As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah
Ibn Taymiyyah said:
حكي أن أبا حامد الغزالي بلغه أن من أخلص لله أربعين يوما تفجرت ينابيع الحكمة من قلبه على لسانه
قال: فأخلصت أربعين يوما فلم يتفجر شيء فذكرت ذلك لبعض العارفين فقال لي: إنك إنما أخلصت للحكمة ولم تخلص لله تعالى
”… News reached Abu Hamid al-Ghazali that whoever proves sincere to Allah for forty days, wisdom springs from his heart and is established upon his tongue.
He (al-Ghazali) said, ‘So I became sincere to Allah for forty days but nothing happened so I mentioned this to a righteous person and he said to me, ‘You were not sincere for the sake of Allah, rather you were sincere for the sake of attaining wisdom.”
Ibn Taymiyyah then says:
وذلك لأن الإنسان قد يكون مقصوده نيل العلم والحكمة أو نيل المكاشفات والتأثيرات أو نيل تعظيم الناس له ومدحهم إياه أو غير ذلك من المطالب وقد عرف أن ذلك يحصل بالإخلاص لله وإرادة وجهه, فإذا قصد أن يطلب ذلك بالإخلاص لله وإرادة وجهه كان متناقضا, لأن من أراد شيئا لغيره فالثاني هو المراد المقصود بذاته, والأول يراد لكونه وسيلة إليه
فإذا قصد أن يخلص لله ليصير عالما أو عارفا أو ذا حكمة أو صاحب مكاشفات وتصرفات ونحو ذلك, فهو هنا لم يرد الله بل جعل الله وسيلة له إلى ذلك المطلوب الأدنى
“And that is because a person’s intention becomes (solely) the attainment of knowledge or wisdom, or to seek out hidden matters, or to gain popularity with the people and gain their praise etc. He knows that he can only achieve all that by being sincere to Allah and seeking His Face. So if he seeks these things (praise, gaining knowledge etc) by the token of sincerity to Allah and seeking His Face, then such a person contradicts himself because whoever seeks something (e.g. being sincere to Allah) for the sake of something else (e.g. gain understanding/knowledge), then the latter becomes his real goal and the first is just a means to that.
So if a person intends to be sincere to Allah so that he may become a scholar, or pious, or one endowed with wisdom, or one who discovers hidden realities etc, then such a person does not intend Allah, rather he has made Allah a means for him to gain that inferior matter…”
– From the book درء تعارض المنقول مع صريح المعقول by Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah).
– Incredible. It’s such a subtle difference in intention (although not always blameworthy) but it really makes one appreciate and realise the reasons why the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) feared Riyaa’ for this Ummah so much. Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement above is not really rebuking people who take such a route, but it’s highlighting the great difference between doing something for the Sake of Allah Alone and doing it in order to attain something specific (even though it may be praiseworthy and permissible). This difference is what brings out the true Mukhliseen (sincere) from the Salihin (righteous).
Assalamoalaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatohu
Being sincere to Allah SWT is a stand alone kind of a thing. Nothing before and before after or any other which way. Allah knows best.
Was Ibn Taymiyyah perhaps saying that you should seek knowledge etc etc for the Sake of Allah and not the other way around. And that the other way around is insincere both to Allah SWT and to your own nafs; he mentions the person contradicting himself (MashAllah very sublime point he makes there!)
All means should be the way to attaining sincerity to Allah SWT (which as we all know is very very very difficult unless Allah SWT blesses us in our endeavours) and not the other way around, which is why he describes the means then as becoming inferior.
MashAllah truly an awesome post ya ukhti! It is so very sublime in its dissertation. Alhamdulillah we have all read articles about riyaa, insincerity to Allah SWT, wrong niyah but i have personally never read anything so very sublime about sincerity to Allah SWT.
Jazaki khairen fi’id duniyah wa’al akhirah may Allah SWT bless you in your efforts and light your way always
Jzk
Assalamualykum sister,
Subahanallah.Incredible post.I really needed this post at this point of my life.Sometimes I do wonder if I am doing good deeds for Allah`s sake or for the fear of jahannum or for the greed of jannah? May Allah protect us from riya.May Allah reward you abundantly in this duniya and in hereafter.
Assalamualykum.
SubhanaLaah.I’ve been struggling against my nafs after noticing this very concept just a couple of days ago.Now i see that it is something legitimate and real.Ma sha Allaah,knowledge is truly inexhaustible.May Allaah reward you abundantly!
It is reported in some narrations that when the reckoning takes place in the hereafter, Allaah-The Most High, will bring forward a man and ask him:
“Why did you worship Me?”
The slave will reply:”I heard of the creation of Paradise & the lasting felicity which it contains & so i stayed awake during the nights, tired myself out during the day, i thirsted to be admitted to Paradise, i yearned for it, that i might enjoy the felicity & the great reward.”
So Allaah will say to to him:”This is Paradise, so enter it & you will have what you wanted and what you wished for.”
Then He will bring forth another man and ask him:
“Why did you worship Me?”
The slave will reply:”I heard the creation of the Fire and the punishment, the torment, the evils, the fetters & the pain that it contains & so i stayed awake in the nights & tired myself during the day, fearful of the Fire & in terror of its pains & punishment.”
So Allaah-The Most High- will say to him:”You are safe from the Fire.Enter Paradise, wherein you will find that which you desired.”
Then Allah will bring a third man & ask him:
“Why did you worship Me?”
He will answer: “I KNEW YOUR ATTRIBUTES, YOUR MAJESTY, YOUR GRANDEUR, YOUR GRACE & YOUR BLESSINGS & SO I WORSHIPPED YOU, DESIRING (ONLY) YOU, & FOR LOVE OF YOU, FOR IT IS YOU WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO BE WORSHIPPED & GLORIFIED, DUE TO YOUR BOUNTY, YOUR BLESSINGS UPON YOUR CREATION & BECAUSE OF YOUR PERFECT ATTRIBUTES & YOUR ALMIGHTY MAJESTY.”
So Allaah-The Most High- will say to him:
“HERE I AM, SO LOOK AT ME! AND I HAVE PERMITTED FOR YOU MY REWARD & GIVEN YOU ALL THAT YOU WISHED FOR.”
[Fataawa Islaamiyah – Vol.1, pg 205]
Nice Post, Jazaki Allahu Khair.
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh,
Jazaaki Allaah for the reminder.
How many actions become corrupted or even void, just because of incorrect intentions. None but those whom Allaah wishes good for are guided to knowledge of purification of their intentions.
Re: the hadeeth that RENFEER mentioned. Does anyone know which book of hadeeth that hadeeth is in because it is a very good explanation of what I would imagine the correct intention should be.
Asslaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah.
subanallah, I have always thought about this myself,subanallah
Wa iyyakum.
It’s very deep once you think about it, and its effects spread right across one’s ‘ibadah (worship). What is our intention when we embark upon acts of worship? Minor or major deeds of righteousness? Acts which have binding (and tempting!) rewards etc?
Imam Ahmad was once asked, ‘What do we intend in our prayers/recitation?’ He replied, ‘To beseech, implore and call upon your Lord’ (or words to that effect). Notice how he didn’t state mere reward, or fulfilling the obligation etc, but he directly brought the person’s focus to Allah `azza wa jall.
I remember someone once asking, ‘What about doing deeds for the sake of getting to Paradise?’ There’s nothing wrong with that, because the intention is acceptable and praiseworthy, ولكل امرئ ما نوى ‘…and for every person is what he has intended’ as the Prophet (s) said, but sincerity is in ranks and the highest are occupied by those who intended the Face of Allah `azza wa jall, primarily & always.
May Allah make us of His sincere slaves. Amin
As you said sister, First and foremost,
Our intentions should be to seeking the pleasure and approval of Allaah subhaanahu wa ta ‘ala because He is the only being in existence that has the most Perfect, complete and praiseworthy Names and Attributes and abilities. He is the source of all good and beneficial to mankind and the rest of the creation. He is The Creator and Owner of The Heavens of the Earth. So it is only fair and right that we seek His pleasure and hope to get closer to Him through our deeds due to the reasons mentioned above. Whoever intends to please people or seek their approval through their deeds then this is a type of shirk, because all worship is for Allaah alone.
How can we seek the approval and pleasure of people when Allaah subhaanahu wa ta ‘ala is greater and has the best Names and most perfect attributes or characteristics and to Him belongs the Heavens and Earth and everything in them ? Mankind exist only because of Allaah’s mercy upon them, and they possess certain material things only because Allaah allows them to. All of the harm and benefit is in Allaah’s control, not the beings that He created and controls.
It is a great injustice to give credit to something which is inferior when it really belongs to The one who is Superior to all of the Creation.
As for Jannah and any other material benefits, then these are what we hope for from His bounty and mercy as a secondary matter. This is what Imam Nawawi said in the introduction to one of his books.
I would olny say, that: ”… News reached Abu Hamid al-Ghazali that whoever proves sincere to Allah for forty days, wisdom springs from his heart and is established upon his tongue.”
This was declared as inauthentic by al Albaanee in ‘As Silsilah ad Da’eefah’: #38 and ‘Da’eef at Targheeb wat Tarheeb’
I mean ““Whoever practices sincerity for Allaah for forty mornings, the springs of wisdom would spring forth from his heart to his tounge.”
Yeah, it’s an athar (hikam sort of) not a Hadith.
Great input brother fulaan, barakallahu feek.
SubhanAllah Sr. Fajr… this was an amazing post and like everyone said, it was very much needed.
I need to remind myself that besides doing the things I do for all the reasons that we say such as; to do my part in helping the ummah, my masjid, my family and future children. We need to start with reminding ourselves that its for the pleasure of Allah first and foremost.
JazakhiAllahu kheiran for the reminder.
Aslkm wr wb my dear sis, may Allah in his infinite mercy reward u abundantly. My problem is I love helpin n being nice to pple even if it ll inconvenience me n sometyms its after I ve offered that I ll realise how inconveniencin it is but I ve already committed myself, so some1 close to me started givin me the the impression that I like doin things so pple ll say am nyc then I reduced been nyc n I was askin for advice then somebody said its shaitan that wants to stop me frm doin the right thing so pls in such situations shld I just put it in my mind that watever I do is for the sake of Allah even if u get that happiness wen pple apreciate wat u do. Jzk
What a hypocrite I am.
May be Allah doesn’t want you to be as perfect as Him that’s why you never can be perfect as to do things for the sake of him alone. But you do need to do the thing, don’t you? So what if you think that you cannot do thing without even a bit of ria? Just leave and never do a thing?? You won’t get any where with that. So stop talking too idealistic (unrealistic). Be real!! Allah knows your weaknesses. He is most forgiving, most loving, most understanding.
Jazak’Allahu khayran Liam, these reminders are not to create obstacles in our path, they are simply there to expand our understanding and help us increase our efforts. In our current day and time, I feel we give ourselves too many excuses behind the ‘I’m not perfect’ line, which although is 100% true, it also prevents us from reaching far and attaining higher grounds in respect to the practice of our faith. It’s all about intention and effort, and this is not being idealistic (because having a sound intention is not unrealistic at all), rather it’s about facing some reality truths and doing the best that we can do. Of course, Allah will forgive for what is beyond our ability, but we have to first try insha’Allah.
Salam alaykum,
Thank you for sharing this post but there is something which is confusing me very much regarding the intention that one should have when worshipping Allah.
You mention that worshipping Allah for jannah is not the highest level of sincerity. However, Allah swt describes Jannah in so much detail in the Quran and sunnah for us to get attached to it and strive for it. Does that mean we should not let these descriptions serve as motivations and reasons to worship Allah swt and rather we should worship him intending his Face?
Could you kindly help me with this understanding? Wasalam
Wa `alaykumusalam wa rahmatullah
No I don’t think the article was saying that at all. Of course our hearts should attach to the Hereafter and Paradise as well as all that Paradise consists of (e.g. Seeing Allah`azza wa jall, being in the companionship of the Messenger(s) etc). But the truly sincere believer has a special place in his heart when it comes to sincerity which goes beyond only Paradise, and that is he/she is sincere for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. It’s fine to be attached to Paradise and desire it – that’s the purpose of it – but we ought not to forget that our efforts are primarily for Allah too. Hope that clarifies it a bit more insha’Allah.