Chapter VII: Intention, Sincerity and Truth
partnership with God. He who is immerged in the thoughts of God can find no other motive or intention in his mind in an action. He takes even food and drink just as he feels necessity to make waters or to ease himself from obnoxious things in his belly. He does not feel necessity for food only for food but for gaining strength to do divine service. If the pangs of hunger is good for him, he does not take food. He takes food only for the bare existence of life. Such a man does everything for God and God alone. The man whose mind turns towards the attainment of the worldly objects cannot have pleasure and perfection in prayer, fasting and other divine acts.
Thus sincerity of purpose is a medicine which breaks the happiness of propensities, cuts the temptations of the world and keeps one engaged in the deeds of the next world. Ikhlas becomes easy for him. It is reported from a pious man that he prayed in the first row in a mosque for thirty years. One day out of some excuse, he prayed in the second row and felt some shame before the people as they saw him praying in the second row. He saw that this was a sign of Riya or show as he wished that the people would have been pleased to see him praying in the first row. This is a very subtle act of show. Those who are unmindful in their prayers will see them fruitless in the next world, as God says : And it will be disclosed to them from God which they did not
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Allah says : Shall I not inform you of those who will be losers in their deeds- those whose efforts in the life of this world will be fruitless while they will think that they did good works.
When Hazrat Abu Bakr became the first Caliph, Hazrat Omar was not displeased but rather he became pleased with the fact that the best man was elected, the man who was better than himself. This should be the guiding principle of all learned, educated and pious man.
Some sayings of the sages regarding Ikhlas: The true meaning of Ikhlas is what the Holy Prophet said : The meaning of Ikhlas is to say : Allah is my Lord and to keep firm over what has been ordered by Him. In other words, it is not to worship passions and propensities and not to worship any one except Allah. It is the engage one's thought in Allah keeping away from things other than Allah.
330 WILL OR INTENTION Vol-IV
Things that destroy Ikhlas : There are some evils that destroy Ikhlas. Some are open and some are hidden. (1) Riya or show. It greatly destroys Ikhlas. For instance, a man began to pray quite sincerely for God, but in the midst of his prayers the devil comes to him and says : Some one is looking to your prayer. Pray well, so that they may see your prayer and take you as a great religious man. At this, he becomes humble in prayer. This is open Riya or show. (2) The devil instills in his mind the desire that the people should follow him and therefore instigates him to make his prayer good .