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Surely We have revealed to you the Book with the truth,
therefore serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience
(Qur'an,
39:2)
Prophet Muhammad (s) said:
“Certainly there is a reality of every truth and a servant cannot reach
the reality of Ikhlas unless he doesn’t like people to praise
him for the actions he has done (only) for the sake of God”.
[Al-Majlisi, al-Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 72, p.304,
hadith # 51]
Merits of
the Soul …
Sincerity
(ikhlas)
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a), while
explaining the utterance of God Almighty, "That He might try you
(to see) which of you is fairest in works." (67:2) said: "It
does not mean one of you whose deeds are more numerous but one who is more
rightful in his conduct, and this rightness is nothing but fear of God
and sincerity of intention (niyyah) and fear." Then he (a) added:
"To persevere in an action until it becomes sincere is more
difficult than (performing) the action itself, and sincerity of action
lies in this that you should not desire anyone to praise you for it
except God Almighty, and intention supersedes action. Lo, verily,
intention is action itself." Then he recited the Qur'anic verse,
"Say, everyone acts in accordance with his character
(shakilatihi)", (17:84) adding,"That shakilah
means niyyah." [Al‑Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol. 2, kitab al‑
iman wa al‑kufr, bab al‑'ikhlas, hadith # 4]
The reality
of Ikhlas
Ikhlas (sincerity) of
intention, action and then perseverance on it is the highest station of
love and servitude to God. Ikhlas is defined and explained as:
q The
honourable `arif and the wise wayfarer, Khwajah `Abd Allah al‑Ansari
(qs) says: “Ikhlas means purging action of all impurities.” And
the ‘impurities’ mean desire to please oneself and other creatures.
q The great
scholar Shaykh al-Baha'i (ra) has narrated that the people of the heart
(those who love Allah by heart) say that: "Ikhlas means
keeping action free from other‑than‑God having a role in it
and that the performer of an action should not desire any reward for it
in the world and the Hereafter."
And Prophet Mohammad (s) said that Allah (swt)
said: “Ikhlas is a secret from my secrets and I place
it in the heart of my servant who is my beloved.” [Al-Majlisi, al-Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 70, page 249, hadith # 24]
Who
are Mukhlisun (sincere ones) ?
God Almighty has invited His servants towards
Himself by indicating that they should purify their souls from
other-than-God and make them turn exclusively towards Him.
q Mukhlisun are those
who worship God in such a way that they don't see themselves in service
nor do they take notice of the world or its people, Thus they and their
actions totally belong to Lord. Thus their state of worship is the ‘din’
that God Almighty has chosen for Himself and cleared it from the
taint of association with other‑than‑God, and He has said: Lo,
to God belongs sincere allegiance (al‑din al‑khalis). (39:3)
q It has been
narrated from the great gnostic al‑Shaykh al‑Muhaqqiq Muhyi
al‑Din Ibn al‑`Arabi that he said: ‘Lo, to God belongs
sincere allegiance,’ free from the taints of otherness and egoism. And
that your extinction in Him should be total, the Essence; the
Attributes, the Acts and the din should cease to be relevant for
you. Lo, until the allegiance is not purified by reality, it will not
belong to God.”
The worship of the sincere ones is the imprint
of the manifestations (tajalliyat) of the Beloved (God) and
nothing passes through their hearts except the Essence of the One God.
Ikhlas is subsequent to action
One must exercise
vigilance as it sometimes happens that man carries out an action
faultlessly without any shortcoming and performs it without riya'
(showing off) or `ujb (self-love) but after the action he
becomes afflicted with riya' through mentioning it to others, as
pointed out in the following noble hadith:
q Imam al‑Baqir (a) said:
"Perseverance in an action is more difficult than the act
itself." He was asked, "What is meant by perseverance in
action?" He (a) replied, "A man does some kindness to a
relative or expends something for the sake of God, Who is One and has
no partner. Thereupon the reward of a good deed performed secretly is
written for him. Later, he mentions it to someone and that which was
written earlier is wiped out and instead the reward of a good deed
performed openly is written for him. Later, when he makes a mention of
it again, the vice of riya' (showing off) is written for him
(instead of the reward written earlier)." [Al‑Kulayni al‑Kafi, kitab al‑'iman wa al‑kufr,
bab al‑riya', hadith # 16]
The
reality of action is intention
q It is the
sincere intention and pure purpose on which depend the perfection or
defectiveness of 'ibadat (worships) and thus their validity or
invalidity. Spiritual traits constitute the soul's primary character
and intentions, to which actions are subservient, making up its
secondary character. And as long as self‑love remains in the
heart and a person remains in the oppressive habitat of the self, he is
not a wayfarer toward God (musafir ila Allah); rather, he is one
of those who cling to the earth (mukhalladun ila al‑'ard).
Shirk in `ibadah' that encompasses all its levels is the
inclusion of the good pleasure and satisfaction of anyone other than
God, whether it is one's own self or someone else. If it is for someone
else's satisfaction and for people, it is outward shirk and
fiqhi riya'. If it is for one's own satisfaction (rida), it
is hidden and inward shirk. In view of the `urafa'
(gnostics) this also invalidates the 'ibadah and makes it
unacceptable to God. Examples of it are offering the nightly prayer (tahajjud)
for increase in one's livelihood, or giving zakat for increase
in one's wealth; Although those 'ibadat are valid, and one who
performs them is considered to have performed his duty and fulfilled
the requirements of the shari'ah, they do not amount to the
sincere worship of God Almighty, nor are they characterized with
sincerity of intention and purity of purpose. Rather, this kind of 'ibadat
are aimed to achieve mundane purposes and to seek the objects of
lowly desires. Hence the acts of such a person are not rightful.
If
a person expels the love of the world from his heart by means of self-discipline
and persistent struggle against his mundane desires, he will be the
same in solitude and company, inwardly and outwardly. And if someone
leaves the habitat of the self to migrate to God as mentioned in the
Quran: Whoso goes forth from his house an emigrant to God and His
Messenger, and then death overtakes him, his wage will have fallen on
God ..., (4:100) and sets out on a spiritual journey, and
thereafter he encounters complete annihilation (fana'‑e tamm),
his reward lies with only with God, the Exalted.
How
to preserve Ikhlas – a few practical points
q If you have done some
good actions solely to please God, helped someone or are performing
obligatory or supererogatory acts of worship then know that you can
never be secure from the evil of Satan and your lowly self (nafs
al-ammarah) until the end of your life.
q You must exercise
vigilance, as your low self may prompt you to make a verbal mention of
it in front of your friends or acquaintances, or to express it in the
way of a subtle hint without directly mentioning it. For instance, if
you are regularly observing night prayers, your low self may prompt you
to pass a hint by speaking about the good or bad weather conditions at
daybreak or about supplications or the call for fajr prayers,
thus polluting your act of worship with riya. You must, thus
resist all such tendencies.
q You must keep a watch
over yourself, like a kind physician or nurse, and not let the
rebellious self get out of control; for a moment of neglect may give it
the opportunity to break its reins and lead your sincere actions into
ruin. Purification of intention from all levels of duality (shirk)
and showing-off (riya), constant vigilance over it,
and its perseverance in purity makes up a difficult task.
q Try to remind yourself of your duties and judge your intention
and actions in the light of following verse of the Holy Qur’an: Say: "Truly my prayer and my service of
sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds. (6:162).
q And as long as you have egoism and self‑seeking, love of
office and position, even if you take a step for the acquisition of
divine knowledge or spiritual excellences, these will be ultimately
sought for selfish ends. God‑seeking and self‑seeking
cannot go together. Rather, if God is sought for the sake of the self,
the ultimate goal is the self and the ego. [Al-Khumayni, Forty Hadith, chapter 20, p.8]
Conclusion:
The first step in the journey towards God is
abandonment of self‑love and crushing the head of egoism under
one's foot. To the extent that one succeeds in purging his or
her heart of self‑love, the love of God shall enter it to the
same extent and it shall also be purified of latent shirk
(egoism).
Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “The person who
devotes himself sincerely to God for forty days, streams of wisdom will
flow from his heart to his tongue.” [Al-Suyuti, al-Durr
al-Manthur, vol.2, p. 237]
To find out more about authentic
Islam, visit:
http://al-islam.org/
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