إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ وَٱعْتَصَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًۭا ١٤٦

Except those who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allâh, and purify their religion for Allâh (by worshipping none but Allâh, and do good for Allâh’s sake only, not to show off), then they will be with the believers. And Allâh will grant the believers a great reward. (4:146)

 

Allah mentions four qualities:

• Tawbah (repentance)
• Iṣlāḥ (reform)
• Holding firmly to Allah
• Ikhlāṣ (sincerity)

 

“…and make their religion sincerely for Allah.”

This means that they direct every aspect of their religion – Islam, Īmān and Iḥsān – to Allah alone. Their worship, intentions and deeds, both outward and inward, are performed solely seeking His Pleasure, free from every trace of showing off (riyā’) and hypocrisy.

 

This teaches us that sincerity is the soul of every act of worship.

 

Allah multiplies sincere deeds.

Allah, the Most High, says:

وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًۭا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍۭ بِرَبْوَةٍ أَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌۭ فَـَٔاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا ضِعْفَيْنِ فَإِن لَّمْ يُصِبْهَا وَابِلٌۭ فَطَلٌّۭ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ٢٦٥

And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking Allâh’s Pleasure while they in their ownselves are sure and certain that Allâh will reward them (for their spending in His Cause), is the likeness of a garden on a height; heavy rain falls on it and it doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it. And Allâh is All-Seer (knows well) of what you do. (2:265)

 

Allah gives the example of a garden situated upon elevated ground. Whether it is watered by a heavy downpour (wābil) or only by a gentle drizzle (ṭall), it continues to bear abundant fruit. This illustrates that even small deeds are accepted and multiplied when they are done sincerely for Allah.

 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

‏”‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

Verily Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds. (Muslim)

 

Allah does not judge deeds merely by their outward appearance or their quantity. Rather, He looks at the sincerity of the heart from which they spring.

 

ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله said:

“Many small deeds are made great by their intentions, and many great deeds are made small by their intentions.”

 

Sincerity is a condition of Tawḥīd and every act of worship.

Allah, the Most High, says:

 وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ

“They were commanded only to worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion, inclining to the truth.” (98:5)

 

This noble verse teaches us that sincerity is a condition of Tawḥīd. Every Prophet called his people to worship Allah alone with sincerity. Ikhlāṣ is therefore among the conditions of Lā ilāha illā Allāh, for no act of worship is accepted unless it is performed sincerely for Allah alone.

 

The accepted deed must be sincere and correct.

Allah, the Most High, says:

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

“He Who created death and life that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.” (67:2)

 

Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ رحمه الله said regarding Allah’s statement, “that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed”:

“The best deed is that which is the most sincere and the most correct.”

His students asked:

“O Abū ʿAlī, what is the most sincere and the most correct?”

He replied:

“If a deed is sincere but not correct, it is not accepted. If it is correct but not sincere, it is not accepted. It is only accepted when it is sincere for Allah and correct according to the Sunnah.”

 

This beautiful explanation is reflected in Allah’s statement:

فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

“Whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him perform righteous deeds and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.” (18:110)

 

This verse combines the two conditions for the acceptance of every deed: it must be righteous, meaning in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ, and it must be sincere, performed purely for Allah alone.

 

 

Abu Kabshah reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“Verily, the world only has four kinds of people…”

• There is one whom Allah has granted wealth and knowledge, so he fears his Lord in them, maintains family ties, and fulfills the rights of Allah through them. He is be in the best position.
• There is one whom Allah has granted knowledge without wealth. He has a sincere intention, and he says: If I had wealth, I would have acted like this person. If that is his intention, he will have the same reward as the other.
• There is one whom Allah has granted wealth without knowledge. He squanders his wealth in ignorance, he does not fear Allah in it, he does not fulfill his duties to his family, and he does not fulfill the rights of Allah over him. He will be in the worst position.
• There is one whom Allah has granted neither wealth nor knowledge, and he says: If I had wealth, I would have acted like this person. If that is his intention, he will have the same sin as the other.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2325. Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Tirmidhi

 

This hadith reminds us that a person’s rank with Allah is not determined by his wealth, status, or ability, but by the sincerity of his intention and the condition of his heart.

 

Attaining and preserving sincerity is among the greatest and most difficult struggles a believer will face throughout his life. It requires freeing the heart from seeking praise, recognition, and worldly gain, and directing every act of worship to Allah alone, purified from every trace of showing off.

 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned:

“The thing I fear most for you is the minor shirk.”

The Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what is the minor shirk?”

He replied: “Showing off (riyā’).”

 

Even the righteous predecessors recognised the difficulty of preserving sincerity.

Sufyān al-Thawrī رحمه الله said:

“Nothing was harder for me to treat than my intention, for it keeps changing upon me.”

 

Every one of us will stand before Allah with nothing except what we have sent ahead. On that Day, neither wealth nor children will benefit us. What will truly benefit us is a heart that was sincere to Allah.

 

Allah, the Most High, says:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌۭ وَلَا بَنُونَ ٨٨

The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,

 

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍۢ سَلِيمٍۢ ٨٩

Except him who brings to Allâh a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifâq (hypocrisy)].” (26:88–89)

 

We ask Allah, the Most High, to purify our hearts, make all of our deeds sincerely for His Pleasure, protect us from showing off and hypocrisy, accept our righteous deeds, and grant us a sound heart on the Day we meet Him.