Sincerity and Its Fruits - II

If a servant strives against himself until he does not care about life
and the praise and commendation of people and dedicates all his
worship to Allaah The Almighty, he will be one of the people of
sincerity whose every action, word, love and hatred is for the sake of
Allaah The Almighty alone. The inward and outward actions of such a
person are purely for Allaah The Almighty alone. They do not seek
reward or praise from people, nor do they seek a noble position among
them, nor do they seek a great status in their hearts, nor do they
want to escape from their blame. If you turn into such a person, you
will be the most powerful person, foryour guardian is Allaah The
Almighty who is the All Powerful and most Strong. Upon reaching this
stage, you will be one of the people of honor in this world andin the
Hereafter.
Dedicating deeds to Allaah The Almighty in all sincerity has
manyfruits. In the following lines, we will touch upon some of them so
that they may encourage us to strive more earnestly to dedicate our
actions and words sincerely to Allaah The Almighty alone. Youshould
know that amongst the fruits of sincerity are that actions and words
cannot be accepted except with sincerity. No matter if an action is
good, if it is not done sincerely for the sake of Allaah The Almighty,
it will be of no avail. Abu Umaamah narrated a Marfoo' Hadeeth that
reads: "Allaah The Almighty neveraccepts any deed except what is done
sincerely for His sake." [An-Nasaa'i] The same applies to words. The
Prophet said, describing the luckiest person who will have his
intercession on the Day of Resurrection: "The one who said, 'Laa
ilaaha illa Allaah (there is no deity worthy of worship except
Allaah)' sincerely from his heart." [Al-Bukhaari]
Amongst such fruits are that sincerity strengthens the heart, makes
one more self-possessed and able to bear the burdens of worship and
obligations of Islam.If one contemplates the conditions of some of the
sincereand truthful people, he will clearly notice this. A good
example of this is the strength and self-possession of the Prophet
although his life was threatened. He said to his Companion (Abu Bakr )
while they were in the cave, and in the words of the Quran (which
mean): {He said to his companion,"Do not grieve; indeed Allaah is with
us.} [Quran 9: 40]
Surely, sincerity and truthfulness with Allaah The Almighty enable one
to support what is right and fight what is wrong regardless ofthe
power of the wrong. Hoode the Prophet of Allaah The Almighty, had no
prominent miracle unlike the other prophets. However, he called his
people to worship Allaah The Almighty alone and renounce worshiping
other than him. His people argued with him and said what Allaah The
Almighty informed us of in their story in His Noble Book: {They said,
"O Hoode, you have not brought us clear evidence, and we are not ones
to leave our gods on your say-so. Nor are we believers in you. We only
say that some of our gods have possessed you with evil." He said,
"Indeed, I call Allaah to witness, and witness [yourselves] that I am
free from whatever you associate with Allaah. Other than Him. So plot
against me all together; then do not give me respite.} [Quran 11:
53-55]
Also amongst the fruits of sincerity is that it enables one to get rid
of the plots and the whispers of the devils. Allaah The Almighty
informed us what Iblees said when he asked to be reprieved (what
means): {Except, among them, Your sincere servants.} [Quran 15: 40]
Sincerity also averts evil and immorality. Allaah The Almighty Says
(what means) in the story of Prophet Yoosuf : { And she certainly
determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he
not seen the proof of his Lord. And thus [it was] thatWe should avert
from him evil and immorality. Indeed, he was of Our sincere servants.}
[Quran 12: 24]
Moreover, a small amount of sincere work can be a cause for attaining
the satisfaction of Allaah The Almighty as in the Hadeeth of the
Prophet in which he said: "Fear the Fire, evenif by giving half a date
(in charity)." [Al-Bukhaari]
Thus, even half a date given in charity with sincerity can protect one
from the torture of Hellfire out of the great generosity of theMost
Gracious, the Bestower. However, many tons of dates in charity to show
off will send one to the lowest depths of the Hellfire as Allaah The
Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the
lowest depths of the Fire - and never willyou find for them a helper.}
[Quran 4: 145]
Another benefit is that the slave can be supported because of his
sincerity. In this regard, Mus'ab ibn Sa'd narrated that Sa'd ibn Abi
Waqqaas thought that hewas better than other people butthe Prophet
said: "Allaah helps this Ummah because of its weak people, their
Du'aa' (supplication), their Salaah (prayer) and their sincerity."
[An-Nasaa'i]
Acts of worship cannot be preferred on the basis of their forms or
number but they are preferred according to the intention that the
heart holds. So, the description of both actions can be the same;
however, there is a gap of preference among them as wide as the
distance between the heavens and the earth. Two men may stand in
prayer in the same row but the difference in their reward and degree
is like the distance between the heavens and the earth. 'Ammaar ibn
Yaasir said, "I heard the Messenger of Allaah saying: 'Verily, a man
may finish his prayer but nothing is written for him except one tenth,
ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, quarter, third, or half of it.'
" [AbuDaawood]