The Importance of Sincerity (Ihlas) and the Calamity of Hypocrisy (Riya)
The sole condition for worship and all acts of kindness to be accepted by Allah is sincerity (ihlas). Worship performed without sincerity is like a body without a soul or an empty shell. 14, 15 There is no difference between a Sufi cloak worn merely to show off to the people and the zunnar that Zoroastrians tie around their waists. A person who performs his acts of worship outwardly for Allah but expects praise from others in his heart bears the mark of hypocrisy and gains nothing but weariness. For the beauty of actions should be solely due to fulfilling the obligation of servitude, not for a pre-emptive desire or ostentation.
The Degrees and Development of Sincerity (Ihlas)
Sincerity is a quality that deepens according to the spiritual station of the servant. To fully attain sincerity, which is the spirit of knowledge and action, it is necessary to uproot everything other than Allah from the heart. The sincerity of those progressing on the Sufi path differs according to the degrees of the righteous (ebrar) and those close to Allah (muqarrabin). The sincerity of the group of the righteous is to hide their actions from the sight of people while trusting in their own selves; the sincerity of the muqarrabin is to observe every action they perform with the power and might of Allah, not seeing any existence within themselves. This second station is the highest degree of sincerity in tawhid.
Seeking Only the Pleasure of Allah
A person who seeks the pleasure of Allah should not pay attention to whether people accept or reject it. A sincere servant takes a blessing not for worldly gain, but for the true Owner of that blessing (Malik); he aspires to the essence in the presence of the Creator (Halik), not the shell in the hands of the people. As Jesus (a.s.) said, “Good deeds are those whose praise is not expected.” When a servant abandons all worldly or egoistic shares in his actions and performs every deed solely for Allah, he attains the secret, “No deed would be worthy of acceptance unless it had His beautiful covering,” 22, 23 and tastes true servitude.