is acceptable in Islam. It must be based on right actions as well. Only lawful, truthful and moral actions are good when done with the sincerity of heart. May Allah give us the tawfiq to do so.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! The name of Surah # 112 in the Qur’an is Surat Al-Ikhlas, or the “Surah of Sincerity.” Why is it called Surah of Sincerity? During the time of the Prophet (SAW), he was asked by those who did not have purity of belief: “Tell us about your Allah.” And Allah (SWT) commanded the Prophet (SAW) to recite to them Surat Al-Ikhlas. This surah has many messages. One of them is the message of sincerity. This surah is an example of sincerity of belief in Allah. It was conveyed to Muhammad (SAW) to state his belief in Allah in a way that is most sincere and without any ambiguity.
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ () اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ () لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ () وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
“Say: He is God, the One. God is the Self-sufficient One. He does not give birth, nor was He born. And there is nothing like Him.” (al-Ikhlas, 112:1-4)
When we say something with clarity, and without ambiguity, we have ikhlas or sincerity in our speech. A sincere statement leaves no room for doubt or uncertainty. These days, quite often, we are taught the politics of communication or the art of deception. You see it in the political arena. You see it in the media. You see it in deceptive ads. You see it all around you.
How can we rectify our word and deed so that they become sincere? We need to act the same way in front of others as we would act when alone. Do we do things from our heart? Are we acting out of need such as the need to be appreciated? Is our giving genuine or does it come with an agenda? Is what we say similar to what we believe? How often do we compliment someone, but in our hearts we hold dislike for that person? How often do we apologize without sincerity? Only Allah knows us inside out.
يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ
“He (Allah) knows of your deception and all that is hidden in the hearts.”(Ghafir, 40:19)
At times, we fear being sincere because our true selves might be exposed, or out of fear that we may be harmed. How often do we sugar-coat our statements and responses. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا() يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ
“O you who believe, be conscious of Allah, and speak the right words. He will put your actions right for you and forgive you your wrong deeds.” (AL-Ahzab, 33:70-71)
The result of sincerity is inner peace, stress-free life, good character, and God-consciousness. May Allah make us among those people who strive to be among the sincere ones. Allahumma Ameen.
