The greatest sickness!

The Greatest Sickness

One of the greatest sicknesses that we will fight till the Day of Judgment is the sickness of wanting to please people and wanting to put up a mask and appearance for the pleasure of people. You ask yourself the question — where did the prophets and the messengers and the Sahaba, where did they draw the spiritual strength to have the level of sincerity that egged them on again and again, night after night, day after day, setback after setback?

The secret and the strength of sincerity of these messengers is one thing — it is the secret worship that nobody ever saw.

The Fuel of Secret Worship

When you've done all the deeds and all the headache and you had all the sweat — come, come close to me. All you who is wrapped up, pray at night except a little.

This is the fuel — this secret worship that nobody could see. This was actually a very silent conversation between the prophets and Allah, and this was the fuel that would keep them going. Their deeds were never a performance. Every deed they did, it was a message sent to Allah — "O Allah, I have nothing, but this is the deed I'm doing, I'm asking You for help."

The Secret Whispers of Musa in Surah Al-Qasas

In Surah Al-Qasas, you will find five du'as of Musa (peace be upon him) — secret whispers that he said to Allah when nobody was looking. And this kept the fire and sincerity going. Every time they made a step forward in their life, they would take a step back, they would disappear into the darkness, and they would make a silent conversation with Allah.

Why We Are Stuck in Performance

The reason that most of us are stuck in a world of performance, a world of people-pleasing, is because we haven't had enough secret conversations with Allah — where we have stepped back and said: "O Allah, nobody can hear this except You and me. This is all I did for Your sake."

And with the frequency that you have that conversation, and the frequency and intensity with which you have your private worship, your إخلاص (ikhlas) — your sincerity — increases and strengthens. Until you are willing and ready to bear any burden from the burdens of this world, if it means that on the Day of Judgment you can stand in front of your Maker. Because that relationship with Allah has strengthened and intensified to the extent that you are willing to take absolutely anything in His path.