IKHLAS
(‘SINCERITY’)
- Imam al-Ghazzali in the Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din[1] mentions a hadith from Hasan al-Basri that Hudhayfa b. al-Yaman (ra) said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “‘I asked Jibril regarding sincerity (ikhlas) and Jibril replied: ‘I asked our Mighty Lord about this and He replied’: ‘Sincerity is one of my secrets that I place in the hearts of my beloved servants’…”[2]
سألت جبريل عن الإخلاص ما هو فقال سألت عنه رب العزة فقال الإخلاص سرمنأسراري أودعته قلب من أحببت من عبادي
- In another version it has the addition: “No angel can record it nor can Shaytan corrupt it…”[3]
لا يطلع عليه ملك فيكتبه ولا شيطان فيفسده
“Sincerity”
- Sincerity is every action or movement purely for the sake of Allah (swt) and no-one else.
- Sincerity is unmediated and forms part of the devotional relationship directed to Allah from His servant.
- Sincerity is Allah’s secret – He alone knows of it and rewards. No-one else can reward it appropriately.
- Angels do not know of it and hence register it.
- Shaytan cannot corrupt it hence it is something unique and protected.
For the Da`wa Carrier:
- Every action is performed for the sake of Allah.
- The tireless work to spread the call of Islam and to resume the Islamic way of life through working for the re-establishment of the khilafah must be solely for Allah’s pleasure and sake.
- One’s intention and focus must be cleansed and purged of any extraneous accretions and deviations such as pleasing people.
And with Allah is true success.
s.z.c.
[1] See Imam al-Ghazzali, Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din, 4:322.
[2] See al-Qushayri’s al-Risala with his isnad. al-`Iraqi, al-Mughni `an Haml al-Asfar fi ’l-Asfar, 4:322 and al-Qawuqji, al-Lu’lu’ al-Marsu`, p.94. Cf. al-Albani, Silsilat Ahadith al-Da`ifa, 2:92. The narration has weakness in it as Hasan al-Basri neither heard nor met the Companion Hudhayfa as well the questionable integrity of both narrators Ahmad b. `Ata’ and `Abd al-Wahid b. Zayd.