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Fatwa CenterFearing insincerity of intention in doing good deeds
Question
Asslaamu alaykum, Shaykh. I have read almost all the fatwas regarding the intention, but I still have the same concern. The fact is that I am memorising the Quran, and I recite it in a particular way which I think causes me to think that I recite like this to gain fame, for example. These thoughs are bothering me, and I feel as if they are real. What if I discover on the Day of Judgment that it was true? Do these thoughts and the desire of my self to recite like this affect my intention? Can I form the intention to never be an imam who leads the night prayers in Ramadan? How can I know whether I am memorizing and reciting like this to show off or not? What are the signs?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
You should devote your deeds exclusively to Allah, The Exalted. The sign of Ikhlaas (sincere devotion of intentions and deeds exclusively to Allah) is to not be deluded by people's praise and to refrain from seeking it. Your heart should only be attached to the fact that Allah is watching you, as He is the only One in Whose praise lies real honor and in Whose dispraise lies real disgrace. And you must beware of Waswaas (obsessive satanic whisperings) in this regard. It is clear that you suffer from such whisperings, so we warn you against them and ask you to seek to attain Ikhlaas.
However, beware of refraining from doing a good deed for fear of showing off. Rather, do good deeds and be as sincere as you can to Allah, and be confident that He will not let you down and will not let your efforts go unrewarded as long as you keenly seek to attain Ikhlaas.
Do not refrain from being an imaam and leading the prayers, and do not refrain from reciting the Quran in a good voice. Do not fear finding the opposite of what you hope for on the Day of Judgment; rather, you should have good expectations of Allah and do your best to avoid showing off without exaggeration or obsessive whisperings. One of the righteous predecessors said, “Doing good deeds for the sake of people is Shirk (associating partners with Allah in worship), and quitting (them) for people's sake is showing off, and Ikhlaas is that Allah safeguards you from both.”
So be sincere to Allah and seek His pleasure and His reward alone, knowing that He is the only One Who is Able to bring about benefit, harm, honor, and humiliation. If it is the same to you whether people see your deeds or not and whether they praise you or not, then you are sincere, Allah willing. On the contrary, if your heart is attached to winning people's praise and admiration and thinks of nothing else, then push those thoughts out of your heart and strive against them by contemplating the attributes of Allah and the worldly life and how short it is, as well as the fact that people are slaves to Allah like you, and you would not be genuinely honored by their praise, nor disgraced by their dispraise. You should strive in supplicating Allah, The Exalted, to help you attain a sincere intention and to reform your heart. We implore Allah to bless us and you with Ihklaas in words and deeds.
Allah knows best.
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