Brothers and sisters! In today’s khutbah, I intend to share some thoughts with you on the concept of ikhlas or sincerity, which is an essential part of Islam. Ikhlas, or sincerity, is the intention to please Allah only. It is the intention to please Allah in whatever we do. The opposite of ikhlas is nifaq (hypocrisy) or riya’ (showing off), both of which destroy faith and spoil good deeds.
The word ikhlas actually derives from the root word kha-la-sa, which means to purify something. In Surat an-Nahl, for example, Allah tells us,
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا سَائِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ
“There is also a lesson for you in cattle. We give you a drink from the contents of their bellies, from between waste matter and blood, We give you pure milk to drink, pleasant for those who drink it.” (an-Nahl, 16:66).
So why might Allah use the same word for describing the milk of the cow as he does for intention? Perhaps, it is so because when we make our intentions only for Allah, our actions are filled with the purity, wholesomeness and beneficial properties of milk.
There are several ways of measuring ikhlas. One is to look within, examining our emotions and contemplating our sense of closeness to Allah. Are we performing our actions only for Allah? How indifferent are we to what others think of us, whether positively or negatively? Are our hearts and minds actively engaged in what we do?
Yet as valuable as these questions are, there is a danger in only turning inward, as all spheres of life are ultimately interconnected in Islam. The interior is fundamentally inseparable from the exterior. In Surat al-Ma’un, for example, Allah links the oppressor of orphans with the man who does not urge others to feed the poor and who shows off in prayer.
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ () فَذَلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ () وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ () فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ () الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ () الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ () وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ
“Have you seen him who denies the deen? Who turns away the orphan, and who does not urge the feeding of the poor; so woe to those who pray; but whose hearts are not in their prayer; those who show off, and deny help to others.” (al-Ma’un, 107:1-6).
The common feature of such people is their lack of sincerity towards Allah (SWT). For this reason, it is our actions and social relations that we must turn to if we wish to assess our level of sincerity or ikhlas.
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 well known 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.
Consider the following scenarios, all of which should raise a question: A Muslim says, “I love Allah”, but does not pray. A Muslim says “O Allah, I repent”, but then persists in his disobedience. A Muslim tells his spouse that he loves her, but then neglects her emotionally or abuses her physically. In all of these situations there is no connection between the intention and the action. As the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advised,
اتَّقِ اللَّهَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ
“Have Taqwa of Allah wherever you are, and follow an evil deed with a good one to wipe it out, and treat the people with good behavior.”
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. Had the individuals mentioned in Surat al-Ma’un been truly conscious of Allah, would they have done what they did?
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 for Allah only?” “Are we indifferent to what others might think, whether it be positive or negative?”
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! Once we know our level of ikhlas, we can pursue a variety of paths in order to boost it even higher. 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 them? 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 make us among those people who strive to be among the sincere ones. Allahumma Ameen.
