Satan seeks to corrupt the righteous deeds of humans. A believer remains in constant struggle against their enemy, Satan, until they meet Allah with faith in Him and with sincerity in all their actions solely for Him. The most important factors of sincerity are as follows:
1. Du'a (Supplication):
Guidance is in the hands of Allah, and hearts are between two fingers from the fingers of the Most Merciful, He turns them as He wills. So, seek refuge in Allah Who rests all guidance, express to Him your needs and poverty, and continually ask Him for sincerity. One of the most frequent supplications of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was: "O Allah, make all of my deeds righteous, and make them solely for Your sake, and do not make anyone have a share in them."1
2. Concealing One’s Own Deeds:
Whenever a deed, in which concealing is legislated, is hidden, it becomes closer to sincerity and more likely to be accepted. The sincere believer loves to conceal their good deeds, just as they love to hide their sins. In the narration of the seven people that will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His shade, it is mentioned: "And a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given.” Agreed upon.
Bishr ibn al-Harith2, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Do not do good deeds seeking to be mentioned. Conceal your good deeds just as you conceal your sins"1.
Supererogatory night prayers were favoured over daytime prayers, and seeking forgiveness in the pre-dawn hours was preferred over other times, because that is hidden and closer to sincerity.
3. Looking at the Deeds of the Righteous Who Are Above You:
In your righteous deeds, do not look at the actions of your contemporaries who are below you in hurrying towards good. Instead, always aspire to emulate the prophets and the righteous. Allah, may He be glorified, says: ﴿
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَبِهُدَىٰهُمُ ٱقْتَدِهْ ۗ قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ۖ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٩٠
Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example”
(Surah Al-An'am, 6:90)
Read the biographies of the righteous among the scholars, worshippers, noble individuals, and ascetics. This is more likely to increase faith in the heart.
4. Belittling One’s Own Deeds:
One of the flaws of a servant is being pleased with oneself. Whoever looks at themselves with a sense of satisfaction has destroyed themselves. And whoever looks at their own deeds with a sense of wonder diminishes their sincerity, weakens it, or nullifies the righteous deed after performing it. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "A sign of accepting a deed is its insignificance and independence in your heart, to the extent that a knowledgeable person seeks forgiveness from Allah after their obedience." It was the practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, that when he finished his prayer, he would seek forgiveness from Allah three times.
5. Fear of the Non-Acceptance of Deeds:
Consider every righteous deed that you perform to be something small. When you do it, be afraid of its non-acceptance. Safeguard yourself from being amazed or proud of it. Instead, let the fear of its non-acceptance remain suspended. Allah, may He be glorified, says:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّتِى نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنۢ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَـٰثًۭا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِىَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ ۚ وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ٩٢
“And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ”.
(Surah An-Nahl, 16:92)
Imam Ahmad2 and At-Tirmidhi3 narrated that Umm al-Mu'minin
1Aisha1, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah,
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَآ ءَاتَوا۟ وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ رَٰجِعُونَ ٦٠
“And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord – “
(Surah Al-Muminun, 23:60)
Is this the one who steals, commits adultery and drinks alcohol?’ He said: ‘No, O daughter of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, rather it is a man who fasts and gives charity and prays, but he fears that those will not be accepted from him.”
Ibn Kathir, in his explanation of the verse mentioned above, said: "And those who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they may not be accepted, due to their fear that they may have fallen short in fulfilling the conditions of giving. 2"
Sincerity requires striving before, during, and after the deed.
6. Not Being Affected by People's Speech:
A truly successful individual is one who is not affected by the praise of people. When they are praised for doing good, it only increases their humility and fear of Allah. They firmly believe that people's praise can be a source of temptation for them. They supplicate to Allah to protect them from this temptation, as no one can benefit or harm with praise or disparagement except Allah. Thus, people should be regarded with the same status as the inhabitants of graves, who cannot bring any benefit or harm to you. Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Abstain from seeking people's approval, eliminate the desire for status from their hearts through righteous actions, sincerity in intentions, and concealing one's state. This is what elevates a person.1"
7. Recognizing that People Neither Control Paradise nor Hellfire:
When a servant realizes that those people seek to please will stand with him in the gathering of Judgment Day, fearful and exposed, he understands that directing his intentions towards them is misplaced. They are incapable of easing his burden in that difficult time. When doing so, you realise that actions should only be intended for the One who possesses reward and punishment, and to whom all slaves are humbled.
So, O believer, be certain that human beings do not possess Paradise to grant you an entry into it, nor do they have the power to rescue you from the Hellfire, even if you were to seek their help. Even if all of humanity, from Adam until the last person, were to stand behind you, they would not be able to advance you even a single step towards Paradise.
So why seek the approval of people who have no control over your fate? Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Whoever fasts, prays, and remembers Allah, seeking worldly reputation, there is no good in it for him at all. It does not benefit him, due to the sins associated with it, and it does not benefit anyone else either2."
Furthermore, those for whom you adorn your actions for the sake of praise will not fulfil your desires. Rather, they will criticize you, expose your flaws, and harbour animosity towards you. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “He who wants to publicise (his deeds, to get people to to praise him), Allah will publicise (his humility), and he who makes a display (of his deeds, to get people to to praise him), Allah will make a display of him” (Agreed Upon)1.
However, if you strive sincerely for the sake of Allah, He will love you, and the servants will love you. Allah, glorified be He, says:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وُدًّۭا ٩٦“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection”.
(Surah Maryam, 19:96)
(i.e. Love)2
8. Remember that You Will Be Alone in the Grave:
Souls are rectified by remembering their purpose. When a servant realizes that they will be confined to the grave alone, without any companion, and that nothing will benefit them except righteous deeds, and that all human beings cannot alleviate any punishment of the grave for them, and that everything is in the hands of Allah. He then firmly believes that nothing can save him except the sincere actions for the Creator alone, exalted and majestic. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Preparation to meet Allah is among the most beneficial things for a servant and the most effective in achieving their rectitude. For whoever prepares to meet Allah, their heart will be detached from the worldly life and perusing it."1
Referensi
1 Narrated by Ahmad in Az-Zuhd (p. 97), number (617).
2 Abu Nasr Bishr ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Rahman al-Marwazi, commonly knowNubala" (469/10)
1Siyar A'lam al-Nubala" (476/10)n as Bishr al-Hafi, was born in the year 152 AH and passed away in the year 227 AH. "Siyar A'lam al-
1 Madarij as-Salikeen, (62/2).
2 Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 25263
Imam Ahmad refers to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ash-Shaibani al-Marwizi al-Baghdadi. He was Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, one of the four Imams of the four Sunni madhahib (schools of fiqh). He was born in 164 AH and passed away in 241 AH. Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, (4/1).
3 the book of interpretation of Quran, Chapter of Surah Al-Mu'minun, no. (3175).
1 She is Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha bint Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the wife of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him. She was born four or five years after the Prophet's mission began. The Prophet married her in Makkah two years before the Hijrah (migration to Madinah), and died in the year 58 AH. This information can be found in Al-Isti'ab fi Ma'rifat al-As-Sahabah (1881/4) and Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah (231/8).
2 Tafsir Ibn Kathir (480/5).
1 Sayd al-Khatir (p. 264)
2 Jami' al-'Ulum wa al-Hikam (67/1).
1 Narrated by Al-Bukhari in the Book of Riqaq, Chapter on Showing Off and the Candle, Hadith number (6499), and Muslim in the Book of Asceticism and Reliance, Chapter on Associating Partners with Allah in One's Deeds, Hadith number (2987), from the narration of Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him.
2 Tafsir Ibn Kathir (269/5).1 Tariq al-Hijratayn (p. 176).
