Fruits of Sincerity – Taimiyyah Zubair

is the reality of tauheed this is living tauheed. You see, as Muslims, we believe that there is no God worthy of worship, except for Allah. Islam, what distinguishes Islam from every other religion is the fact that we are pure monotheists that in everything we do, we seek the approval of Allah, we direct all of our worship to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. So, what does that tauheed look like is isn't just a concept that we believe in. It's it's not just a concept, it is something that is supposed to be lived. Meaning tauheed is something that should be visible in our lives. And we we don't just manifest it in our lives by making dua to Allah or by praying Salah Yes, that is all part of tauheed..

But the hidden begins in the heart, that when we're doing something, when we're saying something, we're striving towards something, even if we are leaving something, our goal is to seek the approval of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And this ikhlaas is the essence of worship, meaning it's, it's the real spirit of worship. Because if a person does not have that ikhlaas, in the worship that they're performing, then then their worship is not accepted, it is rejected. It's something that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala does not accept. So it is necessary that we remind ourselves of the importance of sincerity (ikhlaas).

So that we can, we can bring sincerity in our actions. And as a result of that we can benefit from, from the fruits of sincerity. So Insya-Allah, I'm going to talk about some of the benefits of sincerity and then Insya-Allah, I'm going to talk a little bit about how, how is it that we can strive to bring that sincerity in our actions, Insya-Allah. So, the first thing is that when a person

is sincere, in, in what they're doing, meaning they're, they're purely seeking the approval of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, then what happens is, that their deeds are accepted, which means that if a person is not sincere, then their efforts, their deeds will not be accepted by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And this is something that is

any,

is something that should really make us think, you see, when you when you work hard on, you know, for example, a project, when you work hard on an application, when you work hard on, you know, submitting a proposal, and what happens is that you receive a rejection letter or you find out that your, your assignment, you know, the the the work that you just submitted, you, you get such low marks on it,

you need that feeling is so, so discouraging, it is so hurtful. People get really weighed down by, by, by rejection, you know, it takes months and months for people to recover, sometimes they never recover, because they put in so much effort and what they were doing and the outcome was what, nothing, right? their effort was not accepted. So we don't want that shock on the Day of Judgment, that the effort that we put in the work that we put in, in worshiping Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala whether it was in our salah, or it was, you know, in our hijab, or it was in, you know, our getting of Islamic knowledge or our giving of charity, or our going to the masjid, our supporting off, you

know, good causes, etc, any effort that we were putting in, we don't want that shock on the day of judgment that our effort has been rejected, may Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect us. But remember, that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, only accepts deeds which are done sincerely for his sake. In hadeeth we learned the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, that Allah does not accept any deed, except that which is purely for him and for seeking his face. Meaning, if a person does something good, seeking the attention of people, or seeking, you know something else from people, that they're not doing it purely for the sake of Allah, then, then that deed is not going to be accepted. And, and May

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect us from that. So we must strive to, you know, where we work really hard to do good things. We should also work hard on purifying our intention, so that the effort is worth it. That work actually

brings some kind of benefit to us in the hereafter, Insya-Allah. So this is the first benefit that a person's good deeds are accepted. And

secondly, when a person is sincere in their ibadah, or in the good work that they're doing, then we learned that they also receive the help of Allah. Because of sincerity, a person receives the help of Allah, in what they're doing.

You know, sometimes doing certain good things can really be a struggle. It can, it can really be physically demanding, emotionally draining, you know, it's, it's possible that a person really has to strive hard. And and we experienced that, you know, for example, sometimes it's a struggle to even prefunded right, in the winter, it may be easy, but in the summer, you all know how it can be a challenge.

You know, likewise, living as a Muslim different parts of your Muslim identity, any of these, all of these matters can be a struggle. But when a person purifies their intention, they remind themselves that you know what, I'm doing this for the sake of Allah, Ya Allah, you will be pleased with me. Ya Allah, I'm doing this for you. Ya Allah, I want you to be pleased with me. Any when you're doing things sincerely for the sake of Allah, then you also receive the help of Allah. We learned in a hadeeth that one of the companions

in this hadeeth has reported in Sunan al-Nasa'ie, that one of the companions, any he said something that, that reflected that he thought that he was better than some other companions. And this is something very common, you know, a lot of people because of the strengths that they have, you know, they they start to believe that they are better than others. So, the Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam said, that rather, Allah supports this ummah because of the supplication of those weak people, meaning Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala supports the ummah because of their duas, not because of your presence, but because of their duas and because of their sincerity. Because they call upon Allah

and because they're sincere in their efforts. This is why we receive the help of Allah, not because you're strong man, and you have a lot of power and influence, etc. No, it's the it's the help of Allah, which is because of the people who are sincere among you. So we see that because of sincerity, a person receives the help of Allah, in Surah al-Ankabut, we learn that Wallazeena jaahadoo feenaa lanahdiyannahum subulana [Q,29:69]: that those who strive in our cause, beating the person who strives towards Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, in obedience to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and part of that striving is actually internal, where you are striving to purify your intentions and such people,

Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says, lanahdiyannahum subulana: we will certainly guide them to our ways, meaning the ways that lead to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala's approval. And you see, the real test of sincerity is that you know, when you are doing the right thing, but it's not easy, right? When you are doing the right thing, but the people around you are not happy. That that is the real test of sincerity, right? Or that you are doing the right thing, but it doesn't come easy. You really have to struggle a lot. That is the real test of sincerity that if you keep going despite, you know the the difficulties in your path, you keep going despite the fact that you have no one to you know, to

to cheer you on. You are doing that sincerely for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala remember, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will not leave you alone. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will help you and the more sincerity you have, the more help you receive from Allah 'Azza wa Jall. The third benefit the third fruit of sincerity, we see that a person increases in their determination. They have quwwatul..., they develop strong resolve, strong determination because of sincerity. Meaning sincerity is something that makes you stronger from the inside. It gives you it brings you grit, so that, so that you have firm resolve and you don't quit, you don't give up too easily. And the fact is that in

life, no matter what you do, there are difficulties, right? Even if you're doing the right thing.

thing, even if you are, you know, for example, fasting in the month of Ramadan, you're praying five times a day, what anything, you pick up any, it's going to be hard, it's going to be difficult, there are going to be challenges. But a person who has sincerity in their heart, meaning their goal is to please Allah, then they have the resolve to continue. Right, they have the resolve to keep going. And this is a form of the help of Allah that that such a person receives. And you see what sincerity does is that it helps you stay focused on your goal, right? sincerity means your goal is Allah. Right? Your goal is the pleasure of Allah. So with sincerity, you're able to keep the end in

mind, right, you're able to keep the goal in front of you that until I meet Allah, I have to keep going, I have to keep striving, I cannot quit, I must not I will not right, no matter how hard it is. And and this is something that I think a lot of us can relate with.

You know, when you have a very clear goal before you, then it doesn't mean how long the journey is, and how difficult it may be. You'll do it. Right? You know, for example, if you're studying for something, even if it's going to take you four years to complete a degree, it's going to take take you six years, it's going to take you more than that less than that, how much however long it's gonna take, how much ever money it costs, right? Sometimes it can be super expensive. But what do you do, you're willing to spend all that money, you're willing to dedicate all of that time, all of that effort, why? Because that goal is very, very clear before you. And just like that, when you

focus on Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala that my goal is the pleasure of Allah, I'm doing this for the sake of Allah, then yes, things will be challenging along the way, there will be ups and downs, it's not going to be all that simple and, you know, easy, but the goal helps you stay focused, you develop internal strength, to face all of those challenges to get through to keep going. And we learn in Surah al-Lail, at the end of the surah.

That Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says: 'Allazee yu'tee maalahoo yatazakkaa' [Q92:18], that the person who gives his wealth meaning who spends in charity, why? in order to purify himself. 'Wa maa li ahadin 'indahoo min ni'matin tujzaaa' [Q,92:19], and he's not, you know, giving charity and others so that they owe him a favor later on, or that, you know, he's not compensating someone for a favor that they that they did to him or now, you know, they will have to reciprocate. No, no strings attached whatsoever. Why is he giving charity? 'Illab tighaaa'a wajhi rabbihil a 'laa' [Q,92:20], they're seeking only the face of Allah. This person is only seeking the face of his Lord, who is al-A'laa,

the highest 'Walasawfa yarda' [Q,29:21], and Allah will be pleased with this person. So when you make that goal, that when you set that goal for yourself that I am seeking the face of Allah, I am seeking the approval of Allah, then you have the strength, the internal resolve, to keep going. And even if, you know, people don't acknowledge, or people don't reciprocate, if there is no immediate, you know,

form of gratification, it doesn't matter, because the real gratification you're seeking is from Allah. And that means you're going to keep going until you meet Allah. Insya-Allah, the fourth benefits the fourth fruit of sincerity is that, because of sincerity, a person's heart is also protected from, from the diseases of the heart. And we see that over time, you know, the, because Imaan is something that increases decreases the state of the heart Even as such that it is not constant. Right, it keeps changing. The heart is something that keeps fluctuating in its condition keeps changing.

So, it's, it's very much possible that a person's heart becomes diseased, right, there can be pride, there can be jealousy, there can be anger, there can be,

you know, hypocrisy or cheating or betrayal or, you know, being two faced, etc. Having ill feelings for others, any, these are all different forms of diseases of the heart, and it's very easy for heart to get diseased and

The problem with the disease of the heart is that they only increase and intensify and worsen with time. So it's, it's important that we protect our hearts, right? We don't want our hearts to get infected, basically. So what is that? That thing which will fortify the heart? What is that thing that will make your heart you know, the what's that immune system basically, that will strengthen the heart, so that it does not get diseased. And if ever there is a disease, it gets cured, it gets removed from the heart. That thing is sincerity. Sincerity is something that protects the heart, how the thing is that when you're doing something for the sake of Allah, then even if someone were to

disappoint you, or if someone were to say something hurtful, you're not going to keep that grudge in your heart, because you're going to tell yourself Well, you know what, I'm not seeking their approval anyway. I'm not doing this for them. Anyway, I'm doing this for the sake of Allah. Right? Or, you know, if there is some kind of anger, that creeps in some kind of jealousy that creeps in, you remind yourself that you know what I'm, I'm striving for the sake of Allah. And I expect my reward from Allah, I don't need to look at other people, what they have been given. And I don't need to compare myself to them, that they have been given more than I have been given. Right? Why because

I expect my reward from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And you, you stop looking at people and you start looking at what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has, ..., that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is the is the one who possesses great favor, and he's able to bestow huge favors. So sincerity protects you. Likewise, if there's some kind of, you know, sense of pride that I did so well, or that I am doing so well, or that, you know, I'm so much better than, you know, such people are those people or this person or that person. And these kind of thoughts, you know, shaitan constantly puts them in our hearts. So, again, when you remind yourself that no, I'm doing this for the sake of

Allah, any, all that pride kind of, you know, it dissipates. Why? Because you, you're, you're focusing, you're shifting your attention towards Allah, even from yourself. Right? sincerity is that you remember the greatness of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, not yourself. When you remember the greatness of Allah, you realize how little you are. Right? You realize how insignificant you are. So sincerity is something that truly, you know, protects the heart.

Then the next benefit or the next fruit of sincerity is that,

is that even the the mundane or the daily chores, or the average, or the worldly things that we do, right? They even become rewardable because of sincerity.

Meaning, when you're doing something worldly even, but you're doing it in order to please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and how would you do that? How would you do

you know, something worldly, to please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for example, if you're drinking water, how could you be drinking water with sincerity? What that means is that you're doing these things the right way, why? You're doing these things the right way in the way that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala likes; in the way that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has legislated because you you want to ultimately please Allah, right? So for example, you as a Muslim, you want to ultimately please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, which is why even when you're drinking water, what do you do you, you hold your bottle with the right hand? Are you able to hold it with your left hand and drink with your left hand? Absolutely,

you are able to do that. But why do you choose to to drink with the right hand? Because you know that this is what the Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam taught? Right? And the way of the Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam is the way that is pleasing to Allah. And so, your drinking water you choose to drink with the right hand and then you say Bismillah, right? Now, this is basically transforming the mundane into something rewardable right? You are transforming a worldly deed into something for which you will be rewarded. Right? In Hadeeth we learn that the Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam mentioned, the different forms of

sadaqa, meaning the different ways through which a person can get the reward of giving charity, meaning how different deeds are rewarded. And then the Prophet salallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam also mentioned that, and he was addressing the men that when one of you, you know, has relations with his wife, even for that, is reward. So the companions were surprised that How could there be reward in that? Any that that is pure, you know, physical desire? How could there be reward in that, and the Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam explained that, you know, if, if one of you were to do that same act

unlawfully? Would there be a sin? And they said, Yes. So, he said that, then when you do it in the permissible way, then there is reward. So, this shows us that, when you do things for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, meaning, when you do things in the way that is pleasing to Allah, you can do it in a number of different ways. Right? You could do it, you know, the way that your heart desires, or the way that you see people doing things, but you choose the way that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala likes, then you are rewarded. And this is something so amazing that imagine a person is getting rewarded for eating their breakfast, right? For for eating, you know, their lunch for eating their dinner,

how many times a day do we eat? How many times a day do we drink? you know, start with water, and then some kind of tea or coffee, and then again, some water and, you know, a breakfast and then snack, and then you know, lunch, and then this and that and the more we stay at home, Subhanallah, the more we eat and drink, right? So imagine, all those times that you're eating and drinking, you're doing it the right way, meaning you're doing it with sincerity, you're doing it for this, you know, in the way that is pleasing to Allah. And for every single time that you eat with the right hand you say Bismillah and you end with Alhamdulillah, you're being rewarded. This is the fruit that

the benefit of, of having ikhlaas, of seeking Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala pleasure. By you know, in doing whatever it is that you're doing. Then, the sixth benefit is that when a person is sincere, in that they're seeking the approval of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect them from from shaitaan also, meaning Shaitaan is not able to lead such a person astray.

In the Quran in Surah al-Hijr, we learn about how shaitaan said that: 'Qaala Rabbi bimaaa aghwaitanee la uzayyinaana lahum fil ardi wa la ughwiyan nahum ajma’een' [Q,85:39], that, oh, my Lord (shaitaan blamed Allah), that because you misled me, I am going to take revenge against all of humanity. And he said, shaitan said that I am going to beautify for them with what's in the earth.

And as a result of that, they're going to chase the world. And they're going to forget about You, they're going to seek worldly things, and and they're not going to seek You... I'm going to misguide all of them. And he said (Shaitaan even knew), he said, 'Illaa ‘ibaadaka minhumul mukhlaseen' [Q,85:40] except for your sincere servants among them,

which means that the slaves of Allah who are sincere to Allah, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protects them from the attack of Shaitaan; and shaitan, yes, there is, you know, waswassa (doubt in heart) that he puts in the heart there is evil thoughts. You know, there is bad intentions, doubts, etc, that shaitaan puts in the heart. So, when a person is sincere, you know, constantly seeking the approval of Allah, the pleasure of Allah, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala also protects them against the shaitaan.

Number seven, the seventh benefit is that because of sincerity, a person

is led out of

difficulty that they're in. Meaning sincerity becomes a means of coming out of difficulties.

And this doesn't mean that all difficulties go away. But because of sincerity, a way out is created. And how do we know about this? We learn

in in the books of hadeeth though the well known story of, you know, the three men who got trapped in the cave. Right when there was they were traveling, there was a storm. So they took shelter in a cave and there was a, you know, some kind of a landslide or something.

But that there was a huge boulder that basically blocked the entrance of the cave. And so these three men were trapped inside the cave, and they tried different ways to move the Boulder, but when they realize there is no way, and who is it that would come to find them over there.

So, they decided that it was only; the only way of escape was to call upon Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And so they thought about, you know, mentioning the sincere stuff, their deeds in their Dua. Right? And, and they mentioned that each one of them, you know, mentioned is, you know, one of the most sincerest deeds that they performed for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, purely, and every time that you know, one of the mentioned it, the the boulder would move a little bit, until eventually, by the time the third person mentioned, you know, when his sincere state for the sake of Allah, the boulder moved entirely and they were able to go out. So, the shows is that when a person is sincere, then

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala

creates a way out for them from difficulty. And this shows us that, you know, when we are in difficulty, whether it is, you know, in our physical condition in, you know, in our health or in our relationship, in our circumstances where we feel constrained, we feel, you know, we feel very, very restricted, right, we feel that, that literally we are blocked in that we were not able to do what we feel is important, then this is a time to really introspect and to check the state of our heart, and to see that what's going on, you know, bring sincerity, reflect over your actions, remind yourself of the good times, all those times when you when you when you did, what you did purely for

the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Use that to connect with Allah, mentioned that in your Dua, reconnected with Allah call upon Allah. And with the permission of Allah, you will see how, you know, things are made easy for you Insya-Allah.

The next thing is, the next benefit number eight is that when a person is a sincere,

then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala also protect them from sin.

Meaning because of their sincerity, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala

protects them from falling into error. And this is something huge, because we see that even the best of people, there are people who are very knowledgeable, very intelligent, very smart, but because they're human, even they slip, right. This is, this is the reality of human beings that all of the children of Adam are qoto-un, right? That they make mistakes, but the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent to Allah. Now, mistakes of course, they're going to happen. But just because they're going to happen doesn't mean that we don't, don't even try to protect ourselves. Any, there are certain sins that we want to stay away from. Right? And yes, if they happen, we turn

to Allah seeking His forgiveness. However, we have to do our part to stay away from those things. But sometimes we see that certain things can be so tempting, right? Or you could be in a situation where you feel that avoiding a sin would be impossible. It's not, it's not realistic, right? Given the world that we live in, you know, the people that we engage in, etc.

But when a person has sincerity, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gives them the strength to avoid those sins. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala himself turns those sins away from them. And we see this in the example of Yusuf 'alaihissalaam, right? Yusuf 'alaihissalaam think about it he was a young man and he was constantly being, you know, enticed by the the wife of his master, right? And she closed the doors and she openly said to him, you know, come here and Yusuf 'alaihissalaam, he ran, he ran it to get away from there. And this is something amazing that when the doors are closed, and you are being invited to sit in if anything, it's awkward to say no to someone, right? but in a situation

like that, the power dynamics even think about it

The woman was in a position of power, Yusuf 'alaihissalaam was not, he was a slave, he was a servant, right? So,

yet, Yusuf 'alaihissalaam did not fall into that sin. And Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala mentions this in Surah Yusuf, where he says that: 'kazaalika linasrifa ‘anhu sooo’a walfa hshaaa' [Q,5:24], We turned away from him, evil and immorality. And We turn that away from him. Reason?: 'Innahoo min ‘ibaadi nal mukhlaseen' [Q,5:24]. Indeed, he was from our sincere servants. Because you see sincerity, what that does is that it helps you remember Allah all times, right. Sincerity is something that allows you to shift your focus to Allah at all times, no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, whether you're alone, or you're somewhere outside, whether you are, you know, in private and

public, it doesn't matter where you are, sincerity helps you,

you know,

be conscious of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And when, when a person is conscious of Allah, only then they're able to, you know, refuse an invitation to sin that is so open and, and also so tempting. So, because of sincerity, a person is protected from sin.

Number nine, Another benefit is that when a person is sincere, they get rewarded, even if they're not able to complete a, you know, a certain act of worship, or or participate in it at all, you know, at all. In Hadeeth, we learn

the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the person who makes dua to Allah sincerely, for Shahada for for being martyred in the way of Allah, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will elevate him to the station of the martyrs even if he dies on his bed.

Why? Because is this person's sincere dua, he asks Allah that, Ya Allah give me the reward of Shahada, right? but this person does not die like that. Yet, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will give him the reward of Shahada. Why because if it's sincere dua. This is something so amazing, right? We learn about, you know, those companions who were not able to go along with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Tabooq in the expedition of Tabooq, but they were equal in their reward. How? bBecause there was a genuine excuse that prevented them from, you know, participating in that expedition. And in their heart, they sincerely wished to go with the Prophets Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam,

you know, they had that sincerity in their heart. Likewise, we learned that when a person goes to bed, and he has the sincere intention, honest intention to pray in the night, but then what happens is that they're unable to wake up until the morning, the reward of what they intended is written for them. And their sleep is like a charity for them from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, I mean, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, you know, was generous to this person. So this person was able to sleep, but they got the full reward of, of praying in the night because because of their sincerity, and finally, the last benefit that I wanted to mention is the whole agenda, meaning when

a person is sincere, then Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala promises Jannah (Paradise) to such people. We learn in the Quran, in Surah al-Saffat: 'Illaa 'ibaadal laahil mukhlaseen' [Q,37:40], the servants of Allah who are sincere. 'Ulaaa'ika lahum rizqum ma'loom' [Q,37:41] they're the ones who will, you know have that, that sustenance which is well known meaning the sustenance of Paradise, 'Fa waakihu wa hum mukramoon' [Q,37:42], they will enjoy the fruits of Paradise and they will be greatly honored, 'Fee jannaatin Na'eem' [Q,37:43] in the gardens of bliss, in the gardens of blissful pleasure, that is where they will be, because of what? Because of their sincerity. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala grant his sincerity so that we can benefit from all of these,

you know, fruits of sincerity, but the question is that how is it that we can be more sincere? How is it that we can bring sincerity in all of our actions? There's different ways First of all, it is very important that we, we connect with ourselves, we connect with ourselves in the sense that we, we look within ourselves, we we pay attention to the state of our heart, any a lot of times we are, you know going through life going going from you know, one task to another to another to another, without even thinking about what is gonna go

going on inside of us, right? We're so busy working, that we we forget to take a moment and be more mindful, be be a bit more reflective, be, you know, a bit more connected with ourselves. So the first thing is that, you know, take a moment to think take a moment to reflect reorient yourself. And you know, the reason why we have been taught so many cars throughout the day and night, you know, for everything, there is a vehicle for everything, there's a drop, why? Because in those moments, what are we doing, we are connecting with the last panel Tada, we are connecting with ourselves. So when you're saying these of God, when you say for example, Bismillah consciously say

Bismillah, right? When you say 100 a lot consciously say 100 in any way could that you're making any make that consciously take that time, it doesn't mean that you become very slow and overly reflective, and you know, you're living in another dimension now? No, it just means you are more mindful, more attentive, you are more connected. Not that you're so busy that you are, you are completely distracted from your state. Right? So so that's one thing. The second thing is that you have to remind yourself over and over again, that all benefit is in the hands of a law. Any I cannot receive anything good. Unless and until Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gives that to me. It's not in the hands

of people. It's it's not in people's control. They're not able to bring any benefit or bring any harm to me except what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has already written for me, remind yourself of the greatness of a law of the power of Allah, on the right of Allah and remind yourself at the same time of the weakness of the creation, the imperfection of the creation of the people that are around you, so that you are able to shift your focus from people to their Lord, from the things of the world, to the creator of the world. And when you shift your focus from the creation to the Creator, that is where sincerity will come.

The third thing is that you must ask Allah subhana wa tada that he or Allah grant me sincerity your Allah protect me from from any form of Schick and remember that that showing off is is a form of shidduch right it's a lesser form a minor form of associating partners with the love but still it is a form of ship. So ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala the Allah protect me along mainly our obika and oceanica bica were an acronym that all Allah I seek refuge with you from associating any partner with you knowingly we're still fiddle columella Burnham and I seek your forgiveness for having done this without even you know without even realizing. So ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to grant you a close you

can say this in simple words your Allah grant me sincerity, right? Yeah, Allah make me one of your sincere servants. And then finally, another thing we can do to develop sincerity is to seek the companionship of good people, of people who, who are conscious of a lot of people who remember a lot of people who are committed to a loss pattern. Because when you are around such people, then you will be reminded of a lot. And, and by this, you know, I don't just mean that, okay, seek, you know, such people so that you can hang out with them, you can sit with them, you can spend more time with them, you can be in the masjid with them.

I'm not talking about, you know, physical gatherings only. I'm talking about, you know, staying connected with these kind of people even virtually. So, for example, check your social media feed, right? What are the people that you follow? Right? And what is it that they're constantly reminding you of? Is it just, you know, sports related,

you know, stats, is it you know, for example, money related things only is it fashion related stuff only? Is it travel related stuff? Is it just jokes and silly things and means is it you know, just cooking things, you know, recipes, etc. I mean, all those things are right, therefore, they're fine. They're part of your life. But also check yourself that

that what kind of people are popping up on my feet? Are they reminding me of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala are they saying things which make me more conscious of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala or

They distracting me from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala because the more you surround yourself with people who remind you of a lot, the more connected you will be with Allah and and that will ultimately make you more sincere. I ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to, to protect us from any form of insincerity and Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala give us the ability to shift our focus away from the world and its things in its glitters, and only to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala so that we are able to reap the fruits of sincerity in this life. And ultimately, we find the approval the pleasure of Allah subhanho wa Taala when we meet him Insya-Allah, we'll conclude over here I believe there is going to be some questions or something

brother arch.

So it goes on like this. Thank you very much for Sardinia, we do have some questions. Before I take the we, we have a few questions that people asked here. Let me share my screen and before I do go to the questions I'd like to share a little bit about what

started Samia like where you can find her more

where you can actually like see what she she does and then continue to benefit from her work Insya-Allah. So you can see my screen here the

where I have the website opened although the international website yes right.

type something

All right, thank you. Thank you sorry for typing does that I just realized the chat was only for with the host but you can all type something no worry.

handled that so yes, if you can see that, that is where you can, you can find her latest of sear of the Quran cover the cover. And I will share this link with you all here in the chat and I will also share this in the whatsapp group that we have for our stomach lectures and programs.

And,

and this is an enormous resource Mashallah for for people to benefit from, it's the entirety of the Quran, as you can see, it goes all the way to sort of the nuts. So, something for you to Insya-Allah Dada, follow up with afterwards, as you're driving, as you're, you know, you know, doing whatever you're doing that requires that gives you the opportunity to listen to something that is something you can plug into your playlist, Insya-Allah. Let's go to the questions. Even though the other questions are here. First question is, I have some, some issues that to speak with you about in person or privately some issues to speak in person in private?

I would imagine that that's the best way to contact you is through your Facebook page. Is that right?

Um, actually, no.

You won't be able to reach me through that. What you can do is Insya-Allah send an email to the Institute. Okay. And Insya-Allah they can set up an appointment. Okay. Is there an email address or just info it? Yeah, info at the institute.ca. Okay, very good. So info, a lot of digits here and they can set up something for that. So that's wonderful. Exactly where

I can see the questions. Do you want me to go over them? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just clicking them. What? Yes. Would you like me to read the question that you asked me? I don't mind reading them and answering them if that makes it easier. Perfect. That works as well. Okay. So what does sincerity mean? Again, sincerity is to do what you are saying or, or doing or leaving anything that you're doing, you're doing this, you're doing it for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala meaning you aren't doing it for his approval. You want him to be ultimately pleased with you. It's It's his approval that you're seeking. It's not the approval of people or their attention or their praise, or you

know, any reward that they can offer. Know, anything that you expect is is what you expect from Allah, not from people. So sincerity is that your intention is to please Allah and your expectation of reward is also from Allah you're expecting your expectation of you know, a good result is also from Allah soprano. So that is

sincerity. What does permissible mean permissible meaning something that is halaal something that is lawful, what Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has allowed us to do,

that would be permissible.

Some of my worldly decisions actions were started with mixed intentions some with bad intentions, could I renew my intention even if the bad purpose is achieved?

Absolutely you can you can

you can make your intention sincere, the moment you realize that it is insincere

and an even if something is done and over with you know for example, you you worked for certain project you got you got the money you didn't do it you know for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala you did it for the money, you got it but then later on, you know you learn from it that from this point onwards Insya-Allah I am going to do what I'm doing for the sake of Allah, I am going to do it the right way Insya-Allah. So, you can always change your intention later on, or if things are done and over with, you can always learn from those experiences and not repeat the same mistake again.

What if you do something primarily to please a lot, but there is some secondary benefit, do avoided or continue. You see, there's a, you know, for example, if you are

doing something the right way, right, like, we discussed several examples of doing things according to the way that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has legislated. Right? For example, you are drinking water with your right hand, you're saying Bismillah

Yes, Insya-Allah, this will be something rewardable. But your intention at the same time is what? To, to drink water to quench your thirst, right. So there is a benefit attached to it. But the benefit is not always the goal. Okay. Meaning the primary, the ultimate goal should be the approval of a law. Right? Which means that

you know, for example, if, if you are drinking water, you know, you're, you're tempted to use your left hand, because you You're so thirsty, you want to drink right away, but you stop and you say no, right hand. Right? It's, it would be so much easier for you to drink with your left hand, but you don't you you stop and you drink with the right hand. So, so yes, you are quenching your thirst. But what is your priority over here? Your priority over here is not just to drink, your priority over here is to do it the right way so that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is pleased. So the secondary benefit, that's never the the ultimate goal, the ultimate goal? What is your priority is always going to be

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala Insya-Allah,

what if you think you are sincere, but really not? How do we check our sincerity or improve it?

So how do we check our sincerity? There's, there's a number of different ways. First of all, check yourself that are you consistent with your good deeds?

So for example, back to the drinking water example, is it that you're only drinking water with the right hand when you're around some good Muslim people? Right? Or is it that every time that you're drinking water, you drink water with the right hand? If there is consistency in your good deeds, that means in sha Allah, there is sincerity. But if there's inconsistency, then it means that there's a problem with the intention and that needs to be fixed. Right? Likewise, when you when you're doing something for the sake of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, it's not always easy, right? Like, like we discussed, there is a lot of backlash from people at times, there's a lot of criticism from

people sometimes there's a lot of, you know, on, on solicited advice, and, you know, commentary etc, judgment, and that and all of that can be very hurtful. It can be very annoying. So, you can check yourself at that time that am I still,

you know, going to keep going or am I going to give up? If we give up. If we surrender, then that means that our intention was not sincere. And if we keep going because the goal was never to please people, the goal was always Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala then being steadfast is a sign of sincerity. And quitting giving up is a sign of insincerity. So if if we see ourselves struggling, that you know, one day we start something one day you know, we start praying and the next day it's like, we're not praying at all We don't feel like it. You know, then ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to make the offer yourself, yeah, Allah.

Grant me sincerity. Make me Make me step first. ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala also, how how is it that you make yourself more sincere, that you that you actively, you know, strive to, to to discipline your heart right?

You know, for example, you were praying Salah, and you realize that someone's watching you, right? And, and all of a sudden your attention has shifted towards them. you strive against yourself, you say no, focus on Allah focus on Allah. Right? You you tell yourself off, right? You, you, you bring yourself back to the right goal. Don't just let yourself fall, right, a catch yourself and bring yourself back on the right course.

I guess is going to be the last question because we're 29 would it be fair to say that the shaytaan may try to dissuade you from doing played for fear of thinking you're doing it for the wrong reasons. example to show off?

Yes, sometimes what happens is that, you know, when when you're doing something good shaitan can tell you that, oh, you're such a show off. Right? You're, you're so insincere. And you're such a hypocrite, and you know, those that that negative self talk that can very well be inspired by shavon shaytans whispers right, that that you are an imposter, you are this you are that there is no point in you doing anything good, because you know what, this is a waste, right? And so, you kind of start believing that about yourself. And you, you you stop, right? And this is an attempt of shaitan to stop you from doing what is right. What what needs to be done is that if you know ever such feelings

come in that you're being very insincere over here, right? I'm not being I'm not doing this for the sake of a law. And I know that right? I'm seeking the attention of people I'm seeking some kind of reward from people then

immediately, a stuffit Allah Ya Allah forgive me. This is what we need to do. Not that you know what, I'm going to quit, because I'm such a loser. No, you don't allow shape on to take you to take you off of the right course just because you are imperfect. You are imperfect anyway. Right? But when you catch yourself doing something wrong, be gentle with yourself, right? Be a be helpful to you know to yourself, bring yourself back to the right course and begin by seeking of loss forgiveness that y'all love. Forgive me that was really insincere. I you know, I was pretending to do this for you, but I know in my heart deep down that was not sincere. Y'all love Forgive me. All

right, seek forgiveness from Allah. ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for his mercy, ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for his guidance, and and and Insya-Allah you will, you will realize that with time, you will improve. Sincerity is meant to be something active, right? It's not just, you know, a state of the heart, a feeling in the heart that you know, comes in, it just stays forever. No, it's something that you have to actively strive with and strive towards constantly. It requires effort on our part. So you know, that that effort should come in the form of seeking Alyssa Pannell dardis help striving with yourself and also being being gentle with yourself in childhood

does Aquila Hayden It was a pleasure to be here with you all I'm sorry if I

said something that

may have been offensive or that that may have been inappropriate or that was

complicated or difficult to understand. I apologize for that. And Millis print Allah forgive me for any errors that I make.

Just think of zero for having me

on thank you so much thought I mean it's very it's really nice to have you

I we have some late joiners Now unfortunately, we're just going to end at this point.

And as you can see, feedback from the people has been very positive. Thank you very much for joining us was a real pleasure having you. I didn't mentioned this before but it was thought to take me as dad is actually my teacher, one of my teachers and and her mom is also someone that both me and my wife have learned a tremendous amount from and, and her husband is one of my best friends so hamdullah you know, it's really nice to to get to meet a little bit on zoom and whatnot. But you said you haven't been to London before so we have to work on changing that Insya-Allah.

To take

one example, Erica,

thank you very much for having us and I want to come