S-5
ELEMENTS WHICH ADULTERATE SINCERITY
Some elements confuse people regarding sincerity and make them think that they are acting out of sincerity whereas they are actually giving fuel to their own selfish desires.
Sometimes a person is in such a state that even though he may resent the idea of showing off, he feels great pleasure when his actions are mentioned and praised.
A person may showoff, not by advertising his actions but by making some gesture to suggest that he has performed some good deeds.
A person may even hide his actions but show an attitude that demands respect and honor.
A person may be offering the voluntary night prayer with great difficulty but when a guest arrives he performs them with great ease.
A person may preen at his actions and feel that he has accomplished them with great sincerity.
Sometimes the person may want to accept the invitation of someone because he knows the food at the invite will be much better than the food at his house.
Sometimes a person may visit someone who loves someone for the sake of Allah (swt) for the sole purpose of eating and drinking.
SHOWING OFF AND ITS CATEGORIES
Showing Off Physically: This is by displaying fatigue and leanness in order to show the fear of the Hereafter.
Showing Off Through Clothes: This is to wear certain specific types of attire in order to show off that he is a scholar.
Showing Off Verbally: Usually people who give religious talks and lectures are guilty of this by showing off their immense knowledge.
Showing Off Through Actions: This is like prolonging prayers, informing people of fasting and charity.
Showing Off Through Visitors and Companions: This is when a person forces his way to visit a scholar or when a person wants a religious person to visit him for the sake of vanity.
ELEMENTS THAT MAY BE DEEMED AS SHOWING OFF BUT ARE NOT
People praising someone for good.
A person deriving energy on seeking others to engage in worship.
Liking good clothes and shoes.
Not exposing sins.
Becoming popular without any efforts.
TREATING THE DISEASE OF SHOWING OFF
Realizing the Might, the Names and Attributes of Allah (swt) and knowing Tawheed as much as possible.
Only Allah (swt) benefits and harms as much as he wishes.
Allah (swt) is all seeing and hearing.
Allah (swt) is Mighty and His Might should be realized through the might of some of His creation.
Knowing the forms of punishment and bliss in the grave.
Knowing the ahadeeth that describes the punishment of Hell.
Knowing as much as possible of what Allah (swt) has prepared for the pious in Paradise.
Remembering Death and the shortness of Life.
Knowing the value of the world and the fact that it is not here forever.
Dua’a (Supplication).
Fearing that showing off will be the last phase of one’s life.
Performing good deeds without announcing them and without performing them in public.
Keeping the company of those people who may be regarded as having sincerity, goodness and piety.
Fearing the fact that one is showing off.
Running away from being condemned by Allah (swt).
Regarding the fact that Allah (swt) remembers and giving the preference to Allah (swt)
remembrance over the remembrance of people.
Knowing the Devil is repelled by (those mentioned below)
Note: Please see Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim for the description of Paradise and Hell.
WHAT REPELS THE DEVIL
1. When a person says “Laa ilaaha illallahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa Huwa ‘alaa kulli shay’in Qadeer (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise and He is Able to do all things).” 100 times a day.
“Whoever recites this one hundred times a day will have the reward of freeing ten slaves. One hundred Hasanat (rewards) will be written for him and one hundred misdeeds will be washed away. He will be shielded from Shaytan until the evening. No one will be able to present anything better than this except for someone who has recited more than this.” (Sahih Bukhari 4/95, Sahih Muslim 4/2071)
Note:
· Evening begins after Asr’ prayer so read evening adhkar (invocations) after Asr’ prayer.
· Any adhkar (invocation) done unmindfully is without reward.
2. Reciting the Ayatul Kursi (The Verse of Kursi) at the time of sleeping
t Whoever reads this when he lies down to sleep will have a guardian from Allah remain with him and Shaytan will not be able to come near him until he rises in the morning. (Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fath Al-Bari 4/487)
Hadith: Abu Hurairah (ra) guarding amanah catching thief who turned out to be Shaytan.
Narrated Abu Hurairah (ra): Allah’s Messenger (saw) ordered me to guard the Zakat revenue of Ramdan. Then somebody came to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and said, “I will take you to Allah’s Messenger (saw)!” Then Abu Hurairah desribed the whole narration and said: That person said (to me), “(Please don’t take me to Allah’s Messenger (saw) and I will tell you a few words by which Allah will benefit you.) When you go to your bed, recite Ayat-ul-Kursi (2:255), from then there will be a guard from Allah who will protect you all night long, and Satan will not be able to come near you till dawn.” (When the Prophet (saw) heard the story) he said (to me), “He (who came to you at night) told you the truth although he is a liar; and it was Satan.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6/5010)
3. When a person sees something which he dislikes, he should spit on his left side three times and seek Allah’s (swt) Refuge from the evil of what he has seen
Hadith: dreams are from Allah while nightmares are from Shaytan
Abu Salamah reported that Abu Qatadah (ra) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying: “A good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan. So, if anyone of you sees (in a dream) something he dislikes, when he gets up, he should spit thrice (on his left side), and seek refuge from Allah from its evil, then it will not harm him.” (Bukhari 5747, Muslim 1516)
Hadith: telling / relating your dreams to other people
Abu Salamah: I used to see a dream which would make me sick until I heard Abu Qatadah saying, “I, too, used to see a dream which would make me sick until I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying, ‘A good dream is from Allah, so if you see a dream which you like, you should not tell it to anybody except to the one whom you love. And if you see a dream which you dislike, then you should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (on your left) and do not tell anybody about it, then it will not harm him.’” (Bukahari 7044, Muslim 1517)
4. On leaving the house, a person should say: “Bismillahi, tawakkaltu ala Allah. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa Billahi Ta’ala (In the Name of Allah, I have placed my trust in Allah, there is no might and power except by Allah).”
Hadith: Angel will protect and guide you, Shaytan is diverted from you.
5. Remembering Allah (swt) when entering the house and when eating
Upon entering the house say “Bismillaahi walajnaa, wa bismillahi kharajnaa, wa ‘alaa Rabbinaa tawakkalnaa (In the Name of Allah we enter, in the Name of Allah we leave, and upon our Lord we depend).” Then say As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum to those who are present
When anyone of you begins eating, say: “Bismillaah (In the Name of Allah).”
Hadith:
Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) narrated: I heard the Prophet (saw) saying: “If a man enters his house and mentions Allah and when he eats and says the same; the Satan says: “No room to spend the night or have food.” And if he enters without saying: “With the Name of Allah’, Satan says: “We will spend the night (here).” Then if he does not say Allah’s Name when he eats, Satan says: “We will spend the night and have food.” (Muslim 1297)
6. On entering the masjid
Hadith: being protected for the rest of the day.
Abu Humaid (or: Abu Usaid) (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “When one of you enters a mosque, let him say ‘O Allah! Open for me the doors of Your mercy.’ And when he steps out, let him say: ‘O Allah! I ask for your bounty.’” (Muslim 247)
7. At the time of calling the adhan
Hadith: Shaytan running when he hears the adhan
t Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: “When the Adhan is pronounced, Satan takes to his heels and passes wind to avoid hearing the Adhan. When the Adhan is over, he comes back, and again takes to his heels when the Iqamah is pronounced and after its completion, he returns to whisper into the heart of a person (to distract him from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall before until man forgets how many Rak’ah he prayed.” (Muslim 196)
Hadith: Prophet (saw) being distracted by Shaytan during tashahud, let go of Shaytan because of the dua’a of Sulaiman (as)
Abu Darda (ra) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (saw) stood (to perform prayer) and we heard him saying: “I seek refuge with Allah from you,” then he said: “ I curse you by the curse of Allah,” (thrice), and stretched his hands as if was catching something. When he finished the prayer, we said: “O Messenger of Allah, we heard you saying something (words) in the prayer which we have not heard you say before, and we saw you stretch your hands.” He said: “The enemy of Allah, Iblis, came (to me) having a burning brand of fire to keep (it) on my face. So I said: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from you’ (three times) then I uttered three times ‘I curse you by the curse of Allah’, but he did not slip back. Then I intended to catch him. By Allah if I had not remembered the supplication of my brother Sulaiman, I would have catch him and tie him so that the boys of Al-Madinah would make fun of him.” (Muslim 306)
8. At the time of seeking refuge from the devil
tNarrated Atiyyah as-Sa'di: AbuWa'il al-Qass said: We entered upon Urwah ibn Muhammad ibn as-Sa'di. A man spoke to him and made him angry. So he stood and performed ablution; he then returned and performed ablution, and said: My father told me on the authority of my grandfather Atiyyah who reported the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying: Anger comes from the devil, the devil was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when one of you becomes angry, he should perform ablution. (Book 41, Number 4766: Abu Dawood)
9. The Prophet (saw) said, “When you are aware of his (devil) presence then seek refuge in Allah (swt) from him and spit on your left side 3 times
10. Abu Zamil asked Ibnu Abbas: I find certain things confusing so he was told Hual Awwal Wal Aakhir Wazzahir Wal Batin Wa Huwa Bikulle Shaiin Alim
11. The Prophet (saw) said, “A strong believer is better and more liked by Allah than a believer who is weak, and there is goodness in everybody.”
12. At the time of having sexual intercourse: Allah (swt) has destined that a child should be born for them because of that co-habitation then the devil will never hurt that child
Hadith: dua’a on cohabitation
Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “If anyone of you intends to have an intercourse with his wife, he should say: “I begin with the Name of Allah, O Allah, keep Shaitan away from us, and keep Shaitan away from what you provide us.’ Then if Allah ordains a child for them, Satan will never be able to harm him.” (Bukhari 5165, Muslim 828)
13. Saying: “I seek refuge in Allah (swt) from the cursed devil” then his anger will go away with him
Hadith
Sulaiman Bin Surad (ra) narrated: Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet (saw) while we were sitting with him. One of the two abused his companion furiously and his face became red. The Prophet (saw) said, “I know a word the saying of which will cause him to relax if this man says it: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast’.”
Thereupon, a person went to him who had heard that from the Prophet (saw) and said to him: “Do you know what the Messenger of Allah (saw) said? He said: I know of a wording; if he were to say that (the anger) would be no more (and the words are): ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast’.” And the person said to him: “Do you find me mad?” (Bukhari 6115, Muslim 1792)
14. Do not say: “May the devil perish!” but say: “in the name of Allah”
t Narrated a man: AbulMalih reported on the authority of a man: I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). It stumbled. Thereupon I said: May the devil parish! He said: Do not say: May the devil perish! for if you say that , he will swell so much so that he will be like a house, and say: By my power. But say: In the name of Allah; for when you say that, he will diminish so much so that he will be like a fly. (Book 41, Number 4946: Abu Dawood)
15. The Prophet (saw) said that when a person sees something that strikes him, amazes him or dreams about, he should ask Allah (swt) to give him barakah because evil eye is true
16. Seek protection against the Jinn and evil eye with Surah Falaq and An-Nas
It has been reported from Abu Sa’id that Allah’s Messenger (saw) used to seek protection against the evil eyes of the Jinns and mankind. But when the Mu’awwidhatayn (Surah Al-Ikhlas and Surah An-Nas) were revealed, he used them (for protection) and abandoned all else besides them (At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah)
17. The Prophet (saw) said, “When a son of Adam recites an ayah of Sajdah and falls into prostration, Satan goes into seclusion and weeps.”
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that when, the son of Adam recites the Ayat of Sajdah (prostration) and then falls down in prostration, the Satan goes into seclusion and weeps and says: Alas, and in the narration of Abu Kuraib the words are: Woe unto me, the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate, and he prostrated and Paradise was entitled to him and I was commanded to prostrate, but I refused and am doomed to Hell. (Book 001, Number 0144: Sahih Muslim)
18. The Prophet (saw) said, “Do not make your houses as graveyards, satan runs away from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is recited.”
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying: Do not make your houses as graveyards. Satan runs away from the house in which Surah Baqarah is recited. (Book 004, Number 1707: Sahih Muslim)
19. The hadith of the Prophet (saw) with Abu Bakker and Umar regarding the recitation of the Qur’an
Ibn 'Abbas reported: The word of (Allah) Great and Glorious: 'And utter not thy prayer loudly, nor be low in it" (xvii. 110) was revealed as the Messenger of Allah (may peace beupon him) was hiding himself in Mecca. When he led his Companions in prayer he raised his voice (while reciting the) Qur'an. And when the polytheists heard that, they reviled the Qur'an and Him Who revealed it and him who brought it. Upon this Allah, the Exalted, said to His Apostle (peace be upon him): Utter not thy prayer so loudly that the polytheists may hear thy recitation and (recite it) not so low that it may be inaudible to your Companions. Make them hear the Qur'an, but do not recite it loudly and seek a (middle) way between these. Recite between loud and low tone. (Book 004, Number 0897: Sahih Muslim)
20. Imam Ahmed was asked: “Should a man point a finger in salah?” He said: “Yes he should do so vigorously.”
“When he raised his finger, he would move it, supplicating with it”, and he used to say, “It is surely more powerful against the devil than iron, meaning the forefinger.”(Ahmad, Bazzaar, Abu Ja'far al-Bukhteeri in al-Amaali (60/1), 'Abdul Ghani al-Maqdisi in his Sunan (12/2) with a hasan sanad, Rooyaani in his Musnad (249/2) & Baihaqi .)
FRUITS OF SHOWING SINCERITY TO ALLAH (SWT)
Help for the Ummah
Protection from the punishment of the Hereafter
Elevation of the status in the Hereafter
Being delivered from misguidance in the world
Increase in guidance
The people of the heaven like and love the people who are sincere
Acceptance is placed for the sincere person on earth by Allah (swt)
Good reputation among people
To dispel grief and worries of the world
Allah (swt) creates tranquility and peace in hearts
Faith is beautiful within the hearts and wickedness and disobedience is made distasteful
Keeping company of the sincere people
Bearing austere difficulties in this world no matter how severe they are
Sincerity in asking Allah (swt) repentance in the final stages of our life
The answering of invocations and prayers
The bliss and joy in the grave
PUNISHMENT IN SHOWING OFF
The defeat of the Ummah
Punishment in the Hereafter
The increase of misguidance in this world
The hatred of the people of heaven to the people who shows off
The hatred of the people of earth to the people who shows off
Feeling of anxiety and distress
Threat of a bad end
Embarrassment of the person who shows off in front of everybody
HADITH REGARDING SINCERITY AND WARNING AGAINST SHOWING OFF
There are three things that a heart of a believer does not aim to reduce:
- Sincerity to Allah (swt)
- Having a sense of well-being towards the Muslim Ummah
- Being close and sticking with group of Muslims
The Prophet (saw) said, “Allah helps this Ummah because of its weak people, their dua’a, their salah and because of their sincerity.”
Abu Dardah said, “This world is cursed, everything in it is cursed, except those occasions which are performed in order to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt).”
This Ummah has been given glad tidings about their religion, about elevation and about establishing authority on the Earth, so whoever does anything in the world they will have nothing in the Hereafter.
“Whoever shows off in his actions, Allah (swt) will embarrass him in front of people and He will reduce his status and He will look down upon him.”
The Prophet (saw) said, “Shall I not warn you about something which is more dangerous than Dajjal?” So he said, “The hidden shirk – a man performing salah and embellishes it when he feels somebody is looking at him.”
Shirk of secret
“He who associates anybody with Allah (swt), in any action, then he should seek the reward for that action with that person because Allah (swt) is most independent of all associates and partners.”
SOME GOOD SAYINGS ABOUT SINCERITY
If Satan approaches you during salah and says you are showing off, then increase the length of the salah.
A person asked, “Show me a deed that I shall keep forever for Allah (swt)’s sake.” He was told, “Make an intention to do good deeds, because even if you stop your actions, your intentions will continue.”
A person said, “I like to have an intention to everything that I do, even in my food, drink and in my sleep.”
A person who is sincere hides his good deeds just like he hides bad things.
Sincere actions suffice even though actions may be few.
Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity then he needs sincerity in his sincerity.
Allah (swt) requires only sincerity from His creatures actions.
Sincerity is to forget observing people by observing Allah (swt) only
Fear ALLAH Wherever You Are!
The Obedient
