"Am I Really Sincere?" by Dr. Omar Suleiman

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How do I deal with self-doubt regarding my own intentions? اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ O Allah, I seek refuge with You lest I should commit shirk with You knowingly and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly.

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

In Islam, we must always practice our faith with sincerity (al-ikhlas), honesty (al-sidq), and goodwill (al-nasihah). Each of these virtues includes a vertical dimension (in relation to Allah) and a horizontal dimension (in relation to other people); they tell us how to behave with Allah and how to behave with others. Virtues in Islam such as these act as guiding principles in all of our affairs, from our mundane daily interactions to the conduct of nations and everything in between. They are meant to be in the front of our minds at all times, to be considered in all of our decisions. In this article, we will explicate the meaning of these virtues according to the Qur’an and Sunnah, with an aim to uncover their relevance for us in this life and in the Hereafter.

Sincerity

The first deed a Muslim must do to make good his or her Islam is to purify his or her intention (al-niyah) in worship and religious deeds. We should act sincerely for the sake of Allah and dedicate our deeds to no other, whether by way of idolatry (al-shirk), hypocrisy (al-nifaq), or ostentation (al-riya’).

The Prophet ﷺ said:

Verily, deeds are only by intentions. Verily, every person will have only what they intended. Whoever emigrated to get something in the world or to marry a woman, then his emigration is for whatever he emigrated for.

The early jurists and scholars such as Al-Shafiʻi, Aḥmad Ibn Hanbal, Abu Dawud, Al-Daraqutni, and Al-Tirmidhi agreed that this hadith encompasses one-third of Islam. Al-Bukhari chose to lead his collection of authentic traditions with it. Al-Shafiʻi also said that this hadith encompasses seventy topics of jurisprudence (al-fiqh), by which he meant a great many topics, and Ibn Mahdi encouraged authors to include it at the beginning of any work to advise their students to continually correct and renew their intentions.Right intention, which is sincerity, is the foundation of everything else we do in Islam.

Every act of worship, charity, or any good deed will be judged by the intention behind it. Allah knows the true and secret inner-motives of all deeds that we do, and these motives will be made known on the Day of Resurrection.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

Verily, the people will be raised for judgment only according to their intentions.

We must actively cultivate the virtue of sincerity in our worship and deeds, as it is the first blessed step on the straight path towards eternal life in the Hereafter. Abu Sulayman, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Blessed is he who takes a single step desiring nothing but Allah Almighty.”

In truth, Allah has commanded us to make our worship sincere for his sake alone. Sincerity is the obligatory prerequisite for the acceptance of any righteous deed, not merely an encouraged virtue.

Allah said:

It is We who sent down the Scripture to you [Prophet] with the Truth, so worship Allah with your total devotion: true devotion is due to Allah alone.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

Verily, deeds are only by intentions. Verily, every person will have only what they intended. Whoever emigrated to get something in the world or to marry a woman, then his emigration is for whatever he emigrated for.

Sincerity in Islam means to worship Allah out of true faith in Him. It means to do good deeds for Allah’s pleasure. Sincerity is about what is in your heart. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sincerity as: “honesty of mind: freedom from hypocrisy.”Here are some quotes from the Quran about sincerity:

Allah (swt) specifically uses the word sincere (mukhlaseen) to describe His servants who will be rewarded:

But the sincere servants of Allah—for them is a sustenance determined. (37:40-41)

Then see what was the end of those who were warned, except for the sincere servants of Allah. (37: 73-74)

Allah (swt) relates sincerity to prayers and charity:

And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer, and to practice regular charity; and that is the Religion, right and straight. (98:5)

We are feeding you for the sake of Allah. We do not expect from you any compensation or thanks. (76:9)

Allah warns us about insincerity:

So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their prayers—those who want to be seen (of men), but refuse (to supply) neighborly needs. (107: 4-7)

O Believers! Do not make your charity worthless by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day… (2:264)

The purpose of life’s hardships is to test our sincerity:

Do the people think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe,” and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false. (29:2-3)

Allah judges us based on sincerity:

Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts, and He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing. (2:225)

There is no blame on those who are infirm, or ill, or who find no resources to spend (on the Cause), if they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger: No ground (of complaint) can there be against such as do right: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (9:91)

Source: Quranacademy

References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sY8XcTkmDs