*!*Ikhlas (Sincerity) : A Necessary Condition of Ibadah*!*

[Khayal]

:arabic6:


Ikhlas (Sincerity) : A Necessary Condition of Ibadah

Author: Abu 'Iyad

Source: The Book of Worship

http://salafipublications.com/

:salamext:

As for Ikhlaas, then that is one of the meanings of the testimony "there is nothing which has the right to Ibaadah except Allaah" in that your Ibaadah should be exclusively and sincerely for Allaah Azzawajall. Eemaan by itself is not sufficient for our Ibaadah to be accepted by Allaah. Rather it is necessary that your action is out of Eemaan in Allaah and complete Ikhlaas to Him Azzawajall so that you do not make anyone a partner with Him. The Exalted said:

{Those who have Eemaan and confuse not their Eemaan with Injustice. For them there will be security and they are the rightly guided}[1]

Injustice here means Shirk as was explained by the Messenger (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) to the companions (radiallaahu-anhum) and as has been recorded by Bukhaaree in the Kitaabut-Tafseer of his Saheeh.
Allaah Azzawajall has laid down a condition for the perfection of Eemaan, which gives its possessor security, guidance and freedom from Shirk and that is Ikhlaas; the abundance of which is necessary for Ibaadah to be accepted. The Exalted has said:
{And they were not commanded except with this: that they should worship Allaah, being completely sincere in the Deen}[2]
and the Exalted also said:
{Say: Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allaah making the Deen sincerely for Him alone}[3]
and there is also the Qudsee Hadeeth reported by Muslim:
"I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him whom he associated with Me"[ 4]
Ikhlaas is the sanctification of your speech and action from every blemish of the soul's desire. For example, desiring your beautification in the hearts of people, desiring their praise so that they say 'a scholar', 'what a brave man' or 'a doer of good'. Also included in this is running away from the criticism of the people (i.e. abandoning certain actions because people may criticise or become angry), seeking people's magnification of yourself, their aid and assistance, the fulfilment of your needs or desiring other peoples wealth and possessions - while being contented with all of that because your soul is deceived and your amazement with yourself.
Know also - Brother and Sister Muslim - that Ikhlaas is not correct until you are truthful in your speech, action, striving and while you desire nothing but the Face of Allaah Azzawajall and the Home of the Hereafter.
The Exalted said:
{And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as it should be strived for while being a believer then his striving will be acknowledged (rewarded)}[5]
There are some other useful definitions of Ikhlaas:
1. It is the freedom of the desire for nearness to Allaah Azzawajall from every blemish or impurity
2. It is singling out Allaah Azzawajall with ones intention in all acts of worship
3. It is forgetting the sight of the creation by continual observance of the Creator
4. It is to hide your good deeds just like you would hide your evil deeds.[6]
So be warned - Brother and Sister Muslim - that no action is acceptable to Allaah if somebody else is given a share in it. Reflect carefully upon the words of Yoosuf bin al Hussain ar-Raazee:

"Indeed the hardest thing (to achieve) in this world is Ikhlaas. How many times have I struggled to extinguish riyaa (showing off) from my heart except that it only appeared again in a different colour" [7]
Also reflect upon the words narrated by Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee in his [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il-Qaasideen] "Indeed mankind, all of them, are destroyed except those with knowledge and all those with knowledge are destroyed except those who act upon it and all those who act are destroyed except those who are sincere in their action and all those who are sincere are in great danger (of associating other than Allaah in their actions)".[8]
Notes

1 [An'aam 6:82]
2 [Bayyinah 98:5]
3 [Zumar 39:11]
4 Reported by Muslim
5 [Israa 17:19]
6 Taken from the Book [Al-Ikhlaas] by Abu Muhammad ibn Sa'eed al- Baylaawee
7 [Jaami ul-Uloom wal-Hikam] of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee p.
8 [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il- Qaasideen] of Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee p.

Source: http://abdurrahman.org/salah/ikhlaasibadah.html



:wasalamex

[siFilam]

:salamext:
Masahallah, sis, I enjoy reading your post. I browsed through most of your posts is this section. Keep posting more......
and regarding sincerity, its one of the hardest virtue to acquire.

I love this article by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rah):


How Might One Obtain Ikhlaas?

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahullah
Adapted from the translator's footnotes to "An Explanation of Riyadh al-Saliheen" by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen

Ikhlaas (sincerity) cannot coexist in a heart which [embraces] the love of praise and commendation, [nor] the yearning [to obtain] that which is possessed amongst the people, save in the [manner] that fire and water, or a lizard and fish may coexist.

If your soul informs you to quest for Ikhlaas, turn first towards your yearning and slaughter it with a knife [in a state] of desperation. Then turn [in a state of] asceticism upon praise and commendation, the asceticism of the [one] who loved the Dunya for the sake of the Hereafter. If your quest in the [act] of slaughtering the yearning, and [the acquisition of] asceticism [against] praise and commendation is successful, your [journey] shall be facilitated in your [quest] for Ikhlaas.

If it is mentioned: What may facilitate the [act] of slaughtering the yearning and the [development] of asceticism [against] the praise and commendation?

I say:

The method of facilitating the [act] of slaughtering the yearning: Your definitive knowledge that there is no matter [present] that awakens ones greed for, save the worship of Allah alone, and the Treasures which He alone possesses. For no individual can furnish the slave with [those Treasures] save He.

The method of facilitating the [development] of asceticism [against] praise and commendation: Your knowledge that there is no individual who can [confer] benefit upon or beautify his praise, [nor] inflict damage upon or disgrace his vilification, save Allah alone.

wsalam
-SI-

As the bedouin said to the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam:

My praise [has been] embellished, and indeed my vilification [has been] disgraced. The Prophet sallallahu`alaihi wa sallam remarked: That is Allah. [Tirmidhi 3266, Kitab Tafseer al-Quran, Declared Saheeh]

Accordingly, be ascetic for praise [and] the one who is incapable of beautifying his praise for you. [And] for vilification [and] the one who is incapable of disgracing his vilification for you. Be desirous for the One who is absolute in the embellishment of His praise, and is absolute in the tarnishment of His vilification. For none shall acquire that, save with patience and certainty, and when you have forfeited patience and certainty, you are comparable to the one who desired to journey across a sea without [the aid] of a vessel.

Allah has mentioned:

Be patient. Verily the promise of Allah is true, and let not those who are devoid of certainty in faith discourage you from conveying [Allah's Message]. [Ar-Rum: 60]

We have made from amongst them leaders, guiding under One Command, when they were patient and believed in Our Signs with certainty. [As-Sajdah: 24]

Translated from al-Fawa'id by Sajad ibn `Abdur Rahman, 1998 Sajad Rana taken from www.islaam.com