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Sincerity in Religious Acts By: Imam Zaid Shakir Note: Several of the quotes below refer to
"Dissimulation" which means to hide under a false appearance or to
disguise or hide true feelings, thoughts, or intentions. A person sincere to God hides his good deeds as much as he hides his bad deeds .. 1. Wahb b. Munabbih
would say: "Whoever seeks worldly advancement through his religious acts,
God will invert his heart and record him amongst the people destined for
Hell." 2. Al-Hasan al-Basri relates that Jesus, Peace upon Him,
said: "Whoever endeavors to implement his religious knowledge is a true
friend of God." 3. Sufyan b. Tahwri used to say: "My mother advised
me: 'My son! Only seek religious knowledge if you intend to implement it.
Otherwise, it will be a source of torment for you on the Day of Resurrection.'
" 4. Dhun-Nun al-Misri was asked: "When does the servant
know that he is sincere in religion?" He replied: "When he asserts
himself to the fullest in worship while desiring to gain no esteem with the
people because of that." 5. Muhammad b. al-Munkadir used to say: "I love to see
the brothers being at their very best during the night [in humble devotion] for
surely that is nobler than being at ones very best during the day. The reason
for this is that during the day one is seen by people while during the night
one is seen by the Lord of the Worlds." 6. It was once asked of Yunus b. Ubayd: "Have you seen
anyone worship like Hasan al-Basri?" He replied: "I have not seen
anyone speak as he spoke, so how could I see anyone worship as he did? His
sermons would cause hearts to weep; the sermons of others do not even move eyes
to tears." 7. Yahya b. Mu'adh was asked: "When will a servant be
considered sincere?" He answered: "When his character becomes like
that of a suckling babe. It does not care if it is praised or condemned." 8. Fudail b. 'Iyad used to say: "As long as a person
consciously seeks acceptability from people, he will not be safe from
insincerity in his religion." 9. Abu Iyas al-Antaki was known to say: "Whoever
strives for sincerity in his outward actions, while his heart is concerned
about what people think of him, is seeking the impossible. This is so because
sincerity is the life-giving water of the heart and dissimulation kills
it." 10. Yusuf b. Asbat used to say: "I have never
sincerely reviewed my religious actions except that I found myself guilty of
dissimulation." 11. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: "Whoever rebukes
himself in the presence of others has in fact engaged in an act of
praise." 12. Ibn Sammak used to say: "If one guilty of
dissimulation in his religious knowledge and actions were to inform people of
his true motivations they would hate him and consider him a fool." 13. Ibrahim b. Adham would say: "Do not ask your
brother about his fast. For were he to say, 'I am fasting,' his soul would be
pleased with that. On the other hand, were he to say, 'I am not fasting,' his
soul would be saddened by that. Each response is an indication of
dissimulation. That is a source of disgrace for the questioned and a means
whereby the questioner can know his brother's concealed imperfections." 14. 'Abdullah b. al-Mubarak used to say: "A man will
be circumambulating the Ka'ba while dissimulating before the people of Khurasan."
It was said: "How could that be?" He rejoined: "He is pleased if
the people back in Khurasan are saying, 'So and so is in Mecca right now
circumambulating the Ka'ba or pacing between Safa and Marwa. Cheers to him!'
" 15. Fudail b. 'Iyad would say: "We encountered people
who would dissimulate in their religious acts. Now they dissimulate with
actions they have not even performed." 16. Abu Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani used to say: "Among the
forms of dissimulation with actions you have not performed is exalting yourself
over others by mentioning the insightful speech and expressions of religious
scholars. That which you are using to exalt yourself with is not the fruit of
your effort, nor from your intellectual derivation." 17. Ibrahim b. Adham used to say: "One who loves for
people to speak good of him, [while unconcerned about how he stands with God],
has attained neither true God Consciousness nor sincerity in religion." 18. Ikrima was known to have said: "Constantly try to
have a sincere intention, because dissimulation does not substitute for a good
intention in religious acts." 19. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: "People enter
Heaven and Hell based on their actions. However, their perpetuity in either of
those two abodes is based on their intentions." Note: Actions are a
necessary condition for entering Paradise. However, they are not sufficient.
Ultimately, anyone's entrance into Paradise will only occur due to the mercy of
God. 20. Abu Dawud al-Tayyalisi used to say: "It is
incumbent upon a scholar when he edits his compilation that he intends to
assist the Religion, and not to be praised by his contemporaries for excellent
writing." 21. It is related that every act God accepts is great even
if it is small, and every act He rejects is small even if it is great. 22. Fudail b. 'Iyyad used to say: "If the truthful
prophets such as Ishmael and Jesus, peace upon them, were asked about their
truthfulness, how about liars like us?" 23. Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib, May God be pleased with him,
used to say: "There are three indications of a dissimulator: He is lazy in
his worship in private; he conveys his supererogatory prayers sitting when
alone and standing when with others; and he increases his devotional acts when
praised just as he decreases them when rebuked." 24. Sufyan al-Thawri was known to have said: "Every
devotional act I performed in front of others I did not consider of any
consequence, because of the incapacity of people like us to have true sincerity
towards God in the presence of others." 25. Ibrahim al-Taymi used to dress like an ordinary man.
Therefore, no one except his companions knew he was a scholar. He used to say:
"A person sincere to God hides his good deeds as much as he hides his bad
deeds." 26. Sufyan al-Thawri used to say: "It is rare for a scholar
who attracts a large crowd to his lessons not to become conceited." 27. Al-Hasan al-Basri passed by Tawus as he was relating
prophetic traditions to a large gathering in the Sacred Mosque. Al-Hasan drew
near to him and whispered into his ear: "If you are proud to have
attracted such a large audience you should get up and leave." Tawus left
immediately. 28. Sufyan al-Thawri would usually only allow three people
to sit in his circle. One day he noticed that the circle had grown quite large.
He stood up, shaken, and exclaimed: "We have been afflicted with pride! I
swear by God! If the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, had seen my likes seated
in such a gathering he would have made me get up and leave, lamenting: 'Your
likes are not fit to teach.' " When Sufyan would sit to relate prophetic
traditions, he would sit crossed-legged in a fearful state. If a cloud passed
overhead he would remain silent until it went by, saying: "I feared that
it might be full of stones which it would unleash against me." 29. Abu Huraira, may God be pleased with him, used to say:
"Were it not for a single verse in the Qur'an I would not have taught you.
[That verse is] Surely those who conceal what we have revealed of truth and
guidance after we have expounded it to people in the Scripture, they are cursed
by God and cursed by all entitled to curse." (Quran 2:159) When Sufyan
al-Thawri ceased teaching prophetic tradition, Abu Huraira's saying was related
to him. He responded: "If I knew that even one student was seeking
knowledge sincerely for the sake of God, I would go to his house to teach him,
and not even burden him [to come to me]." 30. Hatim al-Asamm used to say: "No one sits to teach
sacred knowledge in the mosque except one seeking worldly gain, or one ignorant
of the tremendous responsibilities associated with that [station]." 31. Despite Ibn 'Abbas' vast knowledge, may God pleased
with him and his father, he would say upon the conclusion of one his sessions
of Qur'anic exegesis: "Let us conclude our gathering by collectively
seeking God's forgiveness." 32. Shaddad b. Hakim used to say: "Whoever possesses
the following three characteristics should instruct people; if not, then he
should leave off teaching. He reminds people of God's favors in order that they
give thanks for them; he reminds them of their sins in order that they repent
from them; and he reminds them of their enemy in order that they beware of
him." 33. Ibn Wahb was known to say: "I asked Imam Malik
about Al-Rasikheen bil-'Ilm, who are they?" He said: "They are the
scholars who implement their knowledge, and there is nothing mightier than
knowledge for it allows its possessor to rule over kings." 34. Ibn Mubarak was asked: "Who do you consider the
real people?" He replied, "The sincere scholars who implement their
knowledge." He was then asked: "Who are the kings?" He
responded: "Those whose hearts are detached from the world." It was
then inquired: "Who are the riff raff?" He answered: "Those who
sell their knowledge, devotional acts, and religion for worldly benefit." 35. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: "The scholars are
the lights of their respective ages. Each scholar is a lamp of his age by which
people seek illumination. Were it not for the true scholars people would become
like animals." 36. Sufyan al-Thawri would also say: "Knowledge is
enlivened by active search and sincere implementation, and it dies through
neglecting these two things." 37. 'Ikrima used to say: "Do not teach those who will
not pay the price of knowledge." It was said: "What is that price?"
He said: "That the scholar places it with one who will implement it."
Note: In other words a willingness to implement what one learns is the price of
knowledge." 38. Al-Sha'bi used to say: "Among the etiquette of the
true scholars is that when they learn something they implement it. At that
point, implementation preoccupies them from the people. When they are
preoccupied from the people they are sought after. When they are sought after
they flee away fearing that they might be cast into tribulation." 39. It is related by prophetic tradition: "The most
severely punished person on the Day of Resurrection will be a scholar who did
not benefit from his knowledge." And, "A time will come when the
devout people in a particular place will be ignorant, and their scholars will
be corrupt." Tabarani 40. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: "Do not be like one
who studies like a scholar but acts like a fool." 41. Ibrahim b. 'Utba used to say: "The most remorseful
person on the Day of Resurrection will be a scholar who used his knowledge to
arrogate himself over the common folk." 42. The Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar b. al-Khattab, was
known to say: "The thing I fear most for this Muslim community is a
scholar who manifests knowledge on his tongue but has ignorance in his
heart." 43. Sufyan al-Thawri used to say: "Knowledge will cry
out to action [to join it]. If it answers all is well. If it does not knowledge
departs." 44. 'Abdullah b. al-Mubarak used to say: "A person
will continue to be a scholar as long as he thinks that there is someone in his
land more knowledgeable than he. If he thinks he is the most knowledgeable of
all he has displayed his ignorance." 45. Yahya b. Mu'adh usd to say: "When a scholar chases
the world his nobility vanishes." 46. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: "The punishment of
the scholars is in the death of their hearts, and the death of their hearts
occurs when they use devotional acts for worldly gain. Such actions draw them
close to people obsessed with the world." 47. Al-Makhul used to say: "One who learns the Qur'an,
gains religious knowledge, and then goes to the house of the political
authorities without a pressing need, sinks ever deeper into Hell with each step
he takes." 48. The Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar b. al-Khattab, used
to say: "If you see a scholar who loves the world be suspicious of his
religious integrity, for every lover will devote himself to that which he
loves." 49. Ibrahim al-Taymi used to say: "I never measured my
action against my speech except that I found my actions to be liars." 50. Ibrahim b. Adham used to say: "We speak impeccable
Arabic, we never make a grammatical error. However, our actions are constantly
errant, we are never impeccable [in our intentions]." Compiled by Imam Zaid Shakir. http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0801-3494 |
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