Al-Risala (English), October-November 1992

Remaining silent is, in itself, a good deed

1992 10-11 October-November 13 Remaining silent is, in itself, a good deed (12) “Keep silent unless you have something good to say,” said the Prophet.

Sincerity in Faith

1992 10-11 October-November 13 Sincerity in Faith (298) According to Zaid Bin Arqam, God’s Messenger declared that whoever said with sincerity that there was no God but Allah would enter Paradise. When asked what was meant by ‘Sincerity’, he replied that it meant seriousness. (lkhlas) The Prophet added that the words, ‘There is no God but Allah’, would protect the utterer from the things forbidden by Allah. (At-Targhib wa at Tarheeb)

Once a man truly grasps the reality that no one is worthy of worship except God, and he accepts this truth in all sincerity, his change of heart will necessarily manifest itself in all his deeds and assertions. His new found seriousness of purpose will be reflected in the virtue of his actions.

When a man says that there is no God but Allah, he is, in effect, expressing his discovery that all glory in the universe is God’s glory. Once in possession of this truth, he embarks on a life of profound sincerity.

When a man discovers Allah in all His grandeur and perfection, he also discovers his own weakness and limitations. This revelation creates in him a sense of reverence. He is overcome by his feelings of gratitude for the favours bestowed upon him by his Creator. The thought off acing his Lord after death makes him extremely cautious in what he says and does; the culmination of such experience is sincerity: caution is the mark of the sincere individual.

Such absolute sincerity prevents a man from disobeying God’s dictates and indulging in what has been forbidden him. For the truly honest man, there is never any discrepancy between what he says and what he does. The man who accepts God in all earnestness will find that his deeds will bear out his verbal commitments. His promise will be matched by his performance.