Spirit of Islam · SINCERITY

SINCERITY

Spirit of Islam, May 2017, p. 10

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.

SINCERITY True Value of Moral Action SINCERITY is a necessary condition for all religious acts. Only those religious acts that are done with sincerity are religious acts in the true sense. An apparently religious act that lacks sincerity is actually useless. Our minds are a vast jungle of thoughts. They are always filled with all sorts of demands, desires and motivations. This can lead people to biased thinking. In this regard, sincerity demands that a person should free oneself from preconceived notions and form opinions in an objective manner. The above principle must be applied to religious and moral actions as well. If one does some religious act purely for the sake of God, then in God’s eyes it will be regarded as sincerity in one’s intention. In contrast, if one performs a religious act by adding some other, personal motive in it—for instance, the desire for fame or in order to be seen as very noble by others, etc.,—the action becomes devoid of sincerity. It will have no value in God’s eyes. There is no external standard to gauge a person’s sincerity. Sincerity is entirely something related to one’s inner intention. Only the person and God, who is fully aware of what one thinks—can know it. o Sincerity demands that a person should free oneself from preconceived notions and form opinions in an objective manner. Negative Experiences Make negative experiences grist to the mill for your own personality development. Nurture yourself on what they teach you.

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