Sincerity is defined as “that a person performs an act of obedience purely for the
sake of God alone, seeking neither praise nor veneration from people, nor any
religious benefit, nor any worldly harm” (Al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam). It is also
defined as “that a person expresses their opinions, feelings, beliefs, and
desires in word and deed without hypocrisy, pretense, or equivocation”.
Sincerity is linked to truthfulness, as truthfulness is the foundation and
sincerity is a secondary branch. Sincerity only comes into play after engaging
in an action (the degree to which words and deeds align), while truthfulness is
present in the intention before engaging in the action (Al-Jurjani's
Definitions). Al-Ghazali, may God have mercy on him, says, "The difference
between sincerity and truthfulness is very subtle, like a hair's breadth."
Often, truthfulness and sincerity are confused. Truthfulness means having a
sound intention before engaging in an action and that a person's outward
actions correspond to their inner state. Sincerity, on the other hand, comes
after beginning the action. They complement each other, and therefore, one must
be wary of falling into hypocrisy. God commanded His servants to be sincere in
their worship. God Almighty said, “And they were commanded not, but that they
should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing
partners to Him), and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat: and
that is the right religion” (Surat Al-Bayyinah 5). Indeed, God commanded the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself to dedicate his worship
entirely to God, as He said, “Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Verily, I am
commanded to worship Allah (Alone) by obeying Him and doing religious deeds
sincerely for Allah's sake only and not to show off, and not to set up rivals
with Him in worship; * "And I am commanded (this) in order that I may be
the first of those who submit themselves to Allah (in Islam) as Muslims"
(Surat Az-Zumar 11-14). And God commanded His servants to sincerely supplicate
to Him; He, the Most High, said, “Say (O Muhammad SAW): My Lord has commanded
justice and said that you should face Him only (i.e., worship none but Allah
and face the Qiblah, i.e., the Ka'bah at Makkah during prayers) in each and
every place of worship, in prayers (and not to face other false deities and
idols), and invoke Him only, making your religion sincere to Him by not joining
in worship with any partner to Him and with the intention that you are doing
your deeds for Allah's sake only. As He brought you (into being) in the
beginning, so shall you be brought into being (on the Day of Resurrection) [in
two groups, one as a blessed one (believers), and the other as a wretched one
(disbelievers)].” (Surat Al-A’raf: 9). Sincerity is a safeguard against Satan’s
deception and temptation: “[Iblis (Satan)] said: "O my Lord! Because you
misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the
earth, and I shall mislead them all.” (Surat Al-Hijr 39-40), and His saying,
“And indeed she did desire him, and he would have inclined to her desire, had
he not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was, that we might turn away from
him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of our chosen,
guided slaves.” (Surat Yusuf: 24).
The Prophetic Sunnah is replete with hadiths that urge
sincerity in work and in all aspects of life for success in this world and the
hereafter. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) tells the
believers that sincerity is the path to victory, saying, “God only grants
victory to this nation through its weak ones; through their supplication, their
prayers, and their sincerity.” (Narrated by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas; Source:
Al-Silsilah Al-Sahihah). And through it you will attain his intercession, may God
bless him and grant him peace, as narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah,
who said, “I said, ‘O Messenger of God, who will be the happiest of people with
your intercession on the Day of Resurrection? The Prophet, may God bless him
and grant him peace, said, "I thought, O Abu Hurairah, that no one would
ask me about this hadith more than you, because of what I saw of your eagerness
for hadith." The happiest of people with my intercession on the Day of
Resurrection will be the one who says, ‘There is no god but God,’ sincerely
from his heart.” (Narrator: Abu Hurairah; Source: Al-Tawhid by Ibn Khuzaimah);
And through it, one attains forgiveness of sins, just as one attains God's
pleasure, as in the hadith of the card: "Regarding the man who is brought
forth and ninety-nine scrolls are placed in his hand, each scroll as far as the
eye can see, then that card is brought forth on which is written: 'There is no
god but God.' He says, 'O Lord, what is this card compared to these scrolls?
'God Almighty says, "You will not be wronged."' Then that card is
placed on the scale of justice. The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be
upon him, said, "The scrolls became light, and the card became
heavy." (Narrator: Hadith scholar Ahmad Shakir; Source: Umdat al-Tafsir). And
the prostitute who gave water to the dog: "A prostitute was forgiven for
passing by a dog on the head of a..." A man was panting at a well, and he
said, “He was about to die of thirst, so she took off her shoe and tied it with
her headscarf, and drew water for him, and she was forgiven for that.”
(Narrator: Abu Hurairah; Source: Sahih al-Bukhari). And the man who removed the
tree from the road: “A man passed by a tree branch on the side of a road, and
he said, ‘By God, I will remove this from the Muslims so that it does not harm
them,’ and he was admitted to Paradise.” (Narrator: Abu Hurairah; Source: Sahih
al-Jami’). Sincerity purifies the heart from hatred, malice, and treachery, as
in the words of Jubayr ibn Mut'im, may God be pleased with him: "The Messenger
of God, peace and blessings be upon him, stood at the foot of the mountain (the
foot of the mountain is anything that slopes down from the mountain and rises
above the valley floor) in Mina, that is, as a preacher. This was during the
Farewell Pilgrimage. He said, 'May God bless whoever hears my words and conveys
them. For perhaps the one who carries knowledge is not himself learned, and
perhaps the one who carries knowledge conveys it to someone more learned than
himself. Three things do not lead to malice.' "The heart of a believer is
based on these three things: sincerity in one's actions for the sake of God,
giving sincere advice to the rulers of the Muslims, and adhering to their
community, for their supplication encompasses them from behind. (Narrated by
Jubayr ibn Mut'im; Source: Sahih Ibn Majah). The meaning is if a servant
adheres to these three things, his heart will be purified from hatred and
malice.
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