A step closer to Jannah [Book I]

SINCERITY

Allah (SWT), Exalted is He, accepts no work whatsoever, be it great or small, unless it is intended solely for His Pleasure.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra), who said that the Messenger of Allah said: "Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: 'I am Self-Sufficient. I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me in favour of him whom he associated with Me.'"

A Muslim is required to dedicate all his endeavours to Allah (SWT) in all his actions and words, remembrance and thinking, sleep and waking, worship and daily living, love and hatred, giving and withholding.

"Say [O Muhammad ( pbuh)]: ' Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner.'" [Surah Al-An'am (6), Ayat 162-163.]

A servant should be sincere to Allah (SWT) in all his activities:
"Say: [O Muhammad ( pbuh)]: 'Verily I am commanded to worship Allah (alone) by obeying Him and doing deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only and not to show off, and not to set up rivals with Him in worship;'" [Surah Az- Zumar (39), Ayah 11.]

Sincerity is isolation of the intent in obedience to the Worshipped - Glorified is He - singling Him out alone in worship, restraining the heart from turning towards creation during conduct with the Lord, and cleansing the action from every flaw.

And one who knows the reality of the perfection of the Lord Most High, His Exaltedness, His majesty, His power, His wisdom, His blessings, His shielding, His gentleness, His kindness, His gracefulness, His generosity, and believes that He is:

"the First [nothing is before him] and the Last [nothing is after Him], the Most High [nothing is above Him] and the Most Near [nothing is nearer than Him]." [Surah Al-Hadeed (57), Ayah 3.]

and at the same time know the truth about created beings, namely that they

"...cannot create [even] a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, the y would have no power to release it from the fly." [Surah Al-Hajj (22). Ayah 73.]

and that they

"...possess neither hurt nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power [of causing] death, nor [of giving] life, nor of raising the dead." [Surah Al- Furqan (25), Ayah 3.]
and that they

"...own not even a qitmeer (the thin membrane over a date-stone.)" [Surah Faatir (35), Ayah 13.]

Those who know all these things cannot possibly dedicate their work to anyone except Allah. How could they possibly attach their hearts to any but Him?

From: In pursuit of Allahs pleasure by Dr. Naajeh Ibrahim, Sheikh 'Aasim 'Abdul Maajid & Sheikh 'Esaam-ud-Deen Darbaalah

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Lioness