The Effects of Ikhlaas - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

The Effects of Ikhlaas

أَمَّا بَعْد: فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

My dear brothers and sisters, indeed all praise and thanks to Allah, the Lord of the Universe. It belongs to Allah, who has no partner. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is his final messenger.

The Two Foundations of Every Action

I want to mention a very important topic which can perhaps be seen as one of the most important topics that we should be discussing with ourselves on a daily basis — because of what it represents in our lives as a Muslim, and because of what is based upon it. It represents one part of the foundations of our actions and that what we do on a daily basis.

Allah mentions in the Quran a very beautiful verse talking about these two elements — or conditions, or parts — to our actions, in which Allah tells us that whoever wishes or desires to have a good meeting with their Lord, then let them do good actions and not associate any partners with Allah.

It is the second part that I want to focus on, and that is your intention — or the level of al-ikhlaas — the level of sincerity. Now, it is something that in theory we are reminded of many times: lectures about being mukhlis, be sincere to Allah, do not associate any partners with Allah. But many a time, because of its theoretical nature, and at times not many practical examples being given to you of how to do that, it is something that maybe remains with you for a short while and then goes away. It's not something that you are constantly thinking about throughout the day — as we should.

The Hadith of Intentions

The Prophet ﷺ told us in the sound hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1907)

Actions — the essence of your actions — are by your intention. If your intention is good then, inshaaAllah, you will be rewarded in a good way. If your intention is other than that, then you will have something else. Every person shall have what they intended. And then an example was given: whose intention is to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, then his hijrah — that act of ibadah — is for the sake of Allah. But whose hijrah, whose immigration, is for the dunya or for a woman to marry, then his intention — his hijrah — will be for that which he intended.

So for us to focus on the element of our intention, and the power and the effect of our ikhlaas — our intention — is of the utmost importance.

The Difference in Reward

You may have a person who comes here, who woke up this morning with the first thing on their mind being to pray Salatul Jumu'ah — to prepare for Jumu'ah: what time they need to leave their home, what time they need to leave their work, whatever the case may be. But the first thing on their mind was to prepare themselves for al-Jumu'ah — wearing the best clothes, wearing nice perfume, having ghusl, whatever the case may be — fulfilling many of the sunan that can be done on this day — and then coming and listening attentively to the khutbah, because that is what the Prophet ﷺ told us we should do on this day.

Then there will be people who attend the Jumu'ah because it is out of routine — maybe not thinking about the many sunan that they could do on that day — maybe they attend the Jumu'ah but their minds are not present, maybe even focusing on the messages that come on their phone — so their bodies are present but their minds are not.

Even though we see ourselves here, we see a sea of people, as one group doing the same thing — but the reward is the difference between the distance between the heavens and the earth.

Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahullah made a very famous statement, saying: "I have not treated anything more difficult than my intention, because of its constant changing." And Zaid al-Shammi rahimahullah used to say: "I like to make an intention for everything that I do, even if it is eating and drinking." How can that be? That I eat and drink so that I nourish myself physically, so that I can carry out my ibadah to Allah.

So our intentions are the foundation — or one half of the foundation — of our actions. The other half is what is mentioned in the verse:

"Then let them do good actions" — righteous actions, good actions. Who taught you and I to do good actions? It is not something that will change with the era. It is not something that people will determine — what is good or not, making legal or illegal what is or is not acceptable to Allah. Rather, we have a religion, we have a deen, that Allah taught us, as well as the Prophet ﷺ taught us, what was good — and will always be good — إِلَى أَنْ تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ — until the coming of the Hour.

Two Conditions for an Accepted Action

The two things you need to pay attention to: not only internally — that your heart is pure, that your niyyah is from your heart. You are not informing Allah of what you are about to do; Allah knew what you were going to do before you were created. So your intention, your niyyah, is for you to remind yourself that this action is خَالِصَةً لِلَّهِ — purely and only for Allah. And that the action I didn't invent — that action is in line with what Allah taught us and is in line with the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

This therefore protects us from two great evils: protecting us from shirk — ensuring that our intention is pure protects us from shirk — and having the correct action in line with the Sunnah will protect you from newly invented matters, those bid'ah, about which the Prophet ﷺ told us that they are all misguidance, and all misguidance leads to the hellfire.

Allah doesn't just focus on what is outward — He looks upon what is happening in your heart. Your intention must be correct, and your action must be correct. How many people have a good intention but their actions are wrong? And how many people have a bad intention but apparently their action is good? Both your intention and your action have to be pure and correct for it to be accepted by Allah.

When Allah told us:

That Allah created death and life, that He may test you — who has the best actions. Not أَكْثَرَ عَمَلًا — who has the most actions — but أَحْسَنُ — who has the best actions, the purest of actions, those who are solely and dedicatedly for Allah.

The Ikhlaas of the Scholars

This is the theory — this is what we are told to follow — and then we have many examples to show us and teach us the importance of an intention and the impact and the effects that it can have. Books that were written throughout Islamic history — I'm not necessarily talking about a thousand years ago or five hundred years ago — even books that were written in our day.

A small book of du'a, a compilation of supplications of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — Hisnul Muslim — subhanAllah, what made that book? What allowed that book to have the success that it has? Knowing that there are many books of du'a, many books of supplications that were written, but this one stands out. No home, no masjid, no house except that it has Fortress of the Muslim — a book of supplications. And it's something that will extend beyond time — it doesn't just remain in paper form, but you find it on the phones, you find it on your computers — something that extends beyond the era that we are in. SubhanAllah — who knows what was between Shaykh al-Qahtani rahimahullah and the writing of that particular book?

Imam Ibn al-Nawawi rahimahullah — when he wrote the Forty Hadith — the level of ikhlaas that he had. That book, subhanAllah — and there are so many books, so many compilations of forty hadith on a subject — but this one above others, why? So many compilations of hadith were written amongst the early Salaf, but the Muwatta of Imam Malik rahimahullah above others — the amount of ikhlaas and sincerity and that what they had with Allah — no doubt was one of the reasons that gave success to the actions that they had.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

All praise belongs to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon his final messenger, Muhammad ﷺ.

The Second Khutbah: The Practical Path to Ikhlaas

My dear brothers and sisters, based on what I just mentioned about the importance of having ikhlaas — sincerity — and ensuring the action is correct, I want to mention a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ which, inshaaAllah, will help you and I to become from those sincere people. It's not just lip service — is there something practical? Is there something that I can do which will help me achieve this?

The Hidden Good Deed

The Prophet ﷺ said in a sound hadith:

(Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 3, Hadith 466; authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Targhib, Hadith 25)

"Whoever is able from yourselves to have a hidden action from good deeds, then let him — or her — do that."

What is meant by a hidden action? There are many acts of our worship which are done publicly — like Salatul Jumu'ah: this is something that we do together, we are commanded to do together. Salatul Jama'ah — we are required to do that as a group. Salatul 'Eid, Hajj — these are acts of ibadah which we are required, as an Ummah, as communities, to do as a group.

However, the Prophet ﷺ told us that from amongst yourselves, if you can have a hidden action — if you can do something which is hidden from everybody — even hidden from your own family members. If you are married, not even your wife knows about it. If you have some wealth, not even your mother or your father knows about it. It's ibadah — I'm talking about an action which is only between you and Allah.

This is the power and the effect of being sincere. Sometimes we need to put ourselves in a position where nobody will see you — it can't possibly be for the sake of any other person — which the Prophet ﷺ told us:

(Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 5, Hadith 428; authenticated by al-Albani)

"The thing I fear for you most is the hidden — or the small — shirk": that a person will stand up in prayer and beautify their prayer because somebody is looking at them. Sometimes you need to put yourself in a position to do that good action where nobody can say anything about what you are doing.

Hiding from Haram vs. Hiding for Allah

There are those people who go to great lengths to ensure that nobody knows about the haram that they are doing — they'll close the door, close the curtains, hide themselves away. Nobody will know; they will be there with their haram item, whatever they're looking at — they'll go to great lengths to ensure that it is, as they see it, just them and what they are doing. The haram — not realizing:

"Does he not think that Allah sees him?" The same principle — hide yourself away, do something, set up something which is only for the sake of Allah.

Protecting Your Good Deeds

We are in a season, a culture, where hiding your actions is something which is not the norm — whether it's people making Umrah, everybody is being told "I'm making Umrah," "I'm making Hajj," "I'm giving charity" — all of these, maybe these are extra actions and there's no need for you to inform people about it. "I need everybody to forgive me — I'm going for Hajj." People don't even know you! "Please forgive me." No doubt if you're going for Hajj and you want to seek people's forgiveness from those who are around you, then do that — but to tell the whole world to forgive you when the whole world doesn't know you — you have been deceived in this issue.

Allah warns us how to protect our deeds:

"O you who believe, do not destroy — render invalid — your sadaqat, your good deeds." Why? By reminders of what you did for people: "I did this for you, I did that for you." And some of us may say, "Well, I don't do that, I don't remind everybody about what I do" — but maybe in your household you do. Maybe you say to your wife, you say to your children: "Look what I do for you, look how much I paid for you, I do this and I do that for you." These are small reminders not to invalidate any good deeds that we may do.

The Seven Under the Shade

The Prophet ﷺ reminded us about a type of people:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1423; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

Seven people will have a shade on the Day of Judgment — no shade except the shade of Allah. One of them: he gives charity — she gives charity — with their right hand, until they hide it from their left hand. You hide it from your own body — far beyond hiding it from other people.

The Example of Ali ibn Hussain

Ali ibn Hussain rahimahullah — for forty years was going around at night time feeding the poor, presenting flour and whatever food at people's houses. People didn't know who it was — أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً — forty years. Maybe when we do something, there's an urge within you — there's an urge for you to tell people — maybe they're talking about some good deeds that they did, and "I did that and I did this." The shaitan pushes you to tell people what you did. Maybe that invalidates the action. Maybe it decreases the reward in what you have done.

Upon his death, Ali ibn Hussain ibn Ali rahimahullah — people realized this was the individual who used to go around the homes every night and feed the people, not wanting thanks or praise or recognition from any human being.

From the past, the Salaf used to say:

They used to recommend that a man or woman would have something hidden — from a good action — such that not even his own wife or anybody else would know about that action.

Practical Steps to Hidden Good Deeds

So practically — how do I go about doing that? Maybe you set up a standing order: give some charity to an orphan, to a widow, to a calamity that has befallen people — something you give on a monthly basis. These actions which are done consistently — these are the most beloved to Allah. So you join two goods: something that is done consistently, which is beloved to Allah, and something that is hidden — nobody knows about it. Maybe even the recipient of your charity doesn't know who you are by name, but you give — you give for the sake of Allah — not wanting or wishing any praise or thanks from any one person.

The reality is, if you think about it — when you tell somebody, "I did this good action," what can that person do for you? Who is the one who rewards you? Who is the one who is going to give to you? Allah. So why would you risk damaging the good that you have done by putting it out there amongst the people?

Please bear in mind that there are times when it is recommended to do something publicly — to encourage people, to show people that there is good that is being done. This of course has its own explanation. What I'm talking about is the risk for a person whose intention is not pure or is not correct — that they could invalidate and do wrong to their deeds.

Rewarded for Your Intention Alone

The sincerity — the power of your ikhlaas — is such that you may not even have done that action, you didn't participate in that action, however as the Prophet ﷺ told us:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4229; authenticated by al-Albani)

The people will be raised upon their intentions. People who did not participate in the Battle of Tabuk — the Prophet ﷺ said there are people who will share with you the reward. They did not travel down in the valleys with you, climb over the mountains with you — except that they are with you in reward, because they had a genuine excuse preventing them from going.

So a person who gives a great deal of money, who does a great action, and you say to yourself: "Ya Rabbi, if I had the means to do that, I would want to do that as well" — is there anything preventing Allah from giving you the reward for that action that you didn't even do? You are rewarded for your intention. Nothing at all. SubhanAllah — how beautiful it is and how merciful Allah is — that you are rewarded for your intentions, for the good that you would have wanted to do but were unable to do.

The People of the Cave

We are living in a time, as I mentioned, where there are great trials and tribulations — where everything is pushing you to do things publicly. But remember those people who were hidden in the cave — they each supplicated to Allah with a good deed that they had done previously: whether it was بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ — whether it was goodness to their parents — they made du'a to Allah: "I did this action" — and then the cave was moved slightly, so they could leave.

If you were there — what action, what one thing can you mention in your life that you did for the sake of Allah, in a difficult situation? وَالتَّوَسُّلُ بِالْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ — it is permissible for you to seek a nearness to Allah with the good actions that you have done. What would you do? What would you put forth to Allah?

The Scholar Who Walked Among the Poor

Regardless of the person that you are — maybe you are a great individual, a very famous individual — at all times and on all opportunities you try to hide your deeds. One of the great scholars of al-Madinah, during the days of Hajj when it's time to perform Hajj, he wouldn't go with any group. There are times, if you are able — just to see from afar — the people walking towards Arafat, walking towards Muzdalifah: people from all nationalities, people from all ages — from youngsters to people who maybe saved their whole lives, husband and wife maybe in their 70s or 80s — nobody knows who they are, but they do that for the sake of Allah.

This particular alim, this particular person of knowledge, does as the poor people do — no buses and coaches. If you were able to see him, he was seen at this time carrying one bag, a small umbrella, very simple shoes — walking between the places — a person who is not seeking anything except the pleasure of Allah.

We ask Allah to allow us to be sincere, and we ask Allah to accept all of our deeds.