Ikhlās I (Sincerity I)

Ikhlās (Sincerity)

Those who dedicate themselves to Islam, however—scholars and Sufis alike—perform services that concern the entire community. Moreover, neither their worldly compensation nor their share of social standing, reputation, or public recognition is fixed or exclusively assigned.^[1] Many may become candidates for the same position and seek both material and immaterial rewards. As a result, competition and rivalry may arise among them, turning unity into division and harmony into discord.

Indeed, the remedy for this grave disease is ikhlās (sincerity). Sincerity is attained by submitting oneself to Allah rather than to one’s own nafs, by seeking the truth rather than the desires of one’s ego, and by adopting the verse

اِنْ اَجْرِىَ اِلَّا عَلَى اللّٰهِ

as a guiding principle, thereby renouncing both the material and immaterial rewards that come from people.^[2] Likewise, one should take as guidance the verse

وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ اِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ

and realise that success, acceptance, influence, and public esteem belong to Allah’s decree and favour. They are not part of the servant’s duty, which is simply to convey the truth. If one seeks these things for oneself, sincerity is lost.

One should also adopt īthār —the selflessness for which the sahābah were praised in the Qur’an— as a guiding principle. This means preferring others over oneself when accepting gifts or sadaqah. One should neither ask for nor inwardly desire the worldly compensation that may accompany religious service. If such provisions are given, they should be regarded purely as gifts from Allah’s grace and accepted as a favour from Allah alone, without feeling under obligation to any human being. Nothing worldly should be sought in exchange for serving the religion, lest sincerity be compromised.

Be aware that people’s attention and approval should not be sought; they may only be given freely. Even if they are given, one should not delight in them. For if one delights in them, ikhlās is lost and riyā enters in its place. People’s attention, when pursued out of a desire for fame and honour, is not a reward or a merit, but rather a reproach and even a form of punishment resulting from the loss of sincerity. Indeed, seeking people’s attention, fame, and reputation in exchange for the slight and temporary pleasure they provide up to the gate of the grave causes them, beyond that gate, to assume a painful form resembling the punishment of the grave. Therefore, one should not desire people’s attention; rather, one should shrink from it and flee from it. Let those who chase fame, honour, and status take this warning to heart. ↩︎
One should take īthār —the noble quality of selflessness for which the sahābah were praised in the Qur’an— as one’s guide. This includes preferring others over oneself in matters of gifts and sadaqah. Likewise, one should neither ask for nor inwardly desire any worldly compensation that may accompany religious service. If such support is given, it should be regarded purely as a gift and favour from Allah and accepted without imposing any sense of obligation upon people. Nothing worldly should be sought in return for serving the religion, lest ikhlās be lost. Although those engaged in religious service have a legitimate right to material support from the Muslim community and may even be entitled to receive zakāt, they should not ask for it; rather, it may be given to them without their seeking it. If they receive such assistance, they should never regard it as payment for their service. Instead, they should remain content with what they have and, whenever possible, prefer over themselves other brothers who are more deserving and in greater need. By embodying the meaning of the verse,
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلٰى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ
they can be delivered from this grave danger and attain true ikhlās. ↩︎