How do I Know if I am Sincere?
March 19, 2008 by Aboo Uthmaan
Notes taken by Aboo Uthmaan [1]
How do I know if I am sincere? I asked this question way back in September 2004 to some of the students of knowledge, the late Shaykh, Dr. Saleh as-Saleh (rahimahullaah) and my good friend, Mu’tasim al-Hameedee.
I was not able to catch all the points of benefit that Shaykh Saleh as-Saleh mentioned, but I will try my best to paraphrase what I managed to take of notes:
He said that his Shaykh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said that: We should always be checking ourselves and asking: “Did I really do that for Allaah?” He said that we should make the du’aa where we ask Allaah (subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) to protect us from falling into shirk (and of course doing an act for other than Allaah is shirk) and that we should seek forgiveness often. He continued by saying that shaytaan is always trying to corrupt our intention and trying to take away from its purity. He then went on to say that the Salaf used to say that they found nothing more intense then striving to be sincere. He closed by saying that when you find yourself having an inclination to read the Qur’aan and seek (beneficial) knowledge then this is a sign of there being sincerity in ones actions.
Br. Mu’tasim al-Hameedee said (to paraphrase):
That there is no meter that we can attach to our heart or our body to give a reading, and that everyone knows in himself what he is doing and why he is doing it, and everyone is a proof against himself or on behalf of himself. You know when you are doing an action whether you are doing it for the sake of Allaah or for the sake of showing off, you know it in your heart, and it is not something that has to be learnt, it is something from our fitrah and we are created with this sense and we know ourselves if we are doing what we are doing for Allaah or for the people.
Some of the righteous predecessors mentioned some signs, and they where that if you find yourself more active in worship when you are in front of others and that you do not have the same zeal or strength in worship when you are by yourself then this is a sign that there is something wrong with your intention, and this is a sign you are doing it for the sake of the people, maybe not completely for the people, but at the least there is some deficiency in your intention.
There is a story about a man who was fasting, and this man used to pray very quickly at home, but on this day, the day he was fasting he went to the masjid and he prayed and the people were saying what an excellent prayer he is praying, so he turned around in his prayer and said to them: “I am fasting today too!”
The Muslim is always struggling with his intention, shaytaan will always come and try to corrupt that intention, so always have in mind that I am doing it for the sake of Allaah because Allaah ordered me to and I hope to get reward for it.
Footnote:
[1] This article only represents what I (Aboo Uthmaan) managed to take down of notes
BarakAllahu feekum.
As salaam alaikum Aboo Uthmaan
JazackAllahuuKhair for sharing.
As salaam ‘alaikum,
Jazaaka Allahu khairan. To add to this there are some beautiful statements in Sh. Hussain Al’Awaayshah’s book: “The book of sincerity”. This book is a must for every muslim and muslimah. If I recall correctly it was published by The daar of Islamic Heritage in Florida.
On a side note, I believe one should take this into consideration when choosing friends (and even a spouse) do/will they remind you to rectify your intentions?
May Allah grant us sincerity in action, belief, and speech. Aameen.
As salaam ‘alaikum wa rahamatullah,
I just came across this video a couple of hours ago, and it brought a lot of thoughts to mind. From them:
1- People have been giving da’wah from the time some of us were kids (I was 11 years old when this talk took place) and some of us weren’t even born! Yet some how we are very quick to criticize our predecessors, even though most of the times it is only a perceived error.
2- How much the realm of da’wah has changed! We took a lot of our freedoms for granted, and da’wah is no longer as easy as it used to be.
2a- At those times it was sufficient for a da’ee to be educated in the sciences of Islam alone. In our times in order for a da’ee to even be relatively successful he has to be clued up not only in the most detailed matters of Islam, but in the world around him as well.
2b- Even though there is a revival of Islamic education and thought, there seems to be a decline in the Muslim identity and personality. There is an increase in the number of du’aat, yet a decrease in the quality and Iman of the Muslims.
2c- The commercialization of da’wah! A lot more money is put into advertising and getting better facilities, but has it necessarily made the da’wah any better?
3- The need to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors. Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, we just need to find ways to improve it.
4- The da’wah was deemed so great back then, why can’t we make it even better today? We need to have high hopes and aspirations to make it even better! Dedication and sincerity definitely come a long way.
5- We will not be in this dunya forever, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be remembered. We dictate the way we live our lives, and make a conscience decision if we want to make an impact in the lives of others or not. Those that want to should hasten towards righteousness and goodness, as you never know how or when you just might change someones life.
Lastly, I ask Allah to hasten the release of our imprisoned, help the weak and those in need, and to grant us the tawfeeq to fulfill the potential that this ummah has been blessed with.
Without any further delay:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=IFEPajRmvpg
Walaikum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh
May Allaah reward you for your points of benefit. With regards to some of your points, perhaps not what they were directed at, but nevertheless Br. Kamil has a very beneficial article:
http://m-kamil-ahmad.blogspot.com/2007/08/message-to-tullab-ul-ilm-and-duat.html
Jazak’Allaahu khair for the video link. I have seen a number of those “old skool” videos before since they have a number of them at Call to Islam, I hope they can find a way to upload some of them inshaa’Allaah!