Life becomes more peaceful with sincerity
Muslimcreed – Sincerity is one of the morals that must be owned by everyone. In simple terms, sincerity is the opposite of riya, namely we do all work or worship just because we want to get the pleasure of Allah SWT. While rya is doing a deed and worship because he wants to seek appreciation and recognition from humans.
Well, in this article, we will discuss the understanding of sincerity in language and its characteristics and how to have a sincere heart in living all the things in our lives. For more details, below the author will explain the definition of sincerity in more detail.
Understanding Sincerity
Sincerity is the spirit of a deed. If the deeds we do are not accompanied by a sense of sincerity, then it is like the body of a body that does not have a spirit.
If interpreted linguistically, the meaning of sincere has the meaning of cleaning (clear, clean, pure from pollution, holy from mixtures, whether in the form of material or not). In addition, sincerity can also be interpreted in terms, where it means to clean the heart so that it goes to Allah SWT only. In other words, in performing worship, our hearts should not go to other than Allah SWT.
Then the understanding of sincerity according to Ali Al Dagog is covering everything from the views of other creatures. Usually, a person who has a sincere heart is called a Mukhlis, that is, someone who is sincere and does not have the character of riya. Meanwhile, according to Fudhail Bin Iyadh, sincerity is doing charity solely for the sake of Allah SWT.
If someone does charity because it is to attract human attention, then that person is a person who is pleased. Meanwhile, people who do good deeds because of humans are called shirk. While the position of sincerity is between riya and shirk.
Then, sincere according to Imam Nawawi, namely: Sincerity is cleaning all five senses physically and mentally from despicable character. Charity is one of the proofs of creatures to Allah SWT, that they are an obedient servant to the Creator who has given a mandate and extraordinary grace.
Where the charity that is done is intended as a proof of their obedience to Allah SWT. So it must be done with a clean and pure heart. So what we practice and what we do is really only because of Allah SWT and free from hypocrisy that is riya or shirk. This is in line with one of the verses in the Qur’an in QS. Al Mulk verse 2
Read also : Benefit for giving charity
Understanding Sincerity According to Experts
The following are some of the meanings of sincerity according to the scholars according to their respective versions.
1. Understanding Sincerity According to Muhammad Abduh
According to Muhammad Abduh, the meaning of sincerity is sincere religion solely for Allah SWT. By always hoping in Him and never acknowledging His similarities with any creature and not with a specific purpose. As well as avoiding calamity or to gain profit and not lifting other than Allah SWT as the Protector.
2. Understanding Sincerity According to Muhammad al-Ghazali
The definition of sincerity according to Al-Ghazali is doing good deeds for the sole purpose of Allah SWT.
3. Understanding Sincerity According to Imam Al-Qusyairi
The definition of sincerity according to Imam Al-Qusyairi in his book entitled Risalatul Qusyairiyah (1990: 183), namely sincerity is meant to make Allah SWT the only god.
4. Understanding Sincerity According to Hamka
The understanding of sincerity according to Hamka (1983: 95) is sincere which means clean and without mixture. Like gold, sincerity is pure gold, there is no silver mixture at all. Clean work on something means sincere.
5. Understanding Ikhlas According to Sheikh Ibn Atha’illah
The notion of sincerity according to Sheikh ibn Atha’illah (2012: 14) reveals that the meaning of the word sincere is doing acts of worship solely aimed at Allah SWT as the only substance that has servants. In this case, it is known that there are various levels, which are in accordance with the taufiq given by Allah Ta’ala to a servant.
6. Understanding Sincerity According to Ali Mahmud
The definition of sincerity according to Ali Mahmud (1994: 25) is to leave charity because humans are riya creatures, charity because humans are shirk, but if Allah SWT saves you from both it means sincere.
Sincere Characteristics
Sincerity is the opposite of riya. As discussed above. Riya has the opposite nature with sincerity as well as ambition to become a leader, always wants to appear perfect, likes to be praised, does not like to receive advice from others, and so on. Sincerity is the work of the heart, so it is not easy to understand a person’s nature. Is he sincere, arrogant, arrogant or does he mean well and sincerely.
That way, in this discussion, the author will give the characteristics of people who have a sincere nature but not to judge someone is wrong or not. The article below is intended to be used as a self-reflection only.
The following are the characteristics of sincerity:
1. Doesn’t Like To Be Praised
Praise is one of the tests for people who do good deeds with someone’s praise can be affected by the disease of ujub or arrogant. Therefore, a mukhlis will never like compliments that come from someone.
2. No ambition to be a leader
One of the advantages of a leader is being respected and respected by many people. With leadership, a person will more easily become arrogant and conceited. However, in contrast to people who have this trait, they will be calm and quiet and will not nominate themselves to become a leader. For example, by running for the chairmanship of RT, RW, or others.
3. Listening to Advice
4. Treat both praise and insults the same
The obligation of a Muslim is to carry out the commands of Allah SWT well as a sign of servitude to the Creator. Often, what people do get both praise and contempt from those around them. Meanwhile, for a mukhlis, praise and insults are the same thing. They will not think about it, because all they know is the intentions of the people around them.
5. Forgetting Good Charities
One of the characteristics of the next sincere is to forget the good deeds that have been done. When someone does good deeds such as helping others, usually a mukhlis will forget and will never remember it again. That way, sincere people do not easily talk or bring up the good that has been done before.
6. Forgetting the Right to Good Charity
A person who performs acts of worship sincerely will forget the deeds they have done. Not only that, they will also forget their good deeds. When someone does good deeds, usually they will demand their rights. For example, after someone gives food to orphans, then they expect thanks and prayers from the children. Such an attitude cannot be classified as sincere. Because they still demand rights from their good deeds.
Sincere Level
Sufism scholars distinguish these morals into three levels, including:
1. Sincere Lay
In their worship to Allah SWT, they base it on fear of Allah’s punishment and still hope for the reward of the world. Like people who do the dhuha prayer so that they get a reward and also make it easier for their sustenance. Then the people who perform the tahajjud prayer because they want to carry out their worldly affairs.
2. Sincere Concern
This one has the motivation to get a reward from Allah SWT. That way, people who do acts of worship will get something from Allah in the hereafter such as avoiding the torments of hell and entering the paradise of Allah SWT.
3. Sincere Khawas al-Khawas
This sincerity is a form of devotion from a servant to Allah SWT accompanied by full awareness that a servant should serve Allah SWT by doing acts and deeds of worship that are carried out for seeking the pleasure of Allah in truth. Charities of worship performed by mukhlis are solely to seek the pleasure of Allah SWT without any desire to seek attention or fame in front of other creatures, whether it be in the form of praise or the like.
Elements of Sincerity
The elements of sincerity include:
1. Intention
2. Sincere Intentions
3. Trustworthy
Understand that everything is mirrored and interfered with by everything else. So when He is pure from mixture and clean from anything, surely He can be called as pure or khalis. Meanwhile, what is called a pure and clean act is sincere.
Sincere Example
There are several examples that we can take wisdom and lessons from. The first is when someone is working and listens to the dhuhur call to prayer, after that he immediately rushes to the mosque to perform the dhuhur prayer. But his heart and mind are motivated because he just wants to avoid his job. So that person cannot be classified as sincere people. Because, the reason he has is one of the wrong reasons, because he does the dhuhur prayer to avoid work not because of Allah SWT. Then for the second example is when someone does charity by means of sodaqoh or infaq which aims to get the attention of others. So the act of deed cannot be said to be sincere.
Kinds of Sincere Functions
The following are some kinds of sincere functions that you need to understand and get, including:
- As a source of sustenance, the reward is very large and can achieve goodness from the goodness of someone who does it.
- Sincerity can save the culprit from a cruel punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
- Allah SWT will give guidance or guidance, so that we will not get lost in finding the right path.
- The path of salvation to the afterlife can only be obtained sincerely.
- Our deeds of worship will be accepted by Allah SWT.
- Will get shade from Allah SWT in the last day later.
- We cannot realize the life of the heart and freedom from all kinds of sorrows in this world except with sincerity.
- Makes our lives more calm and peaceful.
- Get protection from Allah SWT.
Tips To Be Sincere In Charity
There are some tips that we can apply to avoid riya or ujub attitude. So that the deeds we do become more sincere purely because of Allah SWT. That way is by arranging our hearts and minds that the worship we do is one of the gifts from Allah SWT. So, with our thoughts like that, then we will not boast. That what we do is purely from ourselves and the grace of Allah SWT that has been given to us. So that we can worship Allah SWT.
When talking about sincerity in deeds, there are ways we can do so that the deeds we do are accepted by Allah SWT. One of them is by assuming that everything in this world, including the treasures that we have, are only Fadilah and gifts from Allah SWT that have been entrusted to us. So that when we give some of our sustenance to people in need, think of it as just a deposit from Allah SWT intended for the people we help. That way, we will avoid the attitude of riya who considers that alms to people in need is something to be proud of and should be known by many people.
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